
Buffs Hope To Keep Momentum Going As WSU Pays Visit
February 12, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With six regular season conference games remaining, the Colorado Buffaloes know they have virtually no margin for error if they plan on keeping alive any hope of a postseason bid.
Sunday, the 14-11 Buffs (4-8 Pac-12) will face a team in the same situation when Washington State (11-13, 4-8) pays a 6:30 p.m. visit to the Coors Events Center (ESPNU).
But while their conference records are the same, they've been traveling in different directions for the last couple of weeks. CU has won four of its last five games; WSU has lost four of its last five.
Still, the Buffaloes remember all too well a 91-89 overtime loss to the Cougars on their home floor earlier this season. The Buffs overcame a 10-point deficit in the final four minutes to force the extra period and then scored the first four points of overtime. They still had the lead with less than a minute to go, but were outscored 4-0 in the final 60 seconds to endure what was then their seventh straight conference loss.
But now the Buffs have a little wind in their sails and they'd like to keep moving forward.
"We're making a little push, going on a little run," junior George King said. "Late push, but better late than never."
The Buffs will have the services of seniors Xavier Johnson and Wesley Gordon for Sunday's game after the pair were benched for the last two games for violating team rules, and it will likely be a game in which the Buffs need all hands on deck. Three of the last five games between the two teams have been overtime affairs, including the first one this year and last year's game in Boulder. In that contest, the Buffs needed a 3-pointer from King at the buzzer to tie the game and send it into the extra period, and the game needed another overtime period before Colorado finally emerged with an 88-81 win.
"They must have our number or something," King said. "The last couple have been in overtime. This is a great opportunity to get another crack at them and hopefully we don't go to overtime and it's because we get the win."
King is coming off his sixth double-double of the season, a 21-point, 12-rebound effort in CU's 81-66 win over Washington. King now leads the Buffs in rebounding in conference games, averaging 7.3 per contest in Pac-12 play, and his 7.2 average for the entire season trails only Gordon's 7.3 average.
It's a side of King head coach Tad Boyle hopes to see more of on a regular basis.
After the win over Washington, Boyle compared King's effort to former Buff Andre Roberson, who holds the Nos. 1 and 2 spots on CU's list of single-season rebound records. Friday, he said King has the potential to be a Roberson-type rebounder.
"I don't see why not," Boyle said. "He's got the body. He's got the physical tools. He's got the athleticism, he's got the length. He's got everything it takes. Now, does he have the mindset? Andre brought that mindset every day. It didn't matter if Andre was playing a pickup game in the middle of July or if he was playing Arizona at Arizona. That's just who he was, that's how he approached the game.
"George has that ability, but does he have the mindset? That's something we talk about. Again, it comes and it goes. … He puts his mind to it, he could be a double-double average guy."
One Cougar on which the Buffs will be keeping a close eye on Sunday will be guard Charles Callison. The WSU senior erupted for 30 points in the first meeting this year — more than three times his season scoring average — hitting 12 of 16 field goal tries, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
It was the third of four straight games when an opposing player scored a career high against the Buffs, something Boyle can't forget. The Buffs are eighth in conference play in 3-point defense (.393) and they've given up 110 treys in Pac-12 games — second-most in the conference.
"Callison and (Ike) Iroegbu had 50 on us combined (last game), so we've got to try to keep those guys under wraps and guard the 3-point line," Boyle said. "They also have (Josh) Hawkinson and (Conor) Clifford, who are really two very good post players. Really a good team. People don't talk about Washington State but they are a sneaky-good team. They've been in every game the last two or three weeks. They've gotten much better. We've got our hands full."
PLAYER UPDATES: Boyle said after the Washington game that Johnson and Gordon would both definitely return after they missed two games. … The Buffs also hope to have freshman guard Deleon Brown back after he missed the Washington game with a concussion. … Senior guard Josh Fortune, who suffered lacerations in his mouth after being elbowed in the UW game, should also be available.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams. Newradio 850 AM and 94.1 FM will carry the broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu