BOULDER— Here’s the fine line between a 3-4, or maybe even a 4-3, start in the Pac-12 Conference and the cold 0-7 reality facing the .
After CU’s defeat last week at Washington, head coach Tad Boyle was discouraged (to put it mildly) at the glaring defensive lapse that led to the Huskies’ go-ahead 3-pointer from David Crisp, a play that pretty much summarized the defensive woes, particularly along the perimeter, that marked the Buffs’ 0-2 trip.
A putback basket by gave CU an 81-80 lead with 32.3 seconds left in overtime. One defensive stop probably would’ve ended the Buffs’ winless start in league play at 0-5. And who knows? Maybe a key defensive stop inspires a better defensive performance two days later in what became an overtime loss at .
Instead, while playing zone defense, the Buffs ran to spots rather than stopping the ball. And Crisp, already 3-for-4 on 3-pointers after halftime, was left wide open.
Having finally had an opportunity to review the play after the road trip, I asked Boyle on Monday if perhaps the guys on the floor suffered a miscommunication on what defense they were supposed to be in. In the 2-3 setup, guard Dom Collier took position just beyond the top of the key and was the only CU player who even gestured toward Crisp. angled toward the defensive right side to stop UW’s Markelle Fultz, who was bringing up the ball.
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