Buffs Seek To Regain Momentum As USC, UCLA Visit This Week
February 19, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — There may be no better example of the Colorado Buffaloes' up-and-down season this year than their January games against USC and UCLA.
The fact that both came on the road just four days apart only adds emphasis to the dramatic swings the Buffs have produced in 2017-18.
On a Wednesday against USC, the Buffs committed 22 turnovers that led to 25 points for the Trojans in a 70-58 Colorado loss. Colorado shot just 36 percent from the field in the game and allowed the Trojans to shoot 43 percent. That included a 6-for-8, 20-point performance from USC point guard Jordan McLaughlin, who also had three assists and just one turnover.
Three nights later at UCLA, the Buffs reversed the numbers. CU committed just 12 turnovers in the game, shot 43 percent from the field and limited the Bruins to 37 percent shooting. Colorado held UCLA star guard Aaron Holiday to 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, while also forcing Holiday to commit six turnovers in a 68-59 Buffs win — CU's first-ever win on the Bruins' home floor.
Now, after last week's disappointing road trip to Washington that produced back-to-back losses, the 15-12 Buffs return home this week for their final regular season homestand. On the docket is an 8:30 p.m. game Wednesday against USC, followed by Sunday's 2 p.m. tilt against UCLA.
It is a chance to regain some momentum heading into the March 3 regular season finale at Utah and the Pac-12 tournament the following week — but the key once again will be eliminating the mistakes that cost the Buffs on their recent road swing.
"This team has two Achilles heels," head coach Tad Boyle said after Monday's practice. "One of them is taking care of the ball. The other one is finishing possessions with a rebound. … What an Achilles heel does is it comes and haunts you at the most inopportune times. It haunted us against Washington this weekend, taking care of the ball. Not finishing possessions with a rebound haunted us against Washington State. If we finish possessions with rebounds against Washington State we win the game. In the second half, we win it. We break it open and it's over. But we couldn't."
The "magic" number for CU's turnovers seems to be in the 14 to 15 range. When the Buffs have committed 14 or fewer turnovers, they are 5-2 in conference play. When that number hits 15 or more, they are 2-6 — and both of those wins have come at home.
"The only thing I can come up with is lack of concentration," Boyle said when asked the cause behind CU's dramatic swings in turnovers. "It's being able to concentrate enough not to get sped up, to just make easy plays. We've shown against Arizona in this building, we turned it over twice in one half. The second half we turn it over 13 times. That was within a game where it was good to bad. … Look at USC to UCLA. Bad taking care of the ball against USC, good job taking care of the ball against UCLA."
If the Buffs are indeed going to bounce back, their chances are much better at home. Colorado is 1-9 on opponents' home floors this year, including 1-7 in Pac-12 play. At home, however, they have been a different team, compiling an 11-2 record at the Events Center, including a 6-1 record in Pac-12 play.
"Toughness," Boyle said of the biggest difference between the Buffs' play at home and on the road. "It's all toughness. Just being tough. We play with great energy and toughness at home."
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Even after their tough road trip, the Buffs are still leading the Pac-12 in field goal defense in conference play. Colorado has limited Pac-12 foes to .417 shooting from the field this year. … The Buffs are also third in rebounding margin (plus-1.7 per game) and tied for second in blocked shots, averaging 4.4 per game. Freshman Dallas Walton leads CU in that category, averaging 1.5 per contest, fifth-best in the conference. Also in the league's top 15 are George King and Tyler Bey, both averaging .9 blocks per game.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
