Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Seek End To Skid At Washington State
January 20, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
PULLMAN, Wash. — Sooner or later, the Colorado Buffaloes' conference losing skid will come to an end.
Obviously, the Buffs would prefer the former — with "soon" being Saturday, when 10-9 Colorado (0-6 Pac-12) pays a visit to Washington State for a 2 p.m. game at Beasley Coliseum.
What is guaranteed Saturday is that someone's losing streak will come to an end. The Buffs are on a six-game slide; the Cougars (9-9, 2-4) have lost four in a row after opening conference play with a pair of wins.
History would suggest it is the Buffs who have the better chance of turning their fortunes. Colorado is 9-2 all-time against WSU, including an 8-1 record since joining the Pac-12 and a 3-0 mark in last year's meetings (two regular season wins and a victory in the conference tournament).
But then history hasn't been a good barometer for Colorado this season. Not only is the current skid the longest for CU in the Tad Boyle era, it's the longest skid at the start of conference play since the 1992-93 season, when the Buffs were still playing in the Big Eight.
Those are the kind of historic notes that Colorado would rather not continue to write.
The key to ending the skid is by no means a secret. Anyone who has followed Colorado's fortunes this year knows what the Buffs need: a 40-minute performance. In their six conference games, the Buffs have lost a lead in the final minute of three of those games, including Wednesday's 85-83 overtime loss at Washington, when Colorado allowed a 17-point lead early in the second half to melt away.
It has led to a level of frustration not seen in the program in years.
"It's extremely frustrating," Boyle said after Wednesday night's loss. "I've been here seven years. I was at Northern Colorado four years before that. I'm not sure I've seen a team like this. I've not coached a team like this. I like there, they practice well, their focus is there, their heart is there. We're just not making winning plays."
Indeed, the Buffs have stretches when they play like the team most folks thought they would see when the season began — a high-energy, balanced-scoring bunch that can put opponents on their heels in a hurry. Wednesday night's 39-24 first-half lead over Washington was just such a stretch.
But those moments have been followed by inexplicable stretches of miscues and missed opportunities, all leading to the current hole in which they have placed themselves.
"We play like we're afraid to lose and we're not playing to win," Boyle said. "You have to make your breaks. We're not making our breaks. Until we commit ourselves to defending for 40 minutes and rebounding for 40 minutes, we're not going to beat anybody in this league."
Ernie Kent's Cougars are a capable team, as evidenced by their road win over Washington in their Pac-12 opener, which they followed with a win over Oregon State. But since then, they've dropped four straight, including an 88-47 home loss to Utah on Wednesday.
The Cougars are led by 6-10 senior Josh Hawkinson, who is averaging a 15.6-point, 10.4-rebound double-double for the season. They also get double-figure scoring from guards Malachi Flynn (11.6 ppg) and Ike Iroegbu (10.5 ppg).
As for the Buffs, their problems haven't been on the offensive end of the floor. They're averaging a respectable 75 points per game in conference play, sixth-best in the league. Derrick White (18.3 ppg) and Xavier Johnson (17.7 ppg) are among the league's top 10 scorers in conference play.
But defensively, Colorado has given up an average of 82.7 points per game, 11th in the conference.
"I'm the head coach, it falls on me, this is on my watch," Boyle said of the team's struggles. "But we've got four fifth-year seniors and a fourth-year junior. The experience factor is there. The execution factor and getting-it-done factor is not there. I don't know if we think people are going to give it to us, but I think it's pretty apparent now that nothing's going to be given to you and we're not able to do that yet."
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Aaron Goldsmith and Eddie House on the call. Newsradio 850 AM and 94.1 FM will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
