Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoBoulder, Colo. ? David Harrison blasted Colorado basketball fans after the Buffaloes drew a total of 8,124 fans to Coors Events Center for recent back-to-back nonconference home losses to Utah and Richmond.
The junior center — who had said he would rather get booed on the road than play in Boulder — shouldered the blame Monday night after the Buffs lost their Big 12 Conference opener to Kansas, 77-62, in front of 10,740 fans.
Harrison finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 26 foul-plagued minutes, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the 21-point, 14-rebound performance of KU junior forward Wayne Simien.
The experience left Harrison close to tears.
“I didn’t do my job,” said Harrison, who had pondered going pro after his sophomore season. “My guy outscored me and outrebounded me. I played like crap. You think I’m a horrible player right now. I don’t know what you think you’re looking at because I don’t feel like I’m good. These are the games I came back to play, and I lost them for my team.
Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo“I couldn’t guard Wayne. I couldn’t do anything. I’ve got to get better, or it’s going to be a long year.”
Harrison entered the game averaging 18.6 points and 9.3 rebounds, and his teammates weren’t about to let him take the blame for CU’s three-game losing streak.
“The last two games were complete team breakdowns at all positions,” said senior guard Blair Wilson, who led CU with 19 points. “As far as David, he’s the first option of our team. He’s the key guy. If a couple of calls go his way in the first half, it’s a completely different game.”
Things didn’t go Harrison’s way. The 7-footer picked up his second foul with 14:35 left in the first half and watched the rest of the period from the bench.
KU had its share of foul trouble down low, too. Simien, starting forward David Padgett and backup Jeff Graves all picked up two first-half fouls.
“I thought their depth in the post really made a difference because they kept bringing in big guys,” CU coach Ricardo Patton said. “Certainly when David Harrison isn’t in the game, we look a lot smaller.”
KU led 13-10 when Harrison went to the bench, and the Jayhawks stretched their lead to 33-17 with 5:06 remaining before Graves joined Padgett and Simien on the bench. The Buffaloes made a 9-0 run against a smaller Kansas lineup and were within 37-29 at the break.
Harrison, who did most of his damage by making nine of 14 free-throw attempts, made his first field goal with 15:14 remaining in the game. That bucket cut the deficit to 47-36 and started a 10-4 run that included eight points from Wilson.
CU’s crowd came to life as the Buffs pulled within 53-46 with 11:58 to play.
“It was great seeing all the people stand up for us when we were making our run,” Harrison said. “I want to thank them all for coming out tonight. Stick with us, because we’re going through some stuff, but we’re getting it together. It’s going to be a special season still.”
Graves and Padgett fouled out, and the Buffaloes closed the gap to 64-58 with 3:46 remaining. KU sophomore forward Moulaye Niang played 14 minutes for his third-longest outing of the year, and Graves (6-9) had six points and five rebounds, helping KU own a 42-36 advantage on the boards.
“When Wayne and Padgett pick up two fouls, you look out on the floor and they still have two people that are 6-10, 6-9 and we’re undersized,” Harrison said. “The weak-side block-out was tough for us to do with a guard on the post man, and they exploited that. Two of them fouled out, and I still finished playing a 6-10 person. They have so many players.”
Colorado didn’t have enough. Senior forward Michel Morandis finished with 14 points, bouncing back from a one-point game against Richmond.
No other Buff scored more than six, and CU shot 35.7 percent (20 of 56) from the field, including 35 percent (7 of 20) from three-point range.
“You’ve got to have guys who can knock down shots,” Patton said. “If Blair Wilson and Michel Morandis are the only guys we’re going to have shoot from the perimeter, it’s going to be a long season. That’s just the bottom line. We need other guys stepping up and pulling their man off David Harrison.”
The Buffs, who were 14-1 at home last season, have dropped three straight in Boulder and are 6-4 going into Thursday’s nonconference home game against Savannah State.
Playing KU in Boulder wasn’t a great homecourt advantage because the Jayhawks draw a few thousand of their own fans each year at Coors Events Center. That was the case again Monday when the Jayhawks were serenaded with the Rock Chalk Chant in the final minutes and received a loud ovation as they left the court.
“It’s frustrating,” Wilson said. “There’s nothing we can do about it, and we can’t say what we really want to say about it.”
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