Jeff Bzdelik is one of those guys who believes that numbers don’t lie.

So far, Colorado’s basketball coach isn’t happy with the truth in some of the numbers put up by his Buffs so far this season.

The 2-2 Buffs, who play host to Div. II Colorado Christian tonight (7 o’clock, KKZN radio-760 AM), are coming off a 78-52 loss to Wisconsin, the final of a three-game set in Madison over the weekend.

While the Buffs’ offensive efficiency did improve in Wisconsin (CU is shooting a healthy 48 percent from the floor), CU still struggled on the boards and in the turnover department.

“In our last two games, we turned the ball over 41 times and yielded 41 points on those turnovers,” Bzdelik said. “We’re too careless with the basketball. That’s got to change if we’re going to give ourselves a chance to be successful.”

Indeed, only two Buffs with substantial playing time thus far have managed more assists than turnovers in an offense that requires crisp passing and good decisions by everyone involved. Overall, the Buffs have turned the ball over 68 times in four games, an average of 17 per game, or nearly twice the number Bzdelik considers acceptable.

Then there’s CU’s effort — or, more aptly, lack thereof — in the rebound department.

“We’ve given up 121 points in the last two games — and 61 of those were off offensive rebounds or bad turnovers,” Bzdelik said. “That’s too many second chances. Until we correct that, we won’t give ourselves a chance to win, even against average teams.”

Not that it’s been all bad news. The Buffs are 2-2, they have improved their shooting, and they’ve become more comfortable in Bzdelik’s offense.

Still, Bzdelik’s demand for taking care of the ball is a requirement his players won’t stop hearing about.

“To be honest — I was embarrassed for the university and all the fans of Colorado basketball by the way we played against Wisconsin in terms of being careless with the basketball,” Bzdelik said. “That’s not acceptable.”

Recruits signed

There were no surprises for Bzdelik over the last week in terms of recruiting, as all five of his recruits signed their letters of intent. All five are rated as at least three-star players by rivals.com, and were pursued by schools ranging from Auburn to LSU to Tennessee to UNLV.

“We’re excited about the quality, the depth and the skill level of these five young men,” Bzdelik said. “Our staff did a great job of identifying a group of young men that have the talent to succeed in the Big 12.”