Afterward, Colorado coach Tad Boyle said it’s never fun to compete against a friend.
Chances are that friend, University of Denver coach Rodney Billups, enjoyed it even less.
It was a rude homecoming for Billups as well as former Colorado coach Ricardo Patton on Tuesday, as Boyle’s Buffaloes used strong defense and a dominant run in the second half to pull away for an 89-62 victory at the Coors Events Center.
With Billups’ brother, CU legend Chauncey Billups, sitting courtside, Rodney Billups’ Pioneers stayed close behind a strong effort from the floor early before the Buffs put the clamps on defensively. Ricardo Patton, now a DU assistant, coached the Buffs for 12 seasons through 2006-07.
DU shot .556 (15-for-27) during the first half but the Buffs countered with a strong night from the floor as well, shooting over 53 percent in each half before finishing with a .532 mark (33-for-62). The Buffs led 43-33 at halftime but DU was able to pull within six points a little more than four minutes into the second half. CU took over from there, putting together a 12-1 run over the next three and a half minutes and capping the burst with an electrifying all-freshman fast break alley-oop from McKinley Wright to Tyler Bey. The Pioneers never challenged afterward.
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