There's a stark contrast between these two teams. Houston has championship experience and understands what's required to win, while Colorado remains a young squad still learning the ropes in real time.
After leading by eight in the first three minutes of the game, the wheels completely fell off for the Buffs. The collapse culminated in an ejection of head coach Tad Boyle, who was furious over an illegal screen called against his center Fawaz "Tacko" Ifaola.
He had every right to be mad—and he made his feelings clear to the refs before getting tossed.
Colorado got boat-raced out of Fertitta Center as Houston put up 100+ points in conference play for the second time since joining the Big 12.
Three takeaways from Colorado's blowout loss to Houston
Houston's defense was that good
Although Colorado shot 46 percent from the field, Houston forced them to work for every single point.
The pesky Cougars defense forced 15 Colorado turnovers, converting them into 21 points. They also outpaced the Buffs in transition, racking up 17 fastbreak points to Colorado's 11.
Houston racked up eight steals, with Mercy Miller grabbing four of them off the bench. The sophomore also contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
Rebounding remains a troubling trend
We've talked about effort, and the team's inability to crash the boards has been a troubling pattern this year, especially in conference play.
Houston dominated the glass with nine offensive rebounds and 34 total rebounds compared to Colorado's 22, giving the Cougars a decisive +12 rebounding advantage.
Houston's rebounding effort was a true team affair, with Miller pacing the squad at eight boards and Kingston Flemings contributing six. Kalifa Sakho and Chase McCarty each added four rebounds to round out the balanced attack on the glass.
Houston's well-rounded offensive performance paved the way to victory
This was the most dominating performance I've seen against the Buffs all season—and that includes their road losses to Texas Tech and Iowa State.
Seven Houston players reached double-figures as Milos Uzan led all scorers with 26 points in the win. He shot 5-of-7 from three-point range and dished out six assists.
Colorado freshman Isaiah Johnson was spectacular as usual, scoring a team-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting while adding three rebounds and four assists.
Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik were the other Buffs to reach double figures, contributing 15 and 11 points respectively.
Colorado will have just two games remaining as they ramp up for the Big 12 Tournament. They'll hit the road to take on Utah Tuesday night before closing out the regular season at home against No. 2 Arizona next Saturday.