Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Defense Prepares For Visit From BYU
December 10, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Just a couple of weeks ago, Colorado coach Tad Boyle said his Buffs could be “scary good” if they continue to find their defensive identity.
The 7-1 Buffs appear to be inching closer to that goal. In last Sunday's 88-77 win over Colorado State, they put together what might be their best defensive half of the year when they held the Rams to 25 second-half points — a particularly impressive number when compared to the 52 points CSU slapped on the board in the first 20 minutes.
“We've had some games like that,” Boyle said Thursday morning. “Auburn was a game like that, where they scored a lot in the first half and didn't score a lot in the second. Fort Lewis was that way. What we've got to figure out is how to defend that way for 40 minutes.”
The Buffs will have their chance Saturday when 6-2 BYU, another team that makes a living from long range, visits the Coors Events Center for a 6 p.m. game (Pac-12 Networks).
Not all of CSU's first-half assault was due to less-than-stellar defense by Colorado. The Rams had one of those halves when everything they threw up seemed to go through the hoop, shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and 70 percent from 3-point range (7-for-10).
“They made some tough shots, and that's going to happen,” Boyle said. “BYU is capable of doing that. (Nick) Emery and (Chase) Fischer on the perimeter, those guys can shoot it.”
Indeed, the Cougars — who are averaging more than 80 points per game — get the bulk of their scoring from the perimeter. Emery, Fischer and point guard Kyle Collinsworth combine to average more than 45 points per game, with Fischer and Emery combining to shoot 111 3-pointers thus far this season.
But Boyle believes his team is becoming more and more aware of how important their effort on the defensive end of the floor is in terms of their overall success.
“I think they understand,” Boyle said. “Now understanding it and going out and executing it, that's where we've got to get to.”
The biggest defensive challenge for the Buffs has been on the perimeter. The Buffs are giving up nearly eight 3-pointers per game, and they rank a lowly 325th in the nation in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to connect almost 40 percent of the time.
But thanks to an offense that's averaging nearly 84 points per game — including more than eight 3-pointers per contest — the Buffs are riding a seven-game winning streak.
“CSU was a big step forward for us,” CU senior forward Josh Scott said. “It's real important that we keep learning from each game. This team coming in Saturday can shoot, and it's going to be another challenge for us defensively.”
There's no doubt the Buffs have been a strong second-half team this year. While they've outscored opponents by an average of four points per game in the first half, they've bumped that margin up to 10 per game after intermission. They've also held teams to fewer points in the second half four times, with the 27-point reduction against CSU by far the biggest margin of the season.
“Overall, I think we've gotten a whole lot better from the start of the season to right now,” Scott said. “Would I say that I feel completely comfortable? No, but I think we're going to get there. All have a lot to learn, bigs included, not just the guards.
“But like coach Boyle said, when we do figure it out, both on the perimeter and as a group, we're going to be dangerous.”
NO ALTITUDE ADVANTAGE: Normally, Boyle and the Buffs like it when opposing teams come to Boulder and try to run. The Buffs believe living and training at altitude — Boulder sits at 5,430 feet above seal level — gives them an advantage in that department.
That won't be the case, however, on Saturday. The Cougars will be coming from Provo, Utah, (elevation 4,549), meaning they are accustomed to high-altitude activity.
“Usually we have the advantage of altitude, (but) we don't have that,” Boyle said. “These guys are used to it. There's no advantage to either team.”
FREE THROW IMPROVEMENT: After hitting just 71 percent of their free throws last year, the Buffs have improved that number to almost 75 percent this year — but it's not a topic Boyle enjoys discussing.
“I don't talk about free throw shooting,” Boyle said. “I don't talk about it when it's good; I don't talk about it when it's bad. It's amazing. When it's good, people don't say a thing; when it's bad, it's like having a back problem — everybody's got an answer. … We have goals set for ourselves individually and goals set as a team, but it's just get in the gym and make the thing. If you can't, practice more. We spend a lot of time shooting them; we don't spend a lot of time talking about it.”
Opponents, meanwhile, are having their issues at the line this year against the Buffs. Thus far, CU foes are shooting just .585 on their free throws (76 for 130).
VERSATILE COUGAR: Boyle calls BYU point guard Kyle Collinsworth “as good of a player as there is in college basketball in terms of doing everything. He scores, he rebounds, he makes plays for others.” The 6-foot-6 Collinsworth is third on the team in scoring (14.5 points per game), second in rebounding (8.3) and leads in assists (8.1 per game).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
