Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Set For Visit From No. 4 Sun Devils
January 03, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Now in their seventh year in the Pac-12, there aren't many situations Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes haven't seen in the conference.
But Thursday night will offer a new scenario. For the first time in CU's Pac-12 history, the 8-6 Buffs (0-2 Pac-12) will face a ranked Arizona State team when the No. 4 Sun Devils pay a 6:30 p.m. visit to the Coors Events Center (Pac-12 Networks). It will be the first of back-to-back games against ranked teams, with a Saturday noon matchup against No. 14 Arizona at home next on the agenda.
The 12-1 Sun Devils (0-1 Pac-12) are no doubt among the bigger surprises in college basketball this year. Picked in the preseason to finish sixth in the Pac-12, Bobby Hurley's team won its first 12 games before finally losing at rival Arizona last weekend.
ASU's 12-0 non-conference run turned heads around the nation. It included a win over a good Kansas State team, followed by a victory over Xavier (currently ranked No. 5 in the nation), then a win at Kansas when the Jayhawks were ranked No. 2. They also knocked off San Diego State, St. John's and Vanderbilt along the way.
"They're as good as advertised," Boyle said this week. "They're playing loose, they're playing free, they're playing aggressive. Really talented. It's a heck of a challenge."
Indeed, in just his third year in Tempe, Hurley has the Sun Devils playing at a breakneck pace. ASU leads the Pac-12 — and is fifth in the nation — in scoring, averaging 90.7 points per game. Meanwhile, they are also playing solid defense, yielding just 72.6 points per game, giving them a conference-leading 18.1-point average margin of victory.
The Sun Devils are also doing it with a balanced lineup that more often than not features four guards. Led by senior Tra Holder, who leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 22 points per game, ASU has five players averaging double-digit scoring.
"He's having a special senior year," Boyle said of Holder. "He was a good player when he got to the league and he's continued to improve. I thought he was much improved last year from his first two years and he's taken it to another level this year. He's playing like an NBA guard. He's attacking the rim, he's making plays for others, he's shooting the 3, he's finishing the lane, he's guarding. If there's a player of the year in the preseason, it would be Tra Holder in my opinion."
But Holder has plenty of help, including guard Shannon Evans (17.0 ppg) and forward Romello White (13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game).
"They don't just have one weapon, they have five or six," Boyle said. "That's what makes Arizona State so dangerous. … They're ballers. We have to ball back at 'em."
To do that, the Buffs will have to shed some of the problems that plagued them in their opening Pac-12 weekend, when 38 turnovers over two games paved the way for losses at Oregon State and Oregon.
"Every possession on offense is certainly important because you cannot turn the ball over," Boyle said. "No. 1 they turn your turnovers into buckets because they're so athletic, so fast, so good in transition. Tempo of the game has to be dictated and created by us as much with our offense as with our defense. If our offense is making them work, getting great shots and they're taking the ball out of the net, then we can get our defense set."
The Sun Devils lead the conference in turnover margin, forcing 4.7 more per game than they commit. The Buffs are 11th in that category, committing 2.4 more turnovers per game than they force.
Such a ratio is a recipe for disaster against a team that averages more than 90 points per game.
"Empty possessions are magnified, no doubt about it," Boyle said. "They don't have a lot of empty possessions and they're going to score some points. I'd like to hold them in the 70s. If we hold Arizona State in the 70s we have a chance to win. If not, we'd better be playing really, really good offense and making a lot of shots."
Boyle's teams are no strangers to knocking off ranked teams. In CU history, the Buffs have won 59 games against ranked teams, with Boyle-coached squads responsible for 15 of those wins, including three at home last season. In his first seven years in Boulder, the Buffs beat at least one ranked team in six of those seasons.
"The common theme is you have guys that are competing, playing at a high level, executing at a high level and playing with energy for 40 minutes," Boyle said. "The other common theme is this place, the Coors Events Center and our fans, have given us a great lift and a great boost with their energy. There haven't been a lot of top 20 wins in this building when it's been empty. It's been a combination of a lot of things. Our players stepping up to challenges and competing for 40 minutes and playing with energy for 40 minutes and executing and balling."
BUFFS BITS: After winning their first six, the Buffs have dropped six of their last eight, including three in a row. … Colorado has three players averaging double-digit scoring, led by freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV (16.0 ppg) and senior George King (13.2 ppg). Wright is also averaging 4.9 assists per game, third-best in the Pac-12. … The Buffs are second in rebounding (38.9 rpg) in the league. King leads the Buffs on the boards with 7.9 per game.
THE SERIES: The all-time series is tied 7-7, with Colorado holding a 6-1 edge in Boulder. Boyle is 5-6 against ASU while Hurley is 1-1 against Colorado.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Ted Robinson and Eddie House. KOA 850 AM will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
