Black and gold overshadowed at men’s basketball game
Standing ovations at the end of a basketball game are usually a good thing at the Coors Events Center.
But not when the Buffs play the University of Kansas.
Just over 6,600 fans attended the game Wednesday night. Many, like Kansas alumnus Chad Bechard, were sporting Jayhawk red and blue.
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>> Tradition? CU vs. KU |
– Evan Acker
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Bechard, from Overland Park, Kan., is the cousin of Jayhawk guard Brennan Bechard and flew to Denver instead of roughing it on the nine-hour drive across Interstate 70.
“I grew up a KU fan since I was a little kid,” he said. “They’re a fun team to watch. When you follow them for so long, you can’t stop.”
You’d think you were in Lawrence, Kan., if it weren’t for the large Buffs logo at mid-court and the gigantic drawing of CU’s legendary point guard Chauncey Billups.
One of the loudest cheers of the game came on a monster dunk by Kansas forward Julian Wright.
In the final minutes of the game, Kansas’s famous, monotonous “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk” chant echoed from wall to wall.
“You’d think it’s got to have a pretty good effect,” Bechard said of the large Kansas crowd. “I think (the Jayhawks) got a lot more cheering than Colorado did.”
The CU-Kansas game has a reputation in Kansas for being a great “second home” for the Jayhawks.
“I’ve always heard (the game) had a big KU backing, but I never saw it,” Bechard said. “I’m shocked by the amount of people.”
Not all Kansas fans had to buy a plane ticket, or even drive across state borders.
Many, like Kansas class of 1999 alumna Emilie Nichols, came in from her home in Colorado Springs. But the drive was treacherous thanks to the snowy weather.
For Bechard, who drove with his wife from downtown Denver to Boulder, it took more two hours to get to CU’s campus.
Regardless of the weather, CU head coach Ricardo Patton wasn’t surprised by the strong Kansas turnout.
“We’re used to it now,” he said before the game. “It’s been that way since I’ve been the head coach for 11 years.”
Patton only beat Kansas once in those 11 years. The 2003 win over Kansas at the Coors Events Center was the lone victory in the series for the Buffs during Patton’s tenure. The Buffs’ record against Kansas in that span is 1-23.
CU forward Marcus King-Stockton (cq), who finished with two points and eight rebounds, said he was frustrated there wasn’t more local support.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “You always want to have the home-court advantage. But it’s also motivation to try and go out there and disappoint their crowd.”
Bill Self, head coach of the Jayhawks, credited part of the win to their loyal fans.
“It was amazing,” he said. “It amazes me that in this weather people would drive that far. If the weather were good, I’d bet you we’d get about another 3,000 people.”
There were plenty of seats to accommodate fair-weather fans if they had decided to come. Some sections behind the basket were only half full. Other sections that were close to capacity had about a 50-50 split of CU and Kansas fans.
CU shot only 27.3 percent from the floor and held its only lead at 3-2 early in the first half. It seemed fitting that CU cheerleaders tossed stress balls into a dejected student section during a timeout in the second half.
For some, the nine-hour drive back to Lawrence, Kan., might be more pleasant than the 15-minute walk back to the Hill for CU’s diehard fans.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Evan Acker at evan.acker@thecampuspress.com.
