BOULDER — The winning experience triggered optimism.
Colorado began a season with high hopes touting the benefit of four fifth-year seniors and a deep cast of upperclassmen overall who had tasted the NCAA Tournament a year earlier and were apparently eager to return there and make a defining run.
Instead, two of those seniors — starting forwards and — were spectators for the second consecutive game when CU hosted Washington on Thursday night at the Coors Events Center, with both players serving a suspension for violation of team rules.
It was another reminder of how far off the predicted path the Buffaloes have veered during a season that began with mile-high expectations. Luckily for CU, picking up the slack was a reachable goal against a Washington team playing without a far more valuable starter.
had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead a balanced effort as CU pulled away for an 81-66 victory over the Huskies, who were playing without standout freshman guard Markelle Fultz, a likely lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
“It’s a good victory for us,” said CU coach Tad Boyle, adding that Johnson and Gordon will return for CU’s game against Washington State on Sunday. “We were obviously short-handed, but I thought our guys played together and shared the basketball.”
Fultz, who is nursing a knee injury, torched CU for 37 points and eight assists in Washington’s 85-83 overtime victory in Seattle on Jan. 18. That was the sixth in a string of seven straight defeats to begin the Pac-12 season that left the Buffs with a mountain to climb that was so steep it would make the state’s treasured 14,000-foot peaks blush.
Boyle found out about an hour before the game that Washington’s dynamic 6-foot-4 guard would be out of the lineup, when a team manager scurried to the coach’s office and reported that Fultz was in sweats and not participating in Washington’s pregame warm-ups.
“You hate to see a good player like that not play, and he’s special,” Boyle said. “It’s unfortunate that our fans didn’t get to see him. However, it didn’t break my heart.”
CU senior Derrick White on the other hand?
“I was bummed,” said White, who was one of six CU players in double figures with 16 points. “I wanted to go out there and compete against him. But I couldn’t dwell on that.”
The Buffs have been trying to climb back ever since Fultz handed them the third of four last-possession losses during the opening losing streak. The victory Thursday was CU’s fourth in five games, a stretch that included a victory over then-No. 10 Oregon. CU improved to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in the Pac-12. Washington fell to 9-15 and 2-10.
The 6-6 King had seven of his 12 rebounds on the offensive glass as he deftly assumed some of CU’s post duties in the absence of Gordon and Johnson. King’s effort led the Buffs to a 48-28 advantage in paint points, even as Washington tried to close off the lane with a sagging zone defense.
“Before the game, I told our staff: ‘Boy, I sure hope George plays well tonight because we need him to step up,'” said Boyle, who won his 200th career game. “And he certainly did.”
The Buffs, who had 15 assists and only eight turnovers, led 59-43 when knocked down a jump shot with 11:18 left in the game. The Huskies cut the lead all the way down to 68-61 with less than six minutes left.
But freshman Lucas Siewart knocked down a 3-pointer, White followed with a jumper in the lane and the Buffs pulled away from there.
Siewart and fellow freshman , who had three highlight-reel dunks, combined for 22 points. Collier, the junior guard, had four steals to go with 10 points and five assists.
The Buffs on Thursday were also without guard Deleon Brown. The freshman suffered a concussion in practice earlier this week. Senior guard Josh Fortune missed much of the second half with an injured jaw, forcing CU into a rotation of just seven players.
“We’ve said all year long that the strength of this team is balance and depth,” White said. “When someone goes down or someone isn’t playing, we have people step up.”
The game included a strange incident at the end of the first half between a Washington player and the CU student section. Malik Dime, a 6-9 center who was not playing because of a broken pinkie finger, allegedly hit a student in the “C-Unit” section who had been heckling him during the first half.
The student-run C-Unit Twitter account posted its version of events after the incident took place.
Dime appeared to apologize and shake the fan’s hand at the end of the game.
https://twitter.com/CUnitHoops/status/829921470981640193
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said after the game that he did not see the alleged incident and would look into it further.