Colorado University Athletics
Buffs' Boyle Aims For Sellout For Saturday's BYU Game
December 07, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes woke up Monday morning with a seven-game winning streak, a No. 17 NCAA RPI — the highest of any team in the Pac-12 — and the conference lead in scoring.
What the Buffs would like to see next is a full house, beginning with Saturday's 6 p.m. contest vs. BYU at the Coors Events Center.
Thus far this year, CU's attendance has lagged the last three seasons, even when comparing non-conference games. In five home games, official attendance has averaged 7,538, with the largest crowd a gathering of 7,783 for the home opener vs. Portland.
| Pac-12 In The RPI | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Team |
| 17. | Colorado |
| 21. | Utah |
| 23. | Oregon |
| 27. | Oregon State |
| 45. | Arizona State |
| 46. | Southern California |
| 51. | UCLA |
| 52. | Stanford |
| 80. | Washington |
| 83. | Arizona |
| 120. | California |
| 303. | Washington State |
It's meant the two biggest crowds the Buffs have seen this year both came on the road — 8,075 in Auburn, where the Buffs claimed a 91-84 win; and 8,750 Sunday in Fort Collins, where the Buffs claimed an 88-77 win over Colorado State in what was undoubtedly the most electric atmosphere the Buffs have encountered this season.
It's been a little perplexing for Boyle, who quite clearly believes these Buffs are worth the price of admission.
“This is a fun team to watch,” Boyle said. “It's an entertaining, exciting brand of basketball. We'd love to see a sellout Saturday night. BYU is a heck of a team, and it's going to be a great game — and it's important that our fans know how important they are to our success.”
Indeed, the Buffs have no doubt been an entertaining bunch thus far. They're averaging 83.9 points per game — tops in the Pac-12 — and they've shown the ability to come from behind and win, claiming three victories after trailing by double digits.
Boyle also made it clear he and his players are deeply appreciative of the fans who have shown up thus far this season.
“We have a great, loyal base of fans,” Boyle said. “They're terrific, and I don't want anyone to think for a second that I don't appreciate them. But we need to expand that base. For us to be as good as we can be, we need a great fan base. We'll do our best to do our part.”
Still, Boyle would love to see attendance at the Events Center return to the levels of just a couple of seasons ago.
In Boyle's third season in Boulder — the season after CU's first of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances — the Buffs averaged 10,392 per game. That number dropped to 9,635 in year four, then tailed off to 9,135 last season, when CU finished a disappointing 16-18 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
But even taking into account last season's record, Boyle didn't expect such a dramatic drop-off this year.
“Some of that's on us,” Boyle said. “We didn't play well last year, and I get that. I understand.”
But now, Boyle believes, this year's team has the potential to be one fans will want to remember — and witness.
“I want our program to be a top-25 program,” Boyle said. “That's always our goal, and to be honest, I think we have a top-25 caliber team right now. With that, I want a top-25 atmosphere, and we all have to play a part in that.”
Boyle said he also understands that this year's early home schedule didn't include a host of marquee teams, a fact that might keep the casual fan from attending. Still, last year's first four home games — Drexel, Auburn, Air Force and Lipscomb — averaged 9,326 per game. A similar schedule this year has averaged roughly 1,800 fewer fans per game.
“I think what fans have to understand is that our success makes it harder to schedule for the non-conference,” Boyle said. “Other teams just aren't as willing to come play here when they know they're going to see a big crowd and a good team. But I'm hoping fans will come to see the exciting brand of basketball we're playing.”
One part of the Coors Events Center that's seen a significant drop this year has been the student section. A couple of CU's home games were played during the Thanksgiving break, but the overall attendance in that section has also been slimmer than recent years.
“The energy in our arena isn't the same without the students,” Boyle said. “ When our students are there, the rest of the arena feeds off them. The C-Unit has done a great job of making the Events Center a great place to see a game, and I want that atmosphere to get back to where it was a few years ago.”
Saturday's opponent, BYU, is a perennial NCAA Tournament team. The Cougars have played in eight of the last nine NCAAs, missing only 2013. Boyle would like the Cougars to be greeted by a raucous atmosphere as the Buffs pursue their eighth straight win.
“The first five games this year, the Coors Events Center has not been a tough environment,” Boyle said. “Don't get me wrong — the fans that have been there have been great, there just haven't been enough of them. We're extremely appreciative of the fans that have been there. We'd just like to see more of them from here on out.”
