Colorado Shows No. 8 Iowa State It’s No Longer a Downhill Farce

For having a history of ineptitude, Colorado came into Saturday’s Big 12 Conference game at Boulder, Colo., against No. 8 Iowa State with surprising confidence--and backed it up with shocking ease.

The Buffaloes, making a bid for their first national ranking in 28 years, were dominant in a 70-45 victory over the Cyclones, who suffered their worst defeat in 17 years.

‘We never envisioned a 25-point win,” guard Chauncey Billups said, stopping short of calling the victory an upset. “To our close-knit family, it’s never an upset to us.”

Such a victory in previous years would have been considered monumental for Colorado, which is 14-3 overall and 5-0 in the Big 12.

The Buffaloes had lost more than three-quarters of their games in what was previously known as the Big Eight since winning their last conference championship in 1968-69. They had not been nationally ranked since December 1969 and had lost their previous 15 games against top 10 teams, most of the time by double figures.

The turnaround can be attributed to the brash and multitalented Billups, blue-collar forward Martice Moore and no-nonsense Coach Ricardo Patton.

Billups, who set school records for scoring (17.9 points a game, assists (5.5 a game) and three-point shooting (41%) last season as a freshman, had 17 points to lead the victory over Iowa State. His game is so well-rounded that he’s expected to make himself eligible for the NBA draft after this season.

Moore, a transfer from Georgia Tech who averaged 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds for last season’s 9-18 team, gives the smallish Buffaloes much-need presence inside.

Patton was elevated from assistant coach 16 games into last season when Joe Harrington, formerly at Long Beach State, quit abruptly, citing burnout.

Patton made it clear he would do things his way. He benched Billups for being 25 seconds late to a team breakfast and dismissed top returning scorer Mack Tuck, who would be followed by two other discontented starters, Ted Kritza and Matt Daniel.

Colorado was 4-9 under Patton, who hit the recruiting trail hard and brought in seven new players--the most important being 6-foot-7 center Ronnie DeGray, a junior college transfer, and freshman Will Smith, a 6-6 guard.

The shape of things to come occurred last weekend when the Buffaloes beat Texas Tech, 80-78, at Lubbock, ending the nation’s third-longest home winning streak at 35 games.

“We have come a long way,” said Patton, “and have a long way to go.”

What has come a long way is the Buffaloes’ defense, which routinely gave up 80 points or more in Harrington’s six seasons.

Colorado’s field-goal defense is 39%, its lowest figure since 1964-65.

The Buffaloes’ defense was at its best against Iowa State, which missed 23 of 33 shots and scored only 19 points in the second half.

The Cyclones (11-3, 2-2), who shot 30% for the game, were without leading scorer Dedric Willoughby (hamstring injury) while Coach Tim Floyd was ejected with 7:16 left in the first half.

No. 3 Clemson 51, North Carolina State 42--Sophomore point guard Terrell McIntyre and reserve forward Vincent Whitt picked up the scoring slack created by off games by forward Greg Buckner and guard Merl Code as the Tigers (16-1, 5-0) increased their winning streak to 12 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Clemson, S.C.

McIntyre and Whitt teamed up for 26 points as Buckner and Code--who average a combined 27 points a game--missed 17 of 20 shots and had 12 points.

Clemson also overcame a nine-minute span without a field goal in the second half, with McIntyre making a three-point shot with three minutes left after North Carolina State (8-6, 0-5) had pulled within four at 42-38.

Clemson plays host to No. 2 Wake Forest (14-0, 5-0) on Thursday night for first place in the ACC.

No. 4 Cincinnati 92, Arkansas 57--The Bearcats (12-3) used a 25-0 second-half run and forward Danny Fortson’s 27 points and career-high 18 rebounds to hand the Razorbacks (9-5) their second-worst loss ever in a nonconference game at Cincinnati.

Temple had used a matchup zone to limit Fortson to nine points in a 70-55 victory Thursday--the first time in 43 games he scored under double figures. Arkansas opted for man-to-man defense and Fortson had his way, making seven of 11 shots while drawing nine fouls which resulted in making 13 of 14 free throws. The rest of the Bearcats shot 53%.

“When we make shots and can spread [the defense] out, there’s not a whole lot of people who can guard Danny one-on-one,” Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins said. “He’s the best power player in America.”

Arkansas, which shot a season-low 33%, had also lost by 35 points (97-62) to Cincinnati in the 1958 NCAA tournament.

No. 5 Kentucky 77, Auburn 53--Nazr Mohammed, an improving 6-10 sophomore center, had 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for the Wildcats (16-2, 4-1) in the Southeastern Conference game at Lexington, Ky.

Mohammed helped Kentucky compile a 42-26 rebound advantage. Auburn (11-7, 2-3) shot 34% (16-of-47) and allowed Kentucky to score 28 points off a season-high 27 turnovers.

