Boyle's Buffs Have 'Great Opportunity' Vs. No. 18 SMU
December 23, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAS VEGAS — For the last two weeks, the Colorado Buffaloes have inched their way closer to a top 25 spot in the national polls.
Wednesday night, they have an opportunity to collect a win that would virtually guarantee inclusion in next week's voting. The 11-1 Buffs — winners of 11 straight — face unbeaten and 18th-ranked SMU in the Las Vegas Classic championship game (8:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1), and a win over Larry Brown's 10-0 Mustangs would almost certainly boost them into the top 25.
It's a game they've been quietly eyeing for some time, and now can talk about openly.
"A great opportunity," CU head coach Tad Boyle said Tuesday night, after his Buffs had scrapped out a 71-70 win over Penn State. "They're a legitimate top 20 team. Obviously very well coached. We're going to have to play better, we know that, our guys know that."
SMU advanced by virtue of a 90-74 win over Kent State in Brown's first game back after serving a nine-game NCAA suspension.
While the two programs haven't played an official game since January 2009, they nevertheless know each other well, as they've engaged in preseason scrimmages each of the last four years.
"Their players are familiar with ours and ours are familiar with theirs," Boyle said. "I have great respect for them, not only their coach, but the way they play and the players and their program. He's a first-class coach and a Hall of Famer."
The relationship between Boyle and Brown is no doubt a special one. Boyle played for Brown at Kansas, and has said Brown directly shaped his coaching philosophy.
Wednesday night, after Brown's first night on the bench this season, Boyle stepped in to the SMU locker room and congratulated his former coach.
"Every time I see Tad's team play, I'm proud as hell," Brown said. "I think they're one of the most underrated teams in the country. When I look at the people I played for and coached, I know it's why I'm still coaching. I want people to know the right way.
 When I watch Tad's team play, what they're doing, I know they're doing it the right way."
But all those good feelings will be shelved Wednesday night. The Buffs, off to the program's best start since the 1941-42 Buffs started the season 14-0, would love to get a win, not only for national rankings sake, but also as a springboard to Pac-12 play. CU opens its conference schedule next week with games at Cal and Stanford.
"We're ready for them and they're ready for us," said CU senior Josh Scott, who had 18 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday night's win over Penn State. " It's a matchup we've been looking forward and maybe had circled a little bit. We put ourselves in good position looking forward and be a big time to get a win going into Pac-12 play."
While NCAA rules prohibit teams from publicizing anything about preseason scrimmages, Scott added, "They're going to be motivated. We've got to be ready for that and come out with same fire we came out with last time we played them."
Scott and his CU teammates will have their hands full, as the Mustangs are a well-balanced team. In Tuesday's win, Nic Moore scored 25 for the Mustangs, and two other SMU players had double-doubles, Â as Keith Frazier had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Tolbert added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Â
