TUCSON, Ariz. — If you missed the Colorado Buffaloes’ 68-61 win at Arizona State on Thursday night, you missed one of the grittier efforts of the Tad Boyle era.
The 20th-ranked Buffs didn’t play especially well on offense, shooting barely 40 percent for the game (21-for-52). They didn’t rebound particularly well, as ASU had a 42-40 edge on the boards, including a 17-8 margin on the offensive end.
They weren’t even especially careful with the ball, finishing with 13 turnovers that helped the Sun Devils to a 17-16 edge in points off miscues.
But when push came to shove, the Buffs leaned on one of Boyle’s foundational fundamentals — defense — and that was enough to produce a road win.
The Buffs made every possession a challenge for the Sun Devils. They hounded point guard Remy Martin into a 9-for-23 night, including a 4-for-14 effort in the second half. They held guard Alonzo Verge to a 2-for-13 night, while Rob Edwards had an equally abysmal 3-for-12 evening.