by Woelk
Midway through the second half of the Colorado-Kansas basketball game Saturday night, Colorado's mascot began tossing CU hoop shirts into the Coors Events Center crowd.
The shirts landed back at his feet.
The message was clear: Not only was this Kansas' game, it was Kansas' crowd and � for this night at least � Kansas' building.
The Buffs were simply renting space in their own gym, marking time until the Jayhawks collected their 25th straight victory over the Buffs, 97-85.
"Disappointing," said an obviously irked CU freshman David Harrison, who received his first taste of Big 12 play and Kansas all in the same night. "I didn't expect to play an away game. I thought I was in Lawrence, Kansas.
"I expected this place to be Colorado. I thought the people in Boulder had our backs. I've had more people cheering for me in high school games than here in Boulder."
The 7-0 Harrison is a young man with vast amounts of potential. But until he learns to harness his all his energy in the right direction � meaning he can't spend his time on the floor arguing with officials and the opponent � he's not going to do himself or his teammates any favors.
Saturday was a tough but necessary lesson for the youngster. It was an initiation to what he'll see the rest of the year from the rough-and-tumble Big 12.
The play he'll remember most? With the clock ticking down in the last minute, Harrison went up for what appeared to be an easy bucket. Instead, Kansas star Drew Gooden leapt in from the side and emphatically swatted Harrison's shot away.
It was the signature moment of the evening. The young, budding star, attempting to establish himself as a player with which to be reckoned, having his effort rejected by one of the league's premier players.
Gooden was simply phenomenal. The player KU fans hope will stick around for his senior season showed why he will instead almost certainly be an NBA lottery pick next summer. The Jayhawk big man finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds while also turning in a stellar defensive effort.
And, he did his part in keeping his cool while the Buffs attempted to lure him into something other than basketball.
It's a lesson the Buffs need to learn, because what has become apparent in this lopsided series is that there is some bad blood brewing between these two teams.
This week, Patton accused KU coach Roy Williams of "negative recruiting." Patton said Williams urged Harrison not to attend CU in a letter written to the youngster.
It's a charge Williams denied emphatically Saturday night. Williams said he has asked for the letter to be produced, something Patton and Harrison have been unable to do. He also said he is "99.9 percent sure" he never wrote such a letter.
But while Williams is issuing denials publicly, you know he's laughing privately. He has the Buffs right where he wants them. He has Patton stewing about things that are out of his control. In turn, Patton transfers that frustration to his team � and it shows on the floor.
It showed when Nick Mohr was hit with a costly technical foul. It showed when CU senior D.J. Harrison attempted to engage Gooden in a scuffle, after the elder Harrison had made a terrific play by drawing a charging foul on Gooden.
The Buffs say Gooden pushed Harrison after the play.
Gooden says he simply walked away.
"I don't have time for that," he said. "There's no room for fighting in basketball. I guess he thought he'd try to take me out of my game."
The only person taken out of his game Saturday was D.J. Harrison. The Buff senior did not score in the first half and finished with just three points on 1-for-5 shooting. On a night when his younger brother needed all the help he could get, elder brother D.J. didn't shoulder his share of the load.
What Patton and his team must learn is that they are going to have to turn their backs on those instances. They're going to have to make the difference on the court.
The good thing about the younger Harrison is that he won't forget Saturday night. He'll learn to channel his aggression into more baskets and more rebounds. And, he'll become the type of player that Patton hoped he would become � the type that can change a program's fortunes almost by himself.
But what he most also realize is that it won't happen overnight. Fans in Boulder won't flock to the Events Center simply for potential.
Harrison will have to prove it. Night in and night out, he must demonstrate that he has more than potential. He must turn the Buffs into winners.
Then he'll see black and gold in the stands � and the Buffs won't be renting space in their own building.
