Woelk: Buffs Quietly Climbing Up Pac-12 Ladder
February 10, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Take the last five games played by the Colorado Buffaloes — the good, the bad and all the in-between — and it is basically what we expected to see for much of the season.
Balanced offense, effort on defense, commitment to rebounding, quality depth and, as head coach Tad Boyle said, a dedicated sense of urgency. Add all those things up and it's no surprise the Buffs have gone 4-1 in that stretch, including a win over then-No. 10 Oregon. (The irony in all of this is that two of those games occurred without the services of senior starters Wesley Gordon and Xavier Johnson and another when Boyle handed starting spots to four players who had not started all season.)
"I think this is more like who we are," Boyle said after Friday's practice.
But, Boyle also added, it's not as if the 14-11 Buffs have completed a 180-degree turnaround in the last five games. The seven-game skid to start the conference season was accentuated by four one-possession losses — games in which the Buffs played well enough to hold the lead in the final minute of regulation or overtime, but couldn't seal the deal.
"We had all four of those games won and that's the difference in our season," Boyle said. "Everybody says, 'Well, Colorado is 4-8.' Guess what — we should be 8-4, but we're not because we weren't able to finish those close games. My point is the gap in the standings is bigger than the gap of reality of how close we are to being where we want to be. I'm not making excuses. We are what our record says we are. But I believe in this team and I think we can really finish strong and make some noise. There's a lot of basketball to be played."
Indeed, and that's what the Buffs are focusing on, beginning with Sunday's 6:30 p.m. home matchup with Washington State.
Over the last three weeks, the Buffs have made a steady climb up the Pac-12 ladder. After their first seven conference games, they were tied for last. They have now moved up into a tie for seventh — and with six conference games remaining, have a chance to move up at least another notch or two.
The Buffs' recent turnaround hasn't been one of miraculous proportions or the result of one player taking his game up to previously unseen levels.
Rather, it has been one that has seen incremental improvement in virtually every key area, with the difference being enough to produce wins instead of narrow losses.
What has been perhaps most pronounced in the last five games has been CU's balance with CU's starters and reserves providing significant contributions.
That balance was most apparent in Thursday's 81-66 win over Washington, when the Buffs had a season-high six players in double-figure scoring.
No doubt, CU's starters have stepped up. In the recent five-game stretch, three different players — George King, Derrick White and Johnson — have led the team in scoring or tied for the lead. Five different players have led the team in rebounding in the stretch and five different players have led the team in assists.
But the contributions have come from more than the starters.
Junior big man Tory Miller has been averaged more than eight points and five rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field, with three straight games in double-figure scoring. Freshman guard Bryce Peters has averaged nearly 10 points in the five games, including three double-figure games and a career high six assists against Washington; while fellow freshman Lucas Siewert continues to emerge as a true post player, coming up with 12 points and six boards against the Huskies. Junior Dominique Collier, meanwhile, has become a steadying presence again, adding 10 assists and just three turnovers while also becoming a defensive force, as witnessed by his four steals against UW.
At the same time, the Buffs have stepped it up on the defensive end, holding their last four opponents to 45 percent or worse shooting from the field.
It has been truly a team effort, with key contributions coming from up and down the roster.
The question, of course, is whether the Buffs can continue that play over their last six regular season games. If they can, their hopes of a postseason bid — perhaps even an NCAA Tournament berth — are not out of the question. In a season when the famed "bubble" landscape is seen as being in perhaps its most jumbled state in years, the Buffs still have the chance to work their way into the picture.
But they also know they have almost no margin for error. With six conference games remaining and the Pac-12 tournament, the chance to hit at least 20 or more wins is very much alive. But to get there, they will have to continue to play like they've been playing recently, then add to their win total in Las Vegas.
That would give them the "hot team down the stretch" designation, something that might be enough to at least earn consideration when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee huddles up in March.
Long shot? No doubt. But right now, it's still a possibility. As Boyle said, there's still a lot of basketball to be played — and compared to where Colorado stood just three weeks ago, it is a much brighter picture.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
