Colorado
17-13,7-10Pac-12
Stanford
14-15,6-11Pac-12
Buffs Get Season High In Assists, Roll Past Stanford
March 02, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Earlier this week, Tad Boyle put the Colorado Buffaloes through a drill in which baskets didn't count unless they were assisted by a teammate.
The Buffs took the lesson to heart. Colorado recorded a season-high 25 assists Thursday night and rolled to a 91-72 win over Stanford at the Coors Events Center, a win that ended a two-game skid and provided head coach Tad Boyle with his 100th win at the Events Center.
Colorado improved to 17-13 overall and 7-10 in Pac-12 play while Stanford dropped to 14-15, 6-11. The win also means the Buffs can finish no lower than ninth in the Pac-12 tournament seeding and still has a chance to finish as high as seventh.
"We really shared the ball tonight," Boyle said. "Togetherness on offense was big time. We still have some improvements to go defensively and rebounding the ball. But this team showed when we play together, and share it offensively and play with energy and passion defensively, this team can be as good as they want to be and beat any team in our league."
The Buffs were as sharp as they've been all season offensively, with the 91 points a season high. The season-high assists also meant balanced scoring, with six different players in double figures. Xavier Johnson, George King and Lucas Siewert each tallied 15 points while Wesley Gordon, Tory Miller and Deleon Brown each added 10. Derrick White, meanwhile, had nine points, eight assists, two rebounds and two steals.
"The assist (drill) was big for us," Boyle said. "It kind of got our mindset going that players took from practice to the game. Sometimes when those lights go on guys can get selfish and start hunting their shots. Tonight for the most part we didn't do that."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs broke open a close game with a 16-5 run to start the second half, expanding a six-point halftime lead into a 17-point margin, then continued to build the cushion.
The Buffs had an assist on each of their first seven baskets of the half as Stanford had no answer. Dominique Collier had three straight assists in the run, dishing to Gordon for a fast-break dunk, then to Johnson for a 3-pointer and finally to Johnson for another fast-break dunk.
"That was the best start of the second half we've had all year," Boyle said. "The credit goes to our players. Our fans are great, our crowd is great, but they thrive off how we play. Our players came out and played with great energy, we got some stops and we got some transition."
The Buffs didn't let up on the gas after the early run. Instead, they continued to build the lead, expanding it to as much as 24, and the assists kept coming. When George King scored inside to give CU a 79-56 lead with eight minutes to go, the Buffs had assisted on 13 of their 16 baskets of the half and they finished with 16 assists on 19 baskets after intermission.
Along with White's eight assists, the Buffs got five each from Gordon and Collier, as Colorado finished with 25 assists on 35 buckets — and just five turnovers, by far their best ratio of the year in that department.
"As a point guard, I have to do a better job of getting people the ball," White said. "I was trying to get people shots early. We did a good job of rolling hard on the ball screens and I was just trying to find the open man."
White, who is second in scoring in the conference in Pac-12 games, took just seven shots and made four.
"It's putting egos aside," Boyle said. "It's amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit. It's a challenge as a college basketball coach, especially at this level. Every one of our players — especially some of these seniors — are thinking about the next level and the next chapter of their careers. It's a daily challenge to keep them playing for Colorado and not playing for the name on the back of their jersey. … (But) tgonight when you saw us play, the passing became contagious."
After a back-and-forth first 15 minutes that featured eight lead changes and seven ties, the Buffs finally took control with an 11-2 run that produced a 39-31 lead with just more than two minutes left in the half. Brown started the burst with a 3-pointer, quickly followed by treys from King and Siewert before a White drive and bucket gave CU its 8-point lead.
Stanford finally ended the run with a 3-pointer from Robert Cartwright, then added another basket before King scored again to send Colorado into the locker room at halftime with a 41-35 lead.
TURNING POINT: The Buffs actually took control with an 11-2 run late in the first half, turning a 29-28 deficit into a 39-31 lead. Stanford cut the margin to six by the half, but the Buffs opened the second half with a 22-10 run to put the game away.
WHAT IT MEANS: With one regular season game remaining, the Buffs have the chance to take a little momentum into next week's Pac-12 tournament, where they could still finish with the seventh seed. A Colorado win against Cal on Saturday and an Arizona State loss to Arizona would give the Buffs the No. 7 seed.
CU STANDOUTS: Xavier Johnson had 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and nine rebounds. … Wesley Gordon had 10 points, five assists and three rebounds. … George King had 15 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. … Freshman Lucas Siewert had a career-high 15 points, including four 3-pointers, to go with three rebounds and two assists.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado had 25 assists and just five turnovers and also shot 56.5 percent from the field (35-for-62). The Buffs also held Stanford to 41 percent shooting in the second half after the Cardinal had shot 50 percent in the first half.
KEY DRILL: The drill that Boyle ran with the team earlier in the week that counted a basket only when it was assisted was the idea of assistant coach Bill Grier, in his first year with the Buffs.
"Bill Grier has brought a lot of nice ideas to our staff," Boyle said. "What's nice about coach, when things are tough or things aren't going well, he's always got a thought, he's always got an idea."
Boyle said the fresh outlook has been good for a staff whose other members have been together for their entire seven years in Colorado.
"Mike (Rohn) and Jean (Prioleau) and I have been together for seven years now, and if you go back to Wichita State, 12 or 13 years," Boyle said. "Sometimes the new ideas aren't there, so Coach Grier has done a great job of bringing new ideas and new energy to our staff."
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs were 7-for-7 to start the second half from the field and all seven baskets came off of assists. … The 25 assists were the most since CU had 25 against Washington State two seasons ago. … The six players in double figures matched a season high. … The 91 points and 35 field goals were both season highs. … Along with the win being Boyle's 100th at the Events Center, it was his 147th at CU, tying him with Forrest "Frosty" Cox for third on CU's all-time list. … Gordon is now second on CU's all-time blocks list (197) and 12th on all-time minutes played (3,314). … Johnson is eighth on CU's all-time games played list with 123, tying him with three other players. He is also 13th on the rebounds list (682) and tied for 10th in 3-pointers (125). … White has now had at least eight assists three times this season.
QUOTEWORTHY: "It starts with Derrick. He could've had 30 tonight. He can score. He's a terrific scorer. But he does what our team needs to do to win. Tonight I thought he was great with that." — CU head coach Tad Boyle
NEXT UP: The Buffs close their regular season Saturday at home with a noon game vs. Stanford, then opens the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