Pitino won his 200th game against 47 losses in his eighth season at Kentucky. His overall college record is 333-121.

“Time goes fast when you’re having such fun,” Pitino said. “I’ve been here 7 1/2 years and it feels like 7 1/2 months.”

No. 7 Minnesota 73, Ohio State 67--The Golden Gophers (16-2, 5-1), who gave up an uncharacteristic 96 points in a loss to Illinois on Tuesday, made their defensive presence felt late in the Big Ten Conference game at Columbus, Ohio.

Minnesota led, 61-57 with less than five minutes left when it converted three steals into breakaway baskets on four Ohio State possessions.

Forward Shaun Stonerook led Ohio State (7-8, 2-4) with a career-high 25 points and guard Damon Stringer had 15. Stonerook and Stringer made combined 13 of 19 shots while the Buckeyes shot 22% (8 of 36).

No. 9 Utah 81, Texas Christian 77--Forward Keith Van Horn had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Utes (12-2, 4-0) in a Western Athletic Conference game at Fort Worth, Texas.

Utah shot 73% in the first half, but led only 46-42 at halftime as it made a majority of 22 turnovers and TCU (12-6, 1-4) made eight of 17 three-point shots and forced .

TCU guard Malcolm Johnson had 28 points and six three-point baskets.

No. 12 New Mexico 69, Rice 61--In a Western Athletic Conference game at Houston, guard Clayton Shields, from nearby Baytown, Texas, had 22 points for the Lobos (14-3, 3-2).

Center Shaun Igo led Rice (7-7, 1-3) with 18 points and 13 rebounds. New Mexico center Kenny Thomas, who sat out the Lobos’ loss to Tulsa on Thursday because of an ankle injury, returned with 13 points and six rebounds.

No. 13 Duke 78, Virginia 59--The Blue Devils (14-4, 3-2) jumped out to 23-5 lead and maintained a double-figure lead throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference game at Durham, N.C.

Virginia (11-6, 2-4) was without second-leading scorer Harold Deane, who was serving a one-game NCAA-imposed suspension after a semester enrollment mix-up.

Jamal Robinson took over at point guard for Deane and scored only four points before fouling out with 6:46 left. Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski had a career-high 16 points, seven assists and three steals with only one turnover.

Virginia’s leading scorer Courtney Alexander, a Durham native, missed 12 of 16 shots and had 11 points. Alexander had 30 points at Durham as a freshman last year.

No. 16 Villanova 79, Rutgers 56--Guard Alvin Williams was one of four double figure scorers for the Wildcats (14-3, 5-2) with 17 points in the Big East game at Villanova.

Rutgers (7-6, 3-4) shot 31%.

Purdue 70, Indiana 53--Center Brad Miller had a career-high 25 points for the Boilermakers (8-7, 3-2) in a Big Ten game at West Lafayette, Ind.

The 6-11 Miller, who made 7 of 12 shots and 11 for 14 free throws, also had nine rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots.

Indiana (15-4, 2-3) shot 34% and had 22 turnovers.

Guard Chad Austin made four consecutive three-point shots to lead a 20-0 run that gave Purdue its biggest lead at 70-45.

Massachusetts 90, No. 19 Boston College 78--Guard Edgar Padilla scored a career-high 24 as the Minutemen (8-9) won this cross-state rivalry for the second consecutive year at Boston.

Padilla’s sixth three-point basket at 3:33 turned back a rally by Boston College, which had cut a 14-point deficit to six. Reserve guard Charlton Clarke also had a career-high 23 points for Massachusetts.

Guard Scoonie Penn led Boston College (12-3) with 18 points while forward Danya Abrams had 16 points and nine rebounds.

Vanderbilt 67, No. 20 Mississippi 64--Guard Drew Maddux scored eight points in the final minute for the Commodores (11-5, 3-3) in the Southeastern Conference game at Nashville, Tenn.

The loss was the second in a row for Mississippi (11-5, 3-3) since a victory over defending national champion Kentucky last Saturday had moved the Rebels into the national rankings for the first time.

Vanderbilt made 18 more free throws than Mississippi.

South Carolina 82, No. 21 Georgia 71--The Gamecocks (11-5, 5-0) made 18 of 21 free throws in the final 8:46 at Columbia, S.C., to remain the Southeastern Conference’s only unbeaten team.

Guards Larry Davis and BJ McKie combined for 43 points for the Gamecocks, who made 38 of 51 free throws in winning their sixth consecutive game. Georgia (12-4, 1-3) attempted 32 fewer free throws, making 13.

No. 22 North Carolina 73, Georgia Tech 50--Forward Antawn Jamison had 20 of his 28 points in the second half and the Tar Heels (11-4, 2-3) limited the Yellowjackets (7-8, 1-4) to two baskets over the final 11:56 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Charlotte, N.C.

