The past few games have been a rough stretch for Ted Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes, who have lost all four of their previous opponents. Things didn’t get any better Saturday afternoon, as the Hornets fell to the UCF Knights by a final score of 95-86 in Boulder.
CU entered the game as a 3.5-point favorite and looked like the better team early, going on a 7-0 run to open the game and establish some rhythm. However, this rhythm did not last long, as the Cavaliers then went on a 7-0 run and found their footing.
advertise
Even as UCF started to find its footing, Colorado was still strong early in the game. Starting point guard Barrington Hargress scored 18 points in the first half. Behind the excellent offensive performance, the scalpers were full of firepower. Huggs took open shots from deep and passed to his teammates in the post and outside, who were also shooting. UCF kept pace with the Bulls on the strength of its stellar 3-point shooting, but still trailed by multiple scores early in the first half, giving CU an eight-point lead with about eight minutes left before halftime.
After seeing the Bulls passing the ball easily, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins decided in the 8th minute to switch from a man-to-man defense to a 1-3-1 zone in an attempt to block the ball down low, completely flipping the entire game’s script. Suddenly, facing a zone defense, Colorado couldn’t find any breakthrough offensively, and the momentum shifted in UCF’s favor.
The Cavaliers seized on the momentum and mounted a three-point onslaught against Colorado throughout the first half. UCF essentially didn’t miss the ball in the first 20 minutes of the game, hitting 10 of 13 shots from distance.
The scalpers did their best to keep up, hitting seven three-pointers and grabbing seven steals in the first half. Huggs scored 18 points in the first half and also helped the team a lot with his near-perfect shooting performance. Isaiah Johnson hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before halftime, sending Colorado into the locker room trailing 49-47.
advertise
The second half could only be described as disastrous for Colorado. UCF’s offense began to cool down, shooting just 4-for-10 from the field at the start of the quarter. Colorado failed to take advantage of this and still couldn’t decipher the zone defense the Cavaliers threw at them, going 3-14 from the field early in the half.
The Cavaliers simply outplayed the Buffs as they trailed for the rest of the game.
The Hornets never figured out the 1-3-1 zone setup, and the offense struggled throughout the night. CU lost the rebounding battle by nine points, grabbing just four offensive rebounds all game. The Cavaliers shot 61.1% from the field (33-54) and 62.5% from three-point range (15-24).
I could go on longer with more statistics, but I think I’ve made my point. The scalpers haven’t been great, especially on defense.
advertise
Still, some clutch 3-pointers from Johnson, Sebastian Rancic and Jalin Holland kept Colorado within range of a comeback, albeit an unlikely one. Johnson cut the lead to six points with 2:51 left, but UCF’s Riley Kugel hit a lucky three to put the stakes in CU’s coffin. This especially stings because in their last game against Kansas, the Hornets were completely frozen by a three-point defense.
Colorado’s three players, Haggs, Johnson and Rancic, scored 20 points on over 50% shooting. Rancic finished with 4 steals and Bengot Dark grabbed 9 rebounds in total. True freshman Jalin Holland also deserves a mention, as he played 26 minutes and took a definite step forward, hitting two key 3-pointers and grabbing two steals.
Colorado’s league records now stand at 12-8 and 2-5. Things won’t get any easier for the Hornets, either, as their next test will be a road game against No. 9 Iowa State in Ames on Thursday. We’ll be covering the game here on The Ralphie Report.
