HOUSTON — The last time Tad Boyle was part of the opposing bench at Houston, he was in the starting lineup.
It was more than 42 years ago when Boyle was in the starting five for Kansas at Houston. Boyle played 20 minutes in that game, which is three more Colorado’s head coach lasted during Saturday’s 102-62 defeat at Houston.
For the second time in his 16 seasons as the CU men’s basketball coach, Boyle was ejected. He was sent to the locker room with 3 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the first half after getting issued back-to-back technical fouls.
Boyle’s only other ejection with the Buffs occurred against UCLA at the 2023 Pac-12 tournament. Boyle got heated after an offensive foul was called against CU’s Tacko Ifaola on an illegal screen, and although he declined to comment on the specifics of the incident afterward, it appeared Boyle was arguing Houston should have been called for the same foul at the other end.
“I can’t comment on officiating after the game,” Boyle said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
Boyle wasn’t the only CU coach to earn a technical at Houston.
For the second time in four games, former Buffs guard and assistant coach Nate Tomlinson was issued a technical on the CU bench. While Houston’s extra free throws probably didn’t make a difference in a game the Cougars won by 40, Tomlinson’s previous technical at BYU two weeks ago and the ensuing two points proved critical in a game the Buffs lost in overtime.
“Nate’s got to do a better job. He knows that,” Boyle said. “He’s a young coach. He’s fiery. I love Nate Tomlinson. I’ll go to war with him every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But he’s got to do a better job. I’ve got to be the one that communicates with officials, not our assistant coaches.”
On Nov. 26, 1983, Boyle was a junior on a Kansas team that visited Houston nearly six months after the Cougars lost the now-famous 1983 national championship game at the buzzer against coach Jim Valvano and North Carolina State.
Houston’s Clyde Drexler had moved on to the NBA, but the Cougars still had another future Hall of Famer in Hakeem (then Akeem) Olajuwon, who went 8-for-13 with 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Boyle played 20 minutes, going 0-for-1 with two rebounds, two assists, two rebounds and two turnovers.
Wayward treys
The Buffs continued to struggle from 3-point range away from home.
After shooting .385 (20-for-52) from the arc in consecutive home wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State, the Buffs again were off the mark from long range at Houston, finishing 3-for-14.
Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, who had gone 9-for-37 on 3-pointers in the previous six games, shook off his recent slide by going 2-for-4, while Sebastian Rancik knocked down his only long-range attempt. However, the rest of the Buffs finished 0-for-9.
The Buffs have shot just .293 (51-for-174) on 3-pointers in their eight Big 12 road games.
Notable
The last time CU surrendered 100 points actually was in a winning effort — the Buffs’ 102-100 win against Florida at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. … Houston’s 55 points in the first half were the most allowed by CU in any half this year. It was the fourth time this season the Buffs have allowed 50 points in a half. … It was the most points allowed in any half by CU since Florida scored 55 in the second half of that same 2024 NCAA Tournament game. It was the first time CU has surrendered 55 first-half points since Texas hit that mark against the Buffs on Jan. 9, 2010. … The Cougars’ 31 free throw attempts tied the second-most by a CU foe this season. … Houston’s Milos Uzan finished with a career-high nine made field goals.