Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Return Home With No. 4 UCLA On Horizon
January 08, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Finding positives in an 0-3 road trip isn't exactly an exercise in which the Colorado Buffaloes wanted to engage.
It definitely doesn't fit the demeanor of head coach Tad Boyle, who has never been one to even consider moral victories.
But Boyle's 10-6 Buffs (0-3 Pac-12) are in no position to look back and feel sorry for themselves. Thus, Colorado is in the position of finding some bright spots from which to draw upon after the just-completed trek through Utah and Arizona — then building on those positives in the coming weeks.
While an 0-3 hole in conference play is no doubt substantial, it is by no means a death knell. The Buffs have 15 Pac-12 games remaining, and nine of those are home affairs, beginning with Thursday's 9 p.m. encounter with fourth-ranked UCLA at the Coors Events Center (FS1).
The Buffs can also draw some encouragement from the way they played after a disappointing loss at Utah to open their trip. They went down to the last possession before falling at Arizona State, then cut a 20-point deficit to five in the final minutes against No. 17 Arizona.
Now the Buffs need to replicate the effort and tenacity they showed in the second half at Arizona for an entire game.
"We're not happy with this result, don't get me wrong," Boyle said after Saturday night's 82-73 loss at Arizona. "We've got to start winning some basketball games, but we don't have to win 15 games. We've got to win the next game and that's all we have to focus on."
The Buffs no doubt played better basketball Saturday than they did the previous week at Utah, particularly in the second half. They finished with more field goals and more rebounds than the Wildcats, but a 26-10 point differential at the free throw line made the difference in the game.
Equally promising was the fact that unlike against Arizona State, when Derrick White finished with 35 points, the Buffs' offense was more than a one-man show. Colorado had three players in double figures against the Wildcats, led by a 26-point effort from Xavier Johnson. George King chipped in a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double effort and Wesley Gordon added a 16-point, nine-board performance — a glimpse of what the Buffs are capable of accomplishing.
The question, of course, is whether they can sustain that kind of effort from half to half, and then from game to game.
"I need to know who we can rely on and what we're going to get out of you," Boyle said. "We know what George is capable of. We know what Dom (Collier) is capable of, we know what Josh Fortune is capable of, we know Wesley is capable of — what we need is that consistency."
In terms of consistency, seniors White and Xavier Johnson have probably offered the most in that department, particularly on the scoreboard. White is averaging 15.8 points per game while Johnson is scoring at a 14.7 pace.
But the Buffs need King and Gordon to produce at the level they displayed at Arizona, particularly on the boards.
"Not that everybody's going to play great every night or perfect," Boyle said. "We just need that consistency and it starts with the effort."
No doubt, the Buffs did leave Arizona with at least a modicum of confidence, something they hadn't possessed in any great quantity.
"If we can carry out this effort and the way we competed tonight and take that into the Coors Events Center with our fans, we might be a whole another ball team," King said after the Arizona game.
The Buffs will need every boost they can get this week. After Thursday's encounter with No. 4 UCLA, they play host to No. 25 USC in a 6:30 p.m. game Sunday.
"The expectations of our program are high, internally and externally," Boyle said. "We have 15 left. Nine at home, six on the road. It's time to go home and hopefully get that taste out of our mouth."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
