University of Colorado Athletics
Keys For Buffs Vs. UConn In NCAA Opener
March 16, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When the Colorado Buffaloes take the floor Thursday against Connecticut, the Buffs will see a defensive-minded, solid-rebounding team — a team very much like the Buffs.
Five keys for the Buffs in Thursday's 11:30 a.m. (TNT) matchup at Wells Fargo Arena:
CONTAIN HAMILTON AND MILLER: First and foremost, the Buffs have to make 6-7 wing Daniel Hamilton work for everything he gets — and he is accustomed to getting a lot. The UConn sophomore was the AAC Tournament most outstanding player, averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and more than five assists over three games. He led the Huskies this season in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and assists (4.8 apg) and was third in scoring (12.4 ppg).
“He can make plays for himself, make plays for others, leads them in rebounding, leads them in assists and can score the ball,” CU coach Tad Boyle said.
The Buffs will likely throw a variety of defenders at Hamilton, ranging from George King to Tre'Shaun Fletcher to Josh Fortune. Whoever has some success will likely see their fair share of playing time.
Huskies 6-7 forward Shonn Miller, meanwhile, leads the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), is second in rebounding (5.4 rpg) and is shooting .585 from the field. Buff junior Wesley Gordon will likely get the defensive assignment on Miller.
“He's a really good post player that's undersized but underrated,” Boyle said of Miller.
HANDLE UCONN PRESSURE: The Huskies are an in-your-face pressure defensive team that finished 12th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 63.1 points per game. Boyle said the Huskies are similar to Washington, but don't switch on defense as much as UW.
UConn was fourth in the nation this year in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on just 38.2 percent of their field goal tries; and 31st in blocked shots, averaging 5.0 per game. Center Amida Brimah, a 7-footer, doesn't start but he still averages 2.6 blocks per game.
HIT 3'S EARLY: When the Buffs shoot well early in the game, they're usually in it at the end. It means they'll need one of their wings — King, Fortune or Fletcher — to hit from outside early. The Huskies boast outstanding defense in the paint, and the Buffs will need to keep UConn spread out if they're going to utilize Josh Scott inside throughout the game.
The Buffs can't afford to fall behind by a large margin early in this one. They managed to come back from big deficits a few times this year, but it's not something they want to attempt against a defensive-minded, tournament-tested squad.
REBOUND, REBOUND, REBOUND: The Buffs are one of the nation's best in this department — they're eighth in the nation in rebound margin at plus-8.9 per game — and it's kept them in more than one game when they've struggled offensively.
The Huskies aren't a great offensive rebounding team, averaging just 9.5 offensive boards per game, meaning they don't get a lot of second-chance points. Colorado has to make sure that's the case Thursday.
In that same vein, CU needs to continue its prowess on the offensive boards. The Buffs are averaging more than 13 offensive rebounds per game, meaning an extra four possessions per contest. In a close game, that can be the difference.
One factor in the Buffs' favor: the Huskies aren't a high-scoring team of the kind that hurt the Buffs this year (Cal, Oregon, Washington). They do score off turnovers, but if the Buffs can limit their mistakes, it will slow the Huskies' transition game down.
FINISH: Yes, the Buffs are tired of hearing about this, but fact is, it's been a problem too many times this year — leads that have disappeared down the stretch. Basketball is a game of runs — but it's the teams that stop the runs before a lead disappears that advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
