Woelk: Sans Scott, Buffs Have Stepped Up To Fill Void

BOULDER — If there's a silver lining that's come with the ankle injury to Colorado senior Josh Scott, it is this:

In his absence, his teammates picked up their level of play considerably.

Not to suggest the Buffs don't need Scott back as soon as possible. Rather, it's just the opposite. The Buffs scratched out a pair of home wins without his help, but they'll need every bit of firepower available in their last five conference games, beginning with this week's Los Angeles trip. The Buffs not only need Scott back, they need to match the intensity and effort they displayed in his absence.

Colorado plays at USC on Wednesday (9 p.m., ESPNU) and at UCLA on Saturday (9 p.m., Fox Sports 1).

There are those who will suggest that Colorado's most-recent wins weren't overly impressive. After all, they needed double-overtime and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from George King to beat Washington State, a team that had lost nine in a row coming into Boulder. Then came Saturday's heart-stopping win over Washington, when the Buffs allowed a 15-point lead with seven minutes to go melt down to a one-point edge in the final minute.

But to win against anyone without your leading scorer and rebounder is an admirable feat — particularly in the Pac-12, generally regarded as one of the toughest leagues in the nation from top to bottom.

Remember, it's a conference in which league-leading Oregon traveled to the Bay Area last week and lost a pair, including a game at Stanford — a team Colorado swept this season. It's a conference in which USC entered the week ranked No. 23 in the nation — and promptly lost at Arizona and Arizona State.

Simply, it's a conference in which close observers predicted at the beginning of the season that anything could happen, and it's been happening every week.

Thus, even after two narrow defeats that still haunt CU head coach Tad Boyle — a two-point loss to Utah at home and a four-point loss at Oregon State — the Buffs today find themselves squarely in the hunt for a top-four finish. Colorado enters the week tied with the Utes for third in the standings with an 8-5 record, just one game behind co-leaders Arizona and Oregon.

What was most encouraging about the Buffs' effort last week is how they played without Scott. The question, of course, is whether those same players will be able to match their effort when Scott returns.

The biggest contributor has been junior Wesley Gordon. Without his front-court pal, Gordon has stepped up his game to a new level. He's recorded three consecutive double-doubles, including a career-high 17 points to go with 13 rebounds in the win over Washington. In the three games since Scott's injury, Gordon has averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game.

“He attacked us and was relentless,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “He really hurt us.”

But it hasn't been just Gordon making up for the loss of Scott. CU sophomore George King — who had been almost solely a scorer for the Buffs — has added a dimension to his game. Along with averaging 15.5 points last week, King attacked the boards with a vengeance. He averaged 9.5 rebounds in the two games, which included his first career double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds vs. UW). Among his rebounds totals were four offensive boards against Washington, a big part of CU's 20 second-chance points.

“I should have been doing this all season but I've been caught up in shooting and not crashing the boards,” King said. “I have to go stick my nose under the rim and try to get a rebound.”

Along with King and Gordon, virtually every player in the regular rotation has been producing key plays at crucial moments.

Josh Fortune has been mired in a shooting slump of sorts, but still produced 13 points and nine rebounds against Washington. Tre'Shaun Fletcher — also battling a bad ankle — had 10 points and four rebounds vs. the Huskies. Tory Miller had eight points and six rebounds against Washington and eight points, three rebounds and three steals vs. Washington State.

Then there's been the play in the backcourt. With starting point guard Dominique Collier battling foul trouble in both games (he still averaged more than eight points for the week), freshman Thomas Akyazili scored 10 against WSU and nine vs. Washington — all in a row in a key 24-10 CU second-half run.

Xavier Talton, meanwhile, has been doing exactly what a senior should be doing: producing key plays at key moments. Talton had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals vs. WSU; then followed that with a five-assist, three-rebound game vs. Washington.

In short, the Buffs are getting something from everyone.

“Everybody has stepped their game up, which is what we have to have at this point of the season,” Boyle said. “What's important is that they realize they have to bring that same intensity and toughness when we get Josh Scott back.”

Indeed, the Buffs have yet to put together a “complete” game. Against Washington State, they did not rebound well and struggled defensively at times, but committed only eight turnovers. Against Washington, the dominated the boards — posting a 55-35 edge — but saw 22 turnovers very nearly cost them the game.

“When we put together a defense and rebounding effort like we did tonight with a turnover game like we did against Washington State (eight turnovers), we're going to beat everybody in this league,” Boyle said.

Of course, whether Colorado can do that remains to be seen. But what we saw last week from the Buffs sans Scott is promising.

CU fans are no doubt hoping the Buffs can continue that effort when their big man returns.

UPCOMING: After this week's trip to Los Angeles, CU will return home for its final two home games of the season. The Buffs face Arizona on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., followed by a Feb. 28 game vs. Arizona State at 2:30 p.m.

Colorado closes the regular season at Utah on March 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu