OKLAHOMA CITY - The end came and went Thursday, and Ricardo Patton claimed to have taken notice only after being reminded. It was business as usual in a highly unusual season.

Patton's 11-plus-year tenure as University of Colorado men's basketball coach ended in defeat in the Ford Center, his 12th-seeded Buffaloes eliminated 81-71 by No. 5 seed Texas Tech in the opening round of the Big 12 Conference tournament.

"I have said all season long I'm at peace with who I am . . . at peace with the job we've done here," said Patton, who on Oct. 25 announced his resignation effective at season's end.

"It becomes another chapter in my life and I feel very fortunate to have coached in ultimately the best conference in America and to have walked the sidelines with some of the best coaches in the game."

He was matched in what would be his final game against Bob Knight, the all-time winningest coach. And when the Red Raiders (21-11) finally had dispatched the Buffs (7-20), Knight whispered to Patton for nearly a minute.

"He just talked about enjoying our relationship and if there was anything he could ever do for for me, he would," said Patton, whose departure leaves Texas' Rick Barnes (ninth year) as the league's longest-tenured coach.

Patton said Knight "has a great deal of respect for what we've done (at CU)," and that respect wasn't soiled by the Buffs' performance Thursday.

Missing suspended No. 2 scorer Xavier Silas, CU mostly stayed close throughout and didn't resemble the team that was hammered (95-74) by Texas Tech last month in Lubbock, Texas.

After trailing 45-33 shortly after halftime, the Buffs pulled to 66-63 on a three-pointer by Richard Roby with 5:24 remaining. Behind 10 consecutive points by Martin Zeno, the Red Raiders moved back in front 76-67, but the Buffs drew to 76-71.

But when Roby (17 points) fouled out with 1:15 left, CU's threat fizzled. Point-blank shots were missed by guard Chase Per- kowski, who played a season- high 18 minutes, and Dominique Coleman, who scored a career- best 25 points. Texas Tech then scored the final five points on the last of its 44 free-throw attempts (35 made).

Asked about Texas Tech's quarterfinal contest today against No. 4 seed Kansas State, Patton predicted an "excellent game," then added wryly, "I'll be curious to see the final free-throw tally for both teams and see what that outcome is about."

The Buffs, whose 51 percent from the floor set a school record in Big 12 tournament play, made only half as many trips (22) to the free-throw line as the Red Raiders and hit eight more field goals than their opponents.

That discrepancy, coupled with 17 turnovers and Zeno taking over the game with a career-high 28 points, buried CU.

Recordwise, Patton's final season was his worst and brought his career mark to 184-160. The Buffs had not suffered a 20-loss season since 1988-89, with Patton's previous worst a 14-16 mark in 2004-05. But this team was his youngest, with only one senior and eight scholarship freshmen.

"I don't think eight freshmen are going to get to (a totally competitive) point in their first year, unless they're Durants - and last time I checked, we didn't have one like him," Patton said of Texas' otherworldly freshman, Kevin Durant.

Conference commissioner Kevin Weiberg presented Patton with a Big 12 basketball before the game, and afterward, Patton quipped, "I'm going to check and see if it's full of money . . . that's what I need, I'm unemployed."

Not for long, he hopes. Patton, an acknowledged workaholic, was asked if his immediate future includes relaxation or work.

"No, I'm a working stiff," he said. "I got to work. If you go down to Wendy's and hear a familiar voice saying, 'Can I take your order?' it may just be me. I got to work. That's the only thing I know how to do."

COLORADO (7-20) - Williams 5-6 1-2 11, Jackson- Wilson 6-9 0-3 12, King-Stockton 1-1 1-5 3, Coleman 10-16 5-6 25, Roby 6-17 4-4 17, Inge 0-0 0-0 0, Thorne 0-1 0-0 0, Van Burck 0-0 0-0 0, Perkowski 0-3 0-0 0, Kowal 0-0 0-0 0, Beckley 0-0 0-0 0, Bay 1-4 1-2 3. Totals 29-57 12-22 71.

TEXAS TECH (21-11) - Plefka 0-5 2-4 2, Zeno 8-16 10-12 28, Voskuil 2-5 3-4 7, Jackson 3-10 7-8 13, Burgess 2-4 9-10 13, D.White 4-6 2-2 12, Prince 0-0 0-0 0, Suljagic 2-2 2-4 6, Dora 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-48 35-44 81.

Halftime - Texas Tech 41-31. Three-point attempts - Colorado 1-11 (Roby 1-4, Thorne 0-1, Coleman 0-2, Bay 0-2, Perkowski 0-2), Texas Tech 4-12 (D.White 2-2, Zeno 2-5, Jackson 0-1, Burgess 0-1, Vos-kuil 0-3). Fouled out - Bay, Jackson-Wilson, Roby. Rebounds - Colorado 35 (Coleman 8), Texas Tech 29 (Plefka 10). Assists - Colorado 11 (Coleman 4), Texas Tech 12 (Jackson 5). Total fouls - Colorado 30, Texas Tech 18. A - 18,879.

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466 Texas Tech 81, Colorado 71

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