Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Host ASU, To Honor Seniors In Home Finale
February 27, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle has made it clear over the last two days that Sunday's 2:30 p.m. home finale vs. Arizona State has one overriding theme:
Send CU's seniors — Josh Scott, Xavier Talton, Eli Stalzer and Brett Brady — out in style.
"Those four seniors are very deserving young men and have given a lot to this program," Boyle said. "You know they're going to try to play their best because they are seniors and it's their last home game. I want the rest of the guys to play with some added inspiration as well. That's what this game should be about."
Scott has freely admitted the game will be a very emotional moment for him.
"I'm not ready," Scott said after Saturday's practice. "It's probably going to hit me more tomorrow. Such great memories in the building. It doesn't seem like it's real that I'll be done suiting up in this gym. Time flies. I keep saying it's crazy, but it's crazy. It's going to be an emotional time."
Scott, though, also knows the 20-9 Buffs (9-7 Pac-12) have a job to do. A win over the 14-14 Sun Devils (4-11) would be one more step toward bonus basketball for the Buffs this season in the form of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Scott and the Buffs took a big step in that direction earlier this week with a 75-72 win over No. 9 Arizona.
"It's going to be emotional, but the goal is still the same," Scott said. "It's the same every night — get a Pac-12 win."
Scott's teammates say they're focused on the same thing.
"I know if I was a senior, I'd appreciate it if the underclassmen and juniors played hard for my last go-round," CU sophomore George King said. "Without them, I wouldn't be where I am. They've picked me up when I'm down, they've played like seniors. We're truly going to miss them. But if we do what we're supposed to do, we'll have a lot more games after this."
Indeed, while Sunday's game may be CU's last home game, the Buffs are guaranteed at least two more games after that: next Saturday's regular-season finale at Utah and at least one game in the Pac-12 Tournament. An NCAA Tournament berth, of course, would add to that schedule, and a win over the Sun Devils would help in that regard.
Boyle stressed that the Sun Devils are a "dangerous, capable team." First-year head coach Bobby Hurley's team owns wins over New Mexico, Texas A&M and Southern California this season.
But ASU has also struggled as of late. The Sun Devils have lost three in a row, including Thursday's 81-46 defeat at Utah in a game that saw the Utes jump out to a 30-2 lead and hold a 44-10 edge at the half.
Boyle, though, said that has no bearing on how Arizona State will play in Boulder.
"They're athletic, tough and they play hard — a lot like their coach," Boyle said. "Hard-nosed. We've got our hands full."
When the Sun Devils are playing well, it's usually because they are making 3-pointers. ASU is tied with USC for the most 3-pointers per game in the conference this season, averaging eight treys per contest.
Sophomore guard Tra Holder leads the Sun Devils in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. He's the only ASU player, however, averaging double-digit scoring. Junior forward Obinna Oleka leads the Sun Devils in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game.
Whoever wins today will hold the overall series edge, with the two teams having split 12 games to this point, including a 4-4 record since CU joined the Pac-12 in 2011. The two teams split a pair of games last year, both winning on their home floors. Colorado has won five of the six games in Boulder, including last year's 87-81 decision.
While the Buffs still have an outside chance of moving into a top-four spot in the Pac-12 standings and thus earning a first-round conference tourney bye, today's game is more important in terms taking another step toward securing an NCAA Tournament bid.
"If we do have a letdown and slip up against Arizona State, the Arizona game — I'm not saying it's all for naught, but the validity of it goes down," Boyle said. "We just become like any other team that gets up for big games and then has letdowns. We don't want to be that team. We want to be that team that has the same kind of focus energy and effort every single night."
BROADCAST: Today's telecast will be carried by the Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson and Don MacLean. The radio broadcast will be on 850 KOA with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
