Buffs Ready For Big Test At No. 13 Xavier
December 08, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
CINCINNATI, Ohio — When the Colorado Buffaloes open Pac-12 play in late December, they will see NCAA Tournament-caliber teams on a regular basis.
Saturday afternoon, Tad Boyle's 7-1 Buffs will get a taste of what that means when they face No. 13 Xavier in a 3 p.m. contest (FS1) at the Cintas Center, where the 8-1 Musketeers have won 36 straight non-conference games.
The game is the second half of a home-and-home series.
A year ago, Colorado beat Xavier in Boulder, 68-66, overcoming an eight-point deficit in the second half for the win. But while the Buffs proceeded to endure an up-and-down season from that point forward, the Musketeers came on strong at the end of the year and advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
Now, with most of last year's team back — including guard Trevon Bluiett, a national player of the year candidate — the Musketeers are seen by most as a team capable of making another such run.
"They have unbelievable inside presence and depth," Boyle said Thursday. "Bluiett is shooting the ball at an unbelievably high rate and (guard J.P.) Macura is tough and makes plays. The (forward Kaiser) Gates kid can really stroke it from three. They have great size, great shooting ability and they're tough to guard."
Bluiett is no doubt off to a hot start, averaging 21.3 points per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field, one very big reason the Musketeers are second in the nation in team shooting percentage (53.9). Bluiett is also averaging 5.2 rebounds per game, and he is joined in double-figure scoring by Macura (12.6 ppg) and Gates (10.4 ppg).
Inside, the rely on the presence of 6-foot-9, 242-pound Tyrique Jones, who leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) to go along with 9.8 points per game.
The Musketeers have also played a tough schedule early on, with wins thus far over Cincinnati, Baylor and Wisconsin. They're only loss thus far has been to No. 16 Arizona State.
"They're also really good defensively," Boyle said. "You don't get in the top 20 without having good players and they're well-coached. They're legit."
The game will be just the second true road contest of the year for Colorado — and the first didn't end well. CU dropped a 72-63 decision at Colorado State last weekend before bouncing back for a 75-57 win over New Mexico on Wednesday.
Now, a Buffs team that started three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior in the last game will face its toughest game yet in front of what is expected to be the largest crowd to see the Buffs play this year. In six previous home games this year, the Musketeers have played in front of sold-out crowds (10,224 Cintas capacity) each time.
But Boyle doesn't expect his young team to flinch in such an environment. Despite their youth, the Buffs have played like a mature, veteran team thus far this year — in particular freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV.
Wright has scored in double figures every game this season, and leads the Buffs in scoring (15.6 ppg), assists (4.1 apg), steals (8) and blocks (7); and is second in rebounding (5.5 rpg).
"I'm excited," Wright said about the prospect of playing on the Musketeers' home floor. It will be fun playing in that type of atmosphere against a top-15 team."
As for the Buffs' relatively youthful lineup, Wright shrugged off the overall lack of experience.
"We know we're a young team but we try not to look at it like we're freshmen," he said. "We know we're Division I players. We have to play at a high level in order for this team to win. We have to do whatever it takes to help this team win, regardless of age or class or whatever."
Wright, who had his first career double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) against New Mexico, received plenty of help from other young Buffs. Freshman guard Lazar Nikolic had career highs in points (7) and rebounds (8) against the Lobos while redshirt freshman big man Dallas Walton had a career-best eight rebounds in 15 minutes.
But that youthful presence has also had plenty of help from the upperclassmen. Senior George King, who had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double against UNM, is second on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and is averaging a team-leading 8.9 rebounds per game. Those rebounds have become immensely more important with senior post player Tory Miller-Stewart out indefinitely with a foot injury.
Senior guard Dominique Collier, meanwhile, had 16 points and two assists against UNM and no turnovers — the only Buff to have more assists than turnovers in a game in which the Buffs committed 23 miscues.
"Every player that plays for us, I've got a lot of confidence in," Boyle said. "They're not all going to play great every night. But when we start clicking and understanding that the strength of this team is the team … We don't have that one go-to guy. We have some good players that on any given night can do damage offensively. We have to be rock solid defensively and rebounding."
READY FOR BREAKOUT? Boyle said he believes junior Namon Wright is getting closer to a breakout offensive performance. Wright is averaging 11.3 points per game, but hasn't scored more than nine points in CU's last three outings.
"Namon, I'm still waiting for that breakout game," Boyle said. "He's real capable of scoring the ball. He's a pretty efficient scorer. I just want him taking good shots."
MCKINLEY BIG ON THE BOARDS: McKinley Wright, the smallest Buff (listed at 6-foot-0), is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.5 per game. He's shown such a knack on the boards that Boyle has changed responsibilities for some players on the offensive end of the floor.
Usually, the point guard is the first person to drop back on defense once a shot goes up. But with Wright's ability to find the ball — even in traffic — Boyle has changed that strategy.
"I just turn him loose," Boyle said. "He can just go get it. He doesn't have to worry about getting back. We divide that responsibility among other guys that maybe aren't rebounding the ball as well. ... He's got a nose for the ball."
QUICK START: This is the fifth 7-1 start by the Buffs under Boyle, with the previous four all coming in NCAA Tournament seasons.
THE SERIES: This will be just the third meeting between the two programs, with each holding one win in the series. CU won in Boulder last season, 68-66. Xavier took a 74-61 win over the Buffs in San Juan, P.R., in 1998. This will be CU's first trip to the home floor of a Big East Conference team since playing at Marquette in 1987.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by FS1 with Tim Brando and Len Elmore. KOA 850 AM radio will carry the broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: The Buffs return home for a pair of games next week at the Coors Events Center, with San Diego on tap Tuesday (6 p.m.) and South Dakota State on Friday (6 p.m.).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
