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AllBuffs.com - Covering CU-Boulder Athletics

CU At The Game: Contracts: Master Class

The CU athletic department has had record revenue in the Coach Prime era, but there are also record expenses ... What will it take to keep Coach Prime, knowing that CU can't afford to let him go? ...

Stuart
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Ralphie Report: Buffs lose again, winless in Big 12 play

NCAA Basketball: Cincinnati at Colorado

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado struggled against Oklahoma State

The Colorado Buffaloes were unable to turn course in their afternoon run-in with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Buffs fell, 83-73, and fell to 0-6 in their return to the Big 12.

It was a familiar outcome for the Buffs, and a familiar process too.

The game started ugly as Colorado struggled with turnovers, foul trouble and missed shots. After ten minutes, the scoresheet read 5 turnovers, 7 personal fouls and 10 points for Tad Boyle’s bunch. The only saving grace was that Oklahoma State was no better, as the 13th placed Cowboys relied heavily on those CU fouls to score from the free throw line.

The difference, however, was that Oklahoma State figured out the Colorado defense. Rather, the Buffs couldn’t stop a simple dribble-drive without committing a foul. Even if the whistle was a bit tight, there’s only two or three quality defenders on this team, and only Bangot Dak qualifies as an average or better athlete. Boyle tried a zone just to give his guys a chance, but even that yielded three-pointers and offensive rebounds.

Colorado rallied from down 43-33 at the half. They got a few stops, pushed the ball in transition and attacked the basket. Javon Ruffin then hit a three to narrow the deficit to 45-42. But that was as close as the Buffs got before the defense fell apart again.

Maybe the Buffs could be competitive if they got outscore their opponents, or at least keep pace, but that’s not happening either this year. This team can’t shoot (5/22 from three tonight), they don’t take care of the ball (16 turnovers per game) and they can’t even rebound (+13 for the Cowboys).

Some of this is a chemistry issue, as no one has played together before now. Some of this is a Tad Boyle issue, as he’s never been a great in-game coach. But man, there’s no one on this team who can create an advantage, cause a mismatch or hit a tough shot. This isn’t meant to criticise the players on the team; this is just what happens when your entire rotation leaves and all the new guys are playing a role one or two levels above what they’re suited for.

The season isn’t over, even if it feels like that when the Buffs are losing by 18 points to another basement dweller. Boyle is testing out the young guys, giving more and more minutes to Sebastian Rancik and Felix Kossaras, not to mention RJ Smith and Bangot Dak, the two bright spots on this team. He’s going to see what he has and what he needs, and maybe Coach Prime can trickle down some NIL money.

by Sam Metivier
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Ralphie Report: Podcast: Kicking off the off-season and paying tribute to Coach Mac

Colorado Buffaloes

Photo by:Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

We’ve got a lot to talk about...

Welcome back to another episode of the Buffaloes Breakdown Podcast!

Ryland Scholes, Jacob Thompson, and Jack Barsch of Ralphie Report sit down to discuss all the latest Colorado Buffaloes news post-Alamo Bowl.

The Ralphie Report guys kick things off by quickly recapping CU’s loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl (don’t worry, we make it quick) before shifting to NFL Draft speculation. Where will Shedeur Sander and Travis Hunter land? What rounds will Will Sheppard and Cam’Ron Salmon-Craig get picked in? We’ll let you know what Jacob, our resident draft expert, thinks!

The boys are then joined by Jack, who hops in to discuss Colorado’s latest transfer portal news. If you need a quick refresher on the first portal period, we've got you covered!

After that, the guys address the elephant in the room: rumors of Deion Sanders taking the head coaching job for the Dallas Cowboys. Ryland and Jack explain why they’re not worried about Coach Prime leaving.

Lastly, Ryland and Jack pay tribute to coach Bill McCartney. McCartney, lovingly known as Coach Mac to Colorada fans, has passed away at the age of 84 after an eight-year battle with dementia. The guys break down Coach Mac’s legacy as the greatest coach in CU history and what he means to the program.

YouTube Link:


Thanks so much for your continued support!
Be sure to check out our free articles on our website and our updates on Twitter/X! There’s never been a better time to check Ralphie Report!

As always, Sko Buffs!

by RylandScholes
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CU At The Game: CUATG Podcast – Neill Woelk: Remembering Coach Mac

Award-winning sportswriter Neill Woelk covered the Buffs for the Daily Camera for three decades, then another decade for CUBuffs.com ... The first reporter to interview Bill McCartney as CU's head coach ... The Fifth Down Game ... The "Miracle at Michigan" ... and much more .... Enjoy! ...

