Buffs Play Host To High-Scoring UIC
December 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It would be safe to assume that the scoreboard operator will be busy Saturday afternoon when Colorado and Illinois-Chicago square off at the CU Events Center (4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
The 6-1 Buffs, riding a four-game win streak, are averaging 85.3 points per game. The 4-5 Flames, coached by former Colorado assistant Steve McClain, are averaging 81.2 per game. Offense should not be in short supply — and it's why the game has CU coach Tad Boyle's undivided attention.
"They're extremely dangerous," Boyle said. "They have great guard play, they have bigs that are athletic. Explosive offensively, they shoot the 3, but they can also drive. They can really attack the rim. We've got our work cut out for us."
The Flames have had an up-and-down season thus far, mostly because their defensive efficiency hasn't matched their offensive output. UIC is giving up 81.9 points per game.
Still, when the Flames are clicking, they are indeed dangerous. UIC is coming off an impressive 94-75 win over Illinois State, and also owns a win over Bradley. Throw in the fact that McClain, an assistant under Jeff Bzdelik, would no doubt like to get a win in his old stomping grounds, and the Buffs are expecting the Flames' best effort.
"Those kids are tough kids that want to win," Boyle said. "When they see a Pac-12 team and they have a chance to knock them off, they relish that opportunity. Emotionally, they have an edge. But South Dakota had that edge, Nebraska-Omaha had that edge — every non-Power 5 team that we play has that emotional edge. We've got to figure out what we do emotionally to get ourselves ready to play."
UIC starts a three-guard lineup led by 6-foot-4 Tarkus Ferguson, who averages 17.1 points per game. The Flames have four players averaging in double figures, and are averaging 27 3-point attempts per game.
"Illinois-Chicago is good enough and explosive enough to come in here and beat us if we're not ready to play," Boyle said. "But I know how dangerous this team is."
The game will no doubt be a test for Colorado's defense. The Buffs are yielding a respectable 68.4 points per game, but are just eighth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot better than 41 percent from the floor thus far.
"We have to be able to handle pressure on offense because Illinois-Chicago will pressure us," Boyle said. "We have to be able to handle their pressure and take care of the ball, and defensively we have to guard the ball. We've gotten in some foul trouble with just guarding the ball one on one, whether it's guards, bigs, whoever. We have to get our arms out, no hand checks, move our feet and take a challenge defensively."
The Buffs are coming off of one of their best overall efforts of the year, an 82-58 win over South Dakota, a game in which they played well on both ends of the floor. CU shot 48 percent from the floor and held the Coyotes to just 34 percent shooting.
The Buffs also boast some outstanding balance on the offensive end, with four players averaging double figures, led by sophomore McKinley Wright's 14.3 points per game. Colorado is shooting 50 percent from the floor for the season, and the Buffs are outrebounding opponents by an average of 10 per game. Sophomore Tyler Bey leads CU on the boards with 7.6 per game while junior Lucas Siewert is second on the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and scoring (12.7 ppg).
Saturday's game will be the last home tilt for the Buffs for more than a month. They will play at New Mexico next Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN2) before taking a week off for finals. They return to action Dec. 22-23-25 in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, then open their Pac-12 schedule on the road with games at Arizona (Jan. 3) and Arizona State (Jan. 5).
Their next home games are Jan. 10 and 12, when they host Washington State and Washington.
But Boyle was in no mood to look down the road after Friday's practice.
"We'll see New Mexico when it happens," he said. "New Mexico means nothing if we don't take care of business Saturday."
MOVING UP: The Buffs jumped up several spots in the NCAA's NET rankings this week, the evaluation tool that has replaced the RPI.
As of Friday, Colorado was 43rd in the NET, a ranking that includes a variety of metrics, including game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
Three Pac-12 teams were ranked ahead of Colorado — Arizona (17), Arizona State (18) and UCLA (38), with Washington right behind at No. 44.
THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Drew Goodman and Ben Braun, while Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke will handle the KOA radio call.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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