BuffZone writer Pat Rooney discusses three topics on CU Buffs basketball as the men’s team continues to struggle through the start of Big 12 play, while the women face another challenging two-game road trip.

Missed opportunities

If the CU men’s basketball team indeed finishes its return season in the Big 12 in 15th place, where the Buffaloes were picked in the preseason coaches’ poll, or even worse, it won’t be because of the results still to come in what will be a challenging February.

It will be because the Buffs let too many winnable opportunities slip away right out of the gate.

That script continued on Sunday, as coach Tad Boyle’s club fell to 0-4 in league play with a 78-70 defeat at home against West Virginia. In many respects, the Buffs played well enough to win. The Mountaineers’ final field goal percentage of .455 was a little high, but CU shaved a significant chunk off WVU’s first-half mark (.500) during the second half (.407).

Despite letting the Mountaineers attempt 28 free throws — matching an opponent season-high set just four days earlier at Central Florida — the Buffs still outscored WVU 24-20 at the line. They outrebounded the Mountaineers 35-30. After another dreadful first half on the turnover front (11), CU had just three after halftime. Collectively, all of that is a combination that usually equates to a win, especially at home.

But like the loss at UCF, and the losses against Arizona State and Iowa State before that, the Buffs made just enough mistakes to lose. At UCF, the Buffs failed to execute offensively in the back-and-forth waning moments. Against West Virginia, the defense didn’t hold up late. After two Assane Diop free throws kept it at a three-point game with 90 seconds remaining, WVU’s Joseph Yesufu needed just seven seconds to get to the basket and convert a three-point play.

Ball game.

One of the dangers of letting the opportunities slip in an 0-4 start is that even if the Buffs manage to pull off the annual goal of being a better team in February than January, it won’t necessarily mean the wins will follow. February opens with trips to TCU and Utah, where the Buffs went 3-10 as Pac-12 rivals with the Utes. February features both games against Kansas, home dates against Houston and Baylor, plus a trip to Iowa State.

This week features a home date against Cincinnati, also 0-4 and coming off consecutive sub-50 scoring performances, plus a visit to Oklahoma State in what on paper looks like one of the more winnable road games the rest of the way. Stay winless after this week, and it will only get more difficult for the Buffs to break into the win column.

Crossing fingers

The men’s team was off Monday and will have one day of practice ahead of Cincinnati’s first visit to Boulder since Dec. 18, 1982.

The short prep time shouldn’t be an issue. The Buffs spent the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12, where one off day between weekend series games was the norm. Of greater concern will be the health status of starters Elijah Malone and RJ Smith.

Malone missed the second half of Wednesday’s loss due to a back issue. Back problems rarely are easy to shake, and that goes doubly so for big men. Even if Malone plays against Cincinnati, he’s unlikely to be at 100%.

Of greater concern might be the status of Smith, if only because the ailment that kept him out of the second half seemed less definable. To be clear, any number of problems could have hit Smith. Maybe a form of the stomach bug that has rocked the locker room lately left him dehydrated. It could’ve been the common flu. Yet given Smith’s season ended after just seven games last year due to a blood clot issue in his leg, the Buffs are certain to proceed cautiously with a player who has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first two months.

Road show

The CU women’s team might be able to run the table at home in Big 12 play and still return to the NCAA Tournament. Might.

At 3-0 so far at home in conference play, the CU women embark on a tough two-game road trip at No. 20 West Virginia on Wednesday (5 p.m., ESPN+) followed by a Saturday date at Cincinnati.

The Buffs topped the Mountaineers at home two weeks ago, and running the table at home would mean a resume with at least 18 wins going into the Big 12 tournament, with victories against Big 12 contenders WVU, Kansas State, Utah and Baylor. However, this isn’t the same squad as the group that led the NCAA Tournament appearances of the past three seasons. Those teams generally had a little cushion to work with in February and early March.

This year’s team, however, begins the week at No. 67 in the NET rankings. The Buffs came home empty from their first Big 12 trip, albeit a challenging one at TCU and Baylor. And certainly running the table at home is no given. The Buffs will need a Quad 1 win or two away from home to breathe easier in March, and they’ll have an opportunity to get one on Wednesday at WVU.