Colorado University Athletics
Memories Of Last Year's Finale Will Be Motivation For Buffs' Miller
September 22, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
Boyle's Buffs open practice Sept. 30
BOULDER — It's now been six months since the Colorado Buffaloes had their season prematurely ended by Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Six long months for the Buffs to think about what might have been, six months to gnaw on memories of a game that saw a nine-point halftime lead slip away and send them home before they'd even had a chance to get comfortable in the tourney atmosphere.
It seems like forever — and it seems like just yesterday.
"In some ways, it feels like we just got off that plane," CU junior Tory Miller said earlier this week. "But honestly, the sooner it comes, the better. Everybody on our team is still a little upset. We've got that chip on our shoulder. I think we have a vendetta out for every team that beat us, and it's not going to change."
"It" will come next week, Sept. 30 to be exact. That's when Tad Boyle's Buffs will hold their first practice of the 2016-17 season, a year that is already starting to hold some rather lofty expectations.
One preseason magazine, Lindy's, has the Buffs ranked No. 19 in its preseason top 25. Given the fact the Buffs lost their top scorer and rebounder from last season, Josh Scott, such a ranking might come as a surprise to those who casually follow college hoops.
But fact is, the Buffs have plenty of firepower returning, some newcomers who are expected to be big contributors — and maybe just a little edge to them, honed by an offseason of remembering the games that got away.
"We have a chance to be really good," Miller allowed. "Our bench will be phenomenal and our starters should be great. We obviously have a lot of work to do, but I think this team has a lot of potential."
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Miller is one big reason observers don't think the Buffs will be taking a step back without Scott in the lineup. After two years of playing behind the CU big man, Miller has a chance to make his own bones in the Pac-12.
Miller's potential has been evident the last two years. As a freshman, he averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing less than nine minutes per game. After an offseason of toning and reshaping his body, he roughly doubled his production and minutes, averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in just under 16 minutes per game.
Now, he's had another year to add muscle to his frame, which he's done quite successfully. While he's still in the 245-pound range, he's a leaner, more nimble player — and stronger than ever. It will mean a solid one-two punch inside for the Buffs when he plays alongside Wesley Gordon, who has already established himself as one of the conference's premier defenders and is an underrated scorer.
Since his arrival, Miller has been a high-energy, high-enthusiasm player. He's had big rebounds, big dunks and big blocks at key moments for the Buffs, but they were almost always in a reserve role.
Now, he'll be asked to deliver those on a regular basis.
"I've been playing with Wes for three years and I think we're comfortable out there," Miller said. "I think it's going to be that much harder for people to guard me and Wes down there. Wes can score, I can score, we can rebound, blocks shots — I think we're interchangeable.
"But one thing I have been working on is being able to guard out of my position and I think I've gotten a lot better in that regard."
Miller's summer wasn't all conditioning. He played with an Athletes in Action team that toured Italy, helping the AIA team to a 4-0 record.
"It was a great experience," Miller said. "I feel very blessed to have an opportunity like that. Athletes sometimes do a lot of complaining, but when you get opportunities like that, it balances itself out. I'm very grateful to have had the chance to partcipate."
But with the summer trip to Italy now a hazy vacation memory, Miller is focused squarely on the future.
Even with Scott gone to graduation, the Buffs return plenty of depth and experience. The list includes the second and third leading scorers from a year ago in George King (13.6 ppg) and Josh Fortune (10.9), as well as Gordon (7.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game). Also returning are guards Dominique Collier and Thomas Akyazili, as well as Xavier Johnson (out last year with a torn Achilles) and transfer Derrick White.
"Everybody is sleeping on Derrick right now," Miller said with a chuckle. "He's my roommate now, so I work out with him and I see him literally every day. He's a great dude, has a phenomenal game and I think he's going to make a lot of noise in the Pac-12 this year."
The Buffs open the season Nov. 11 at home against Sacramento State, then have two home games in the Legends Classic vs. Seattle (Nov. 14) and Louisiana-Monroe (Nov. 17).
Then comes a trip to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the second round of the Legends, where they will see Notre Dame in the first game (Nov. 21) and either Texas or Northwestern in the finale one night later.
CU's nonconference schedule also includes home games with Colorado State and Xavier, along with road trips to BYU and Air Force.
That the Buffs have plenty of depth and experience is not a question. How Boyle mixes and matches his lineup will be interesting.
It's also a safe bet that he'll constantly remind them that preseason accolades mean nothing, while also noting how a handful of possessions a year ago made the difference in as many as five or six more victories.
And, six months from now, these Buffs will be aiming to pick up where last year's team left off.
"Just getting to the tournament now should be an expectation for this program," Miller said. "At this point, if you don't get past the first round, it's a disappointment. For me — and I think I'm speaking for all 15 other guys on the team — making a run in the tournament is something we all want to do. Not just for us, but for Coach Boyle. It's his seventh year and he's invested a lot of time and effort in us. I think it would be good not only to get past the first round, but actually make a run."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
