On Dec. 29 this past winter, the Colorado men's basketball team played exactly like a young team experiencing its first Pac-12 Conference game on the road.
It quickly turned into a forgettable night for the Buffaloes at Oregon State, as CU fell behind by 23 points midway through the second half and finished with 18 turnovers in a 76-57 setback — the program's worst loss ever against the Beavers in terms of scoring margin.
CU stumbled again two nights later at Oregon and began the home portion of its Pac-12 schedule already in an 0-2 hole. The Buffs acquitted themselves well in the ensuing weeks, defeating nationally-ranked Arizona State and Arizona at home before posting the program's first win at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.