North Carolina had started ACC play at 0-3 for the first time in school history. They used a 24-2 second-half run to put away the Yellow Jackets.

“It was kind of hostile because people are not used to seeing Carolina lose,” said Jamison, the ACC’s leading scorer at 25 points a game. “It was kind of a shock to everybody--Carolina 0-3 in the conference--what is this? People kind of put us down a little bit and said we are going to struggle throughout the whole season, but it’s not talent-wise, it’s the execution and trying to get everything together. I’m not saying we’re there yet, but we’re taking a step further each game we play.”

Forward Matt Harpring led Georgia Tech, 0-5 against nationally ranked opponents, with 19 points, but had none the final 13:09.

No. 25 Texas Tech 73, Kansas State 64--Center Tony Battie had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Red Raiders (12-3, 4-1) in a Big 12 game at Manhattan, Kan. Battie bettered his season averages for points (20.6) and rebounding (12.4), while guard Cory Carr made six of 11 three-point shots en route to 23 points. Texas Tech’s inside-outside duo scored 29 points in a first half that ended in a 38-38 tie.

Kansas State is 7-7 and 0-4.

OTHER GAMES

Guard Kevin Norris made five of six free throws in the final two minutes of overtime as Miami (11-5, 5-3) was a home-court 68-65 Big East winner over Georgetown (10-6, 3-5). Norris has made 33 of his last 35 free throws. Georgetown guard Victor Page tied a career-high with 34 points but missed 19 of 30 shots. . . . Forward Pat Garrity scored 22 points as Notre Dame (8-7, 2-5) beat Syracuse (10-7, 1-5) for the second time this month with a 73-58 Big East victory at the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen are off to their worst start in 18 Big East seasons. . . . Florida State (10-4) shot a season-low 35% but still managed a 67-56 nonconference victory over Seton Hall (7-9) at East Rutherford, N.J. Florida State reserve center Kirk Luchman, who played at nearby Shawnee High in South Jersey, had 17 points and 12 rebounds. He had only 16 points in his previous four games. . . . Virginia Tech (8-7, 2-3) suffered its worst home loss in a 73-52 setback to Rhode Island (11-4, 5-0) at Blacksburg, Va. Forward Ace Custis, Virginia Tech’s leading scorer, had only eight points.

Center Adonal Foyle moved past Shaquille O’Neal to become NCAA’s fifth-leading all-time shot blocker in Colgate’s 86-69 victory over Army (6-7) at Hamilton, N.Y. Foyle, a junior, had eight blocked shots to increase his total to 417. He also had a game-high 31 points and 11 rebounds. Colgate (6-9) shot 67%. . . . Brett Eppehimer made four free throws in the final five seconds as Lehigh (1-15) ended the longest current Division I losing streak at 18 games with a 79-75 victory over Holy Cross (3-13) at Bethlehem, Pa. . . . Freshman guard Donnie Carr, the nation’s second-leading scorer, made a jumper with 4.9 seconds to give LaSalle (7-5, 2-1) a 79-77 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Duquesne (5-9, 1-3) at Philadelphia. Carr had 19 points, eight below his average. . . . Forward Bubba Wells was held under 30 points for the first time this season as Austin Peay (7-10, 4-3) was an 82-70 loser to Tennessee State (3-11, 1-5) in Nashville. Wells, who missed Austin Peay’s first 11 games with a leg injury after being the nation’s third-leading scorer in 1995-96, scored 25 points--nine below the average for his first five games.

Point guard Aaron Hutchins 21 of his team’s final 23 points as Marquette (12-3, 3-1) was a 69-48 Conference USA winner over St. Louis (6-9, 0-3) at Milwaukee. Hutchins, who had made only 32% of his shots in the previous five games, made nine of 15 and had 26 points. St. Louis has lost 13 consecutive road games. . . . Michigan State (11-3, 4-2) extended its winning streak to 20 against Northwestern (5-11, 0-5) in a 75-62 Big 10 victory at East Lansing, Mich. Northwestern’s 6-11 senior center Evan Eschmeyer made 12 of 14 shots and had a career-high 26 points. . . . Guard Chris Herron had 19 points as Fresno State (11-6, 3-0) was a home-court 78-69 Western Athletic Conference winner over Air Force (5-9, 1-4). Fresno State plays host to Nevada Las Vegas Monday night as Bulldog Coach Jerry Tarkanian has his first game against the school where he compiled a 509-108 record in 19 seasons. . . . Colorado State (12-4, 2-2) made 14 of 18 free throws in overtime in a 93-90 Western Athletic Conference victory at San Diego State (11-4, 3-2). Guard Jason Richey had 29 points for San Diego State, including a game-tying layup with four seconds left in regulation.