Boyle's Buffs Return Home For Sunday Game Vs. Wofford

BOULDER — After two games against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams in New York, the Colorado Buffaloes returned home this week with a well-defined sense of what they'll need to improve on as they continue to move through their non-conference schedule.

They'll attempt to put those lessons to work Sunday when they play host to Wofford in a noon game at the Coors Events Center.

The Buffs split a pair of games in the Legends Classic earlier this week at the Barclays Center. In the tourney semifinals Monday against Notre Dame, a poor defensive performance led to a big first-half deficit and a second-half CU comeback attempt fell short, 89-83. The following day against Texas, the Buffs played strong defense from beginning to end and came away with a 68-54 win.

"I would like to think they see the difference between our effort defensively against Texas and the second half against Notre Dame relative to the first half against Notre Dame," head coach Tad Boyle said Friday. "To the naked eye, it's pretty obvious. We talk about it. Now hopefully they understand it and understand that when we put our mind to it, we can be pretty good defensively. But you have to play with great effort, great energy for 40 minutes against good teams."

That may be the overarching lesson Boyle wants his team to absorb. While good teams can usually overcome mistakes against a lesser opponent, that margin for error becomes much thinner when the opponent is a tournament-caliber team.

"You can get away with stuff," Boyle said, "whereas when you are playing against the highest level in college basketball, you're not going to get away with those things. That's why we talk all the time about we are preparing to beat good teams. We didn't beat a good Notre Dame team and we did beat a good Texas team. Now we've got to come home and learn from that."

The 4-1 Buffs did do some good things in New York, particularly on the offensive end. Colorado boasts four players averaging double digits in scoring, led by senior Derrick White's 14.4 average and followed closely by Xavier Johnson (12.6), George King (11.6) and Josh Fortune (10.4).

CU also continues to rebound the ball well, with a commanding edge on the boards in all four wins this season. Wesley Gordon continues to be Colorado's leader there with 9.6 per game while King is right behind with 8.4 per contest.

Boyle's Buffs are also learning how to finish games, something that was occasionally an issue a year ago. Twice this year, the Buffs have seen opponents come back to close double-digit deficits to three or four points — and both times, the Buffs have pulled away down the stretch for a comfortable win.

Texas provided the most recent opportunity in such games. After leading by as many as 12, the Buffs saw their lead cut to three with less than five minutes to go. But just when it appeared momentum had switched to the UT bench, the Buffs regrouped to outscore Texas 14-3 down the stretch for a 68-54 win.

"You have to be able to handle the pressure when it comes," Boyle said. "That's where the mental toughness comes in. When that 12-point lead becomes three, you can't panic."

White has proven to be particularly valuable in those clutch moments. While he leads the team with 13 turnovers, he's proving to be very adept at keeping the Buffs at an even keel in pressure situations.

"He's a very calming influence on everybody out there," Boyle said. "He makes good decisions with the basketball."

Wofford brings a 1-4 record to Boulder that includes a three-game losing streak. They are led in scoring by guards Fletcher Magee (15.2 ppg) and Eric Garcia (10.2 ppg). Garcia is a product of Grandview High School in Aurora.

"They shoot the ball well from there and they've got some guys inside that can score a little bit," Boyle said. "They're a good solid basketball team, well coached. We're going to have to do what we do and do it well and we'll be OK. But if we fall asleep, if we take them lightly, they're a team that can come in and get hot and give us all we want."

ON THE AIR: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network, with Darron Sutton and Matt Muehlenbach on the call. DenverSports 760 AM will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu