Colorado is no longer road kill in men’s basketball.
The Buffs, who in the early 1990s made national news by losing 28 straight conference road games, actually are better on the road than at home in Big 12 Conference play this season.
CU is 3-3 on the road and 2-5 at the Coors Events Center entering tonight’s clash against Kansas (7:05 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse).
Overall, Ricardo Patton’s Buffs (15-11, 5-8) are 6-4 on the road, 8-6 in Boulder, Colo., and 1-1 in neutral gyms.
“They have done some nice things on the road,” KU coach Roy Williams said of the Buffs, who have won at Kansas State, Texas Tech and Nebraska and lost at home to Missouri, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas and Nebraska.
“They’ve done some nice things period. They are a good basketball team, I think their best since 1990 with (Shawn) Vandiver and those guys. I think they are fantastic.”
The Jayhawks edged the Buffs, 85-75, on Jan. 22 before a full house at CU’s Coors Events Center. CU led by five with under 10 minutes left but went scoreless for six minutes, remaining stuck on 71 points while KU rolled to a 10-point lead.
D.J. Harrison scored 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting, while Stephane Pelle scored 15 points on 6-of-17 marksmanship. Nick Mohr contributed 12 points for CU. Jeff Boschee had five three-pointers and 21 points to lead the Jayhawks. Kenny Gregory scored 16 points, Nick Collison 15 and Drew Gooden 10.
“If they play much better here than they did against us there, it will be a tough night for us,” Williams said.
The Buffs have been asked repeatedly to explain their success on the road. To put it all in perspective, Colorado, in 97 full seasons of basketball, has won more than six road games once in the 1941-42 season, when CU won nine games away from home.
“A year or two ago we couldn’t buy a road win,” junior guard Jose Winston told the Boulder Daily Camera. “Now we win. It’s just a totally different focus. Everybody is more in tune to the game.”
“We learned a lot from last year,” center Richard Fox said. “We just know that when it comes to the road the whole team has to be focused.”
CU assistant David Moe, who was a graduate assistant at KU in 1987-88, said the Buffs’ focus has been strong outside of Boulder.
“My opinion is when we go on the road we are a little more patient. We have better shot selection,” Moe said. “At home we get excited with the crowd. It’s my opinion we shoot too quickly from the outside at home. On the road we take our time. We hit the first open man and look for the best shot.”
The Buffs’ scoring leaders are Harrison, Jamahl Mosley and Pelle, who average 15.8, 13.5 and 11.2 points a game respectively.
“I think they are a very well balanced club. The past few years they’ve had one player that could really hurt you, but I think they have balance in their scoring. Pelle and Mosley hurt you up front, Harrison, Mohr and Winston and some of the guys they bring off the bench can do it from the perimeter and Fox gives them a big player up front. I just think it’s a very well balanced team,” Williams said.
CU has gone 3-4 since the Buffs’ close call against KU on Jan. 22.
“I don’t know if we’re the same team that played Kansas a couple of weeks ago,” Moe said. “We’ve lost our confidence. We’ve got to get our confidence back to where we are making plays. Now we are struggling.”
Coach Ricardo Patton on the Jayhawks playing their fourth game without the injured Drew Gooden:
“Certainly it hurts their depth, but I don’t think it makes them any weaker of a team than we are right now. They still have some pretty darn good guys to go to,” Patton said. “Kansas, in my mind, is a team that always plays with a great deal of competitive fire and spirit. I don’t see this as any different.”