Now, Every Game A 'Separation Game' For Buffs
February 05, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — At this point of the college basketball season, there are few surprises and no secrets.
Everyone knows what everyone else will do, and it is a time when teams are making their final push in the conference standings.
It is also a time when every win is a premium win — something Colorado head coach Tad Boyle is stressing to his players as they prepare for a pair of home games this week.
The Buffs, currently in a tie for seventh in the Pac-12 with seven games remaining, still have a shot at moving up into the top four in the league standings. But with the fourth through ninth-place teams in the conference all bunched within two games of each other, any slip-up will be extra costly.
"Every game matters," said Boyle, whose 13-10 Buffs (5-6 Pac-12) play host to Cal on Wednesday (9 p.m.) and Stanford on Sunday (2 p.m.). "Every game is a separation game. You lose to Cal at home, you just put yourself further behind the eight ball. There's only seven (games) left so we should have great intensity, great effort, great focus every time we step on the court."
There is no "secret sauce" for picking up a win this time of year. The difference, Boyle said, often comes down to the mental aspect and execution.
"The mental approach and the execution that you play with is what separates you as you go down the stretch," Boyle said. "Everybody knows what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are. Everybody scouts everybody. Now it's who's ready to play every time you step on the floor and who can execute their game plan both offensively and defensively. That's really what wins come down to in February. That's why every win in February is a good win. It becomes much more difficult."
The Buffs are coming off a 67-55 win over Utah last week, a game Boyle called CU's "best defensive effort for 40 minutes all year." It was the first of their key three-game home stretch.
"You can't win three in a row unless you win the first one," Boyle said after the win over the Utes. "Now it's you can't win three in a row unless you win the second one. We have to take it as it goes."
The 8-16 Golden Bears (2-9 Pac-12), picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 preseason poll, have experienced their share of struggles this year. But they ended a nine-game losing streak last weekend with a 74-70 win over Oregon State, and Boyle didn't hesitate to remind his Buffs that it was Oregon State that handed Colorado a 76-57 loss in the conference opener.
The Bears have a pair of big seniors inside in 7-foot-1, 267-pound Kingsley Okoroh and 6-11, 225-pound Marcus Lee, as well as an outstanding point guard, freshman Justice Sueing.
"Okoroh has been a beast against us," Boyle said. "You cannot let him catch it inside that circle. He's blocked shots against us, he catches it deep and dunks it. We have to have a great job of post defense and help-side. We have to protect the paint against these guys. These guys are great at getting the ball inside, they're great at driving the ball. Their perimeter guys really drive it and attack the rim. We're going to have to protect the paint and we have to rebound."
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Colorado senior George King continues to keep his name among the conference leaders in in Pac-12 games. King is tied for third in the league in rebounding (8.4 rpg), third in 3-pointers per game (3.0), fifth in 3-point percentage (.452) and 16th in scoring (14.1 ppg). Freshman McKinley Wright IV is second in assists (6.1 apg) and freshman Tyler Bey is 19th in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Junior Namon Wright is 14th in field goal percentage (.494); senior Dominique Collier is tied for seventh in free throw percentage (.880) and is third in 3-point percentage (.531); and freshman Dallas Walton is fifth in blocked shots (1.5 bpg).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
