NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s still very early into the college basketball season, but Tennessee knows that it has plenty of work to do.

Taking on Colorado in a rare Sunday afternoon matchup at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the No. 11 ranked Vols significantly struggled – on both ends of the floor – and suffered a 78-66 loss. Tennessee couldn’t get any shots to fall, misinterpreted defensive assignments and failed to ever get into a consistent flow.

"I thought they played terrific," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of Colorado. "We had no answer for them. Defensively, in the second half, we didn't guard them. Our guard play wasn't what it needs to be. We were 2-for-11 around the rim – shots that you have to make. Some nights you're going to have a bad night, but it was our defense that wasn't very good.

"I didn't like our mindset coming in. I felt like we think we're just going to go out and play until they prove the fact that we're not. Whether we're making threes or not, you should be able to play better basketball than we played today."

Tennessee (1-1) shot just 25% (16-for-63) from the field, committed 15 turnovers and got outrebounded 47-38. The Vols held a tight 34-32 lead at halftime but were outscored 46-32 in the second frame by the Buffaloes to fall short.

The Vols will look to bounce back Wednesday when they host Florida Gulf Coast at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.

"I think that we think we're just going to show up and play," Barnes said. "I know this – I know we know our team, and when guys start thinking they're going to do things they can't do. ... We know what our guys can do – more so than they do. When they get out of what we need them to do – I mean, look at the numbers."

The first half was anything but pretty.

While Santiago Vescovi’s 3-pointer had Tennessee leading 4-2 at the 18:54 mark, the Vols’ advantage was soon at 18-14 nearly six minutes later – but it took quite a bit of work to get there. With a combined 12 turnovers and 10 fouls called between the two sides at that point, it was difficult for the Vols to get into a rhythm.

After going on a three-minute scoring drought, Tennessee finally snapped it with a pair of Tyreke Key free throws – which made it 20-18 – at the 10:17 mark. Vescovi later knocked down two from the charity stripe to put the Vols up 23-18 with 8:14 remaining in the half.

Following a big block by Tobe Awaka on one end of the court, the Vols turned right around and scored on the other – using a Key triple off a Zakai Zeigler assist to push their lead to 26-20. However, Nique Clifford’s free throw with 3:27 left, which came during a long Tennessee scoring drought, helped Colorado tie it at 27-27.

Key made another pair at the line to put Tennessee up 31-29 before Zeigler made a 3 to make it a five-point advantage for the Vols. Looking like Tennessee was going to have that same lead at the break, Colorado answered with a triple of its own – this one from KJ Simpson – to cut its deficit to just 34-32 at halftime.

The Vols shot just 23% – 6-for-26 – in the opening frame and committed nine turnovers. The Buffs weren’t much better, going 12-for-34 (35%) and committing 11 turnovers. Key was leading Tennessee with 12 points, while Simpson had eight for Colorado.

Key and Josiah-Jordan James each had 15 points to lead the Vols, while Zeigler scored 12 and Vescovi added 11.

Simpson scored a game-high 23 points for the Buffaloes (2-1).

It was all Colorado in the second half.

"They got whatever they wanted in the second half, and especially in the last 10 minutes," Barnes said. "We had chances – even with three minutes to go. ... We had a chance to cut the lead to nine with over three minutes and missed the front end of a one-and-one and then go down and have as bad a breakdown as you can have on defense and give up a three.

"We got wild. ... I'm looking out there like, 'I don't have a clue what we're doing.'"

Jalen Gabbidon’s 3-pointer gave the Buffaloes a 39-38 lead over Tennessee just two minutes into the frame, and Julian Hammond followed up with one of his own to make it 42-38. The Vols answered with a James triple to quickly get within a point at the 16:54 mark and bring the Nashville crowd to life.

While the Vols’ offense continued to struggle, Colorado began to knock down some shots – including a 3 and then a bucket inside by Ethan Wright, which put the Vols in a 51-45 hole with 11:12 remaining.

The Buffs pushed their lead to 55-48 with a pair of free throws by Simpson before Zeigler’s pull-up jumper cut Tennessee’s deficit to five with just over eight minutes left. The Vols picked up some momentum, but Simpson’s basket had Colorado up 61-52 with 6:31 on the clock.

Colorado continued to execute – recording another score by Simpson and a 3 from Tristan da Silva – to open up a 66-52 lead over the Vols with 4:49 left. James made a big triple for Tennessee to cut its deficit to 66-55, but the Buffs answered with one of their own to make it 69-55.

"I thought Josiah – again, probably played more minutes than he should – I understand him maybe being a little tired," Barnes said. " ... But the other guys, I can't say much about it because when you look at the shooting numbers with our guards and their turnovers, it's just a bad day for us."

Simpson’s smooth drive and score extended Colorado’s lead, but the Vols kept competing – earning a 3 from Vescovi to stay within 10 points with 1:57 to go.

Despite Tennessee’s effort, the shooting struggles proved to be the difference in the loss.

"It's tough," James said. " ... We definitely didn't come into this game with the right mindset. We were thinking that we could just go out and get it done. This is a good lesson for us. It's a long basketball season. I'm disappointed and upset that we lost, but I'm also excited just to see how this team will respond.

"There's a lot of great things that have come before this team – it's not just going to be handed to us. I'm excited to see how we will respond throughout the rest of the season. I think this loss will be really good for us."

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