Colorado Buffs Falter in Second Half, Fall to Stanford 77-68

The Colorado Buffaloes suffered a disappointing defeat against Stanford, losing 77-68 during the Naismith Hall of Fame series on December 9, 2023. Head coach Tad Boyle expressed concern over his team’s mental collapse in the second half, marking a significant shift in performance this season. Despite holding a two-point lead at halftime, Colorado’s inability to maintain momentum ultimately cost them the game.

In the first half, the Buffaloes posted a respectable performance, leading by two and achieving a 17-13 advantage in rebounds. However, the second half saw a stark reversal. Stanford outscored Colorado 44-33 and dominated the rebounding battle, claiming a 22-11 edge. The Buffaloes also struggled with turnovers, committing 11 of their season-high 18 in the final 20 minutes, a sharp contrast to their earlier games where they averaged fewer than 11 turnovers per contest.

“It’s the first time all year that we haven’t responded,” Boyle noted after the game. He highlighted previous instances where the team managed to bounce back, referencing matches against San Francisco, Colorado State, and Washington. “But tonight, we didn’t. That’s concerning to me, because you’d better respond. Winning games, you start league play; there are going to be 18 of these in our future. If we play like this, it’s going to be a tough road for us.”

Freshman standout Ebuka Okorie of Stanford, who had missed the previous two games due to injury, made a remarkable return. In just his tenth collegiate game, Okorie scored 32 points and secured 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. His performance included an impressive 18-for-21 shooting from the free-throw line, marking the highest scoring and rebounding totals by a Colorado opponent this season.

“Our guys need to learn from this,” said Colorado guard Barrington Hargress. “His poise, his ability to get to the free-throw line — he shot 21 free throws — that’s definitely a skill that’s becoming a growing thing in the NBA. That’s definitely something he has down pat.”

Despite shooting 47.3 percent from the field, Colorado experienced their worst offensive outing of the season, largely due to the high turnover rate. They also recorded season lows in points and three-point shooting percentage at just 23.5 percent. The Buffaloes tied their second-lowest total for offensive rebounds with only seven, and they went without a blocked shot for the first time this year.

Forward Bangot Dak struggled as well, committing a career-high five turnovers. After a period of improved performance, where he averaged just one turnover over five games, Dak has seen a sharp increase, totaling eight turnovers in the last two outings.

As Colorado prepares for upcoming challenges, the lessons learned from this defeat against Stanford will be crucial. The team must address their mental resilience and turnover issues if they hope to succeed in their remaining games this season.