Valiant revival undone through harsh begin as No. 12 Tennessee leadings CU Buffs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Colorado scrambled to get a game scheduled with one of the top programs in the nation.

Then the Buffaloes spent much of Tuesday night scrambling to play catch-up against the Tennessee Volunteers.

If the Buffs thought they might catch the 12th-ranked Volunteers out of sorts in what was Tennessee’s coronavirus-delayed season opener, the hosts quickly dispelled that notion. Tennessee buried the Buffs with a hot start and then turned away every CU comeback attempt the rest of the way, eventually handing CU a 56-47 defeat on the 39th anniversary of the teams’ last matchup in 1981.

While senior D’Shawn Schwartz played for the first time this season after incurring a positive COVID-19 test prior to the Nov. 25 season opener against South Dakota, the Buffs played shorthanded for the third time in as many games with starting guard Eli Parquet and freshman reserve Luke O’Brien unable to make the trip.

CU recorded six of its season-high 23 turnovers in the game’s first seven minutes, which Tennessee used to magnify its hot-shooting early, putting the Buffs in a 17-2 hole midway through the first half.

The Buffs shifted to a zone defense, and the move immediately started cooling down the Volunteers. CU took advantage to reel off a 14-2 run to pull within four, but a 3-pointer from Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi gave the Volunteers a 31-24 lead at halftime.

“I’m not a zone coach, but I felt like we had trouble guarding them,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “We went to the zone and it was successful, so we stuck with it. But offensively, we were so bad tonight.”

CU didn’t go away quietly in the second half, but Tennessee held off the Buffs every time they rallied. The Buffs opened the second half with a 7-2 run, capping the burst with a slick McKinley Wright-to-Keeshawn Barthelemy fast break dunk, to get within two points for the first time the entire game. Tennessee answered with an 11-3 run to push the lead back to 10.

during a season-opener game between Tennessee and Colorado at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020.

The Buffs battled to within six points with just under 7 minutes remaining and were within five with 2 minutes left, but CU couldn’t get over the hump.

“We put ourselves in a position where we had to climb back, which really made it hard for us down the stretch,” Wright said. “Fatigue played a factor, and we’ve got to do better in taking care of the ball.”

Jeriah Horne notched his first double-double in a CU uniform, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds. Wright scored over 20 points in each of the Buffs’ opening-week wins, but he commanded the focus of the Tennessee defense and finished just 3-for-8 with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, and five turnovers.

CU shot just .333 overall and went 5-for-22 on 3-pointers. The Buffs’ move to a zone defense helped limit Tennessee to a .276 mark in the second half, but the Volunteers still finished 7-for-19 on 3-pointers.

“When you turn the ball over 23 times, and you shoot 33 percent, it’s a recipe for getting blown out,” Boyle said. “I’ve got to credit our guys, because we didn’t get blown out. We were not good enough offensively. We dribbled the ball way too much. We were so impatient. Some of our turnovers were self-inflicted. Some were a result of Tennessee. We’ve got to learn to handle pressure better. Anybody watching this game, you climb up into Colorado they’ll pee down their leg and give you the ball. We have to learn how not to do that.”

What went right: The Buffs were strong on the glass, outrebounding Tennessee 38-32. Despite losing by nine points, the Buffs posted an 11-10 advantage on second-chance points.

What went wrong: CU’s 23 turnovers was its most since the opening game of the 2019 Pac-12 Conference tournament, and the Buffs went just 5-for-22 on 3-pointers.

Star of the game: Graduate transfer Jeriah Horne posted his first double-double with the Buffs, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds.

What’s next?: Unless another replacement game is settled in a hurry, the Buffs will be off until a Dec. 14 date at home against Northern Colorado.

No. 12 Tennessee 56, Colorado 47

COLORADO (2-1)Battey 2-6 0-0 4, Walton 1-1 2-2 4, Barthelemy 3-12 0-0 7, Wright 3-8 2-4 8, Daniels 1-3 0-0 3, Horne 4-8 4-4 15, Schwartz 0-5 0-0 0, J.Walker 1-3 2-2 4, da Silva 0-1 0-0 0, Clifford 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-48 10-12 47.

TENNESSEE (1-0)Fulkerson 4-10 3-4 11, Bailey 3-7 0-0 8, James 2-6 4-4 8, Vescovi 3-5 2-2 11, Pons 1-9 0-0 2, Anosike 1-6 2-4 4, Johnson 2-3 0-0 4, Nkamhoua 1-3 0-0 2, Springer 2-3 0-1 6, Plavsic 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 11-15 56.

Halftime — Tennessee 31-24. 3-point goals — Colorado 5-22 (Horne 3-6, Daniels 1-3, Barthelemy 1-5, Battey 0-1, J.Walker 0-1, da Silva 0-1, Wright 0-2, Schwartz 0-3), Tennessee 7-19 (Vescovi 3-4, Springer 2-2, Bailey 2-6, Fulkerson 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Pons 0-2, James 0-3). Rebounds — Colorado 38 (Horne 11), Tennessee 32 (Pons 10). Assists — Colorado 10 (Wright 4), Tennessee 12 (Vescovi 5). Total fouls — Colorado 17, Tennessee 15. A — 4,191 (21,678).

feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/kI_Kf4T3ip4/

Follow Tyler Tivis Tysdal Online

Check out the latest articles from Ty Tysdal.
Follow Tyler Tysdal on Twitter
Take a look at the resume for Tyler Tysdal on Crunchbase to see experience.
Follow Tyler Tysdal on Linkedin.com