Colorado University Athletics
Boyle, Buffs Now Turn Attention To No. 15 Arizona
March 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAS VEGAS — It didn't take long for Colorado coach Tad Boyle to acknowledge the next task on the Buffaloes' agenda.
Mere minutes after the Buffs opened Pac-12 Tournament play with an 80-56 win over Washington State, Boyle noted, “It was a great team victory. Lot of guys contributed and I'm really proud of them. But now is no time to rejoice. It's on to Arizona. We know what awaits us tomorrow.”
What awaits the Buffs is a game against the tournament's fourth seed in an environment that will be as close to a road game as possible at a neutral site. Arizona, ranked No. 15 in the latest AP poll, has always delivered a large contingent of fans to Las Vegas, and this year won't be any different.
The Buffs are expecting it.
“I told the guys after the Utah game that it was the last road game they'd play,” Boyle said. “Tonight after the game, I told the I lied to them. We know there are going to be a lot of Arizona fans in the building. It may be a little bit more of a road-type feel for us, but if it is, we know how to handle that. We've just got to play for 40 minutes.”
In their only meeting this season, the Buffs claimed a 75-72 win over the then-No. 9 Wildcats in Boulder. CU's Josh Scott had a 26-point, nine-rebound effort in the win and George King added 14 points and seven rebounds.
“I always look forward to playing Arizona, but this is a completely new game,” Scott said. “They're going to make adjustments, we're going to make adjustments. It's about being aggressive, figuring out how to attack them and rebounding. That's always a focus for both of our teams. It's about winning that battle, and then offensively making plays.”
Scott scored just six points against WSU, only the third time this season he didn't hit double digits in scoring. But he tied his career high with five assists, added five rebounds and a block, and did not have a turnover.
“You talk about a great game — people don't understand for a big to get five assists in a game just doesn't happen,” said CU sophomore Tory Miller. “I don't think a lot of fans understand the full extent of the game. They just want to see dunks and threes. But when you have a guy who gets as much attention as Josh, it makes it easier for me, easier for Wes (Gordon). All of our bigs — when we draw that much attention, when you have three people guarding you and you've got shooters like George (King) and Josh Fortune wide open, it's a beautiful thing to get 17 assists, especially five from your big man.”
Miller continues to grow seemingly each week. He has shot 9-for-17 from the field over his last three games and has 16 rebounds in that stretch.
“I told Tory when he came off the floor at the end that he just gets better and better every game,” Boyle said. “He's playing with a high degree of confidence.”
BIG OFF BENCH: The Buffs received 37 points and 17 rebounds off their bench Wednesday. Josh Fortune led the reserves in scoring with 13 points while Miller had eight points and seven rebounds. Other big contributors off the bench were Thomas Akyazili (seven points, three rebounds, two assists) and Tre'Shaun Fletcher (six points, three rebounds).
“That bench, those four guys, I don't look at them as bench players or role players,” Boyle said. “They're guys that can come in and impact the game. They're all capable of doing that. The key is not to try to do too much and rely on each other and play with each other and for each other. As long as we do that, we've got a chance to beat anybody.”
REST TIME: Because the Buffs' lead was into the 20s for much of the second half, it afforded Boyle a chance to rest his starters in hopes of saving their legs for Thursday's game with Arizona.
Wesley Gordon played the most minutes of any Buff, finishing with 26. Scott, who averages more than 30 minutes per game, played just 22 while King and Miller played just 23.
“That was nice, especially our three bigs,” Boyle said. “When we can spread their minutes out like we did tonight, it makes it easier on all of them.”
BRADY BUCKET: CU senior Brett Brady, a walk-on and long a fan favorite, hit a 3-pointer near the end of the game Wednesday for his first career points in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Several other Buffs also got their first taste of conference tournament play. Kenan Guzonjic, Mitch Lombard and Josh Repine also saw the floor for the last two minutes of the game.
NOTABLE: Boyle now owns half — 11 — of CU's conference tournament victories in program history. The Buffs are also 6-0 in the first round of conference tournaments under Boyle (1-0 Big 12, 5-0 Pac-12). … Wesley Gordon moved to 14th on CU's all-time rebound list (662), surpassing Richard Roby. … Colorado hit the 80-point mark for the 15th time this season. … CU's 22 wins are tied for fourth for most in program history, matching the 22 posted by the 1996-97 squad with Chauncey Billups.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