Stuart
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Ralphie Report: Colorado’s comeback falls short against #21 West Virginia

NCAA Basketball: West Virginia at Colorado

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado couldn’t finish the job.

It was a new game, but still the same old story for the Colorado Buffaloes. Turnovers and a lack of execution down the stretch doomed the Buffs against #21 West Virginia in Boulder on Sunday, despite a valiant comeback effort.

Even with the Mountaineers’ ranked status, with great wins over Gonzaga and Kansas this season, oddsmakers favored the Buffaloes in this matchup. WVU’s injury woes gave the Buffs the chance to knock off one of the better Big 12 squads this season, without star guard Tucker DeVries and Jayden Stone.

From the get-go, the Mountaineers didn’t look like a squad hobbled by injuries, building up a quick lead with good shooting from Javon Small and Jonathan Powell.

The Buffs simply couldn’t keep pace with WVU in the first half, struggling to battle the Mountaineers’ length down low. The Mountaineers fully utilized their length advantage to clog up any lanes below the basket and force CU to take low-percentage shots, finishing shooting 48% on FGs and only 9-15 on layups.

What hurt the Buffaloes the most in the first half was their turnover issues. The turnover bug traveled back to Boulder after CU’s heartbreaking loss to Orlando last Wednesday and was in full force at The Keg on Sunday. Colorado had 11 turnovers in the first half against WVU, resulting in 12 easy Mountaineer points. A lot of those turnovers were ugly too, with multiple passes heaved out of bounds or right to WVU players due to a lack of communication.

Those 12 points off turnovers turned into the difference in the first half, as the Buffaloes headed into halftime down 40-29, looking to regroup and win their first Big 12 game of the season.

The start of the second half didn’t look promising for Colorado, as the WVU’s Javon Small hit back-to-back-to-back stepback three-pointers over CU defenders to get his team going. Small, who has firmly established himself as Big 12’s leading scorer and potential conference player of the year, extended the Mountaineers’ lead to 14.

As for the non-Small Mountaineers, things were a different story. WVU’s signature “Press Virginia” defense proved to backfire, as the Mountaineers were committing a foul on seemingly every CU possession. Due to WVU’s rampant fouling, Colorado reached the bonus with 13 minutes left to play in the game.

Colorado’s defense clamped down, smothering WVU and giving them no space to work. As soon as Colorado reached the bonus, the Mountaineers bricked five consecutive shots and made only one shot in a six-minute span.

On the offensive floor, Colorado began to find their rhythm. Granted, that was because of WVU’s insistence on fouling anything or anyone with a pulse, but Colorado still capitalized. The Mountaineers committed 17 fouls in the second half, with Colorado making 24 of their 28 shots from the line.

Elite defense and free-throw shooting put Colorado back into the game, pulling within two points of West Virginia five times in the second half, but ultimately couldn’t close things out. On each of those five occasions, WVU would draw a foul or hit a big shot, as Colorado never even tied the game in the second half, let alone take the lead.

Colorado had plenty of opportunities to win this game. WVU’s sloppy second-half play was practically begging for the Buffs to steal the win, but CU couldn’t dig themselves out of their turnover hole. After the 78-70 loss to the Mountaineers, Colorado now falls to 0-4 in Big 12 play.

Julian Hammond once again was Colorado’s best player, finishing the contest with 23 points and four rebounds, shooting 8-8 on FTs. This was Hammond’s second straight 20+ point game, as he finished with 26 on Wednesday in Orlando. Assane Diop also played a pivotal role in Colorado’s comeback attempt, tallying 13 points and five boards.

West Virginia’s Javon Small stole the show, finishing with 26 points, four three-pointers, four boards, seven assists, a block and a steal.

The bad news doesn’t end at the final score for Colorado either, as two Buffaloes starters were injured in the second half against WVU. Center Elijah Malone tweaked his back, while guard RJ Smith “wasn’t feeling himself” according to coach Tad Boyle. Malone and Smith’s status is unclear for CU’s upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Wednesday.

Both the Buffs and Bearcats are 0-4 in Big 12 play, meaning that Wednesday’s matchup will be a battle of two desperate squads. It’ll be a scrappy showdown, so we’ll have to see if this Colorado team has what it takes to respond in the face of adversity.

by RylandScholes
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