Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Travel To Utah, Seek Road Win Vs. Utes
January 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
SALT LAKE CITY — It was just a year ago that Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes ended a seven-game losing streak to Utah with a 67-55 win in Boulder.
Sunday, the 10-6 Buffs (1-3 Pac-12) have their eye on ending another skid at the hands of the Utes when the two teams meet in a 4 p.m. game at the Huntsman Center (ESPNU). The Buffs haven't won on Utah's home floor since February 2012, the first year for both teams in the Pac-12. Since then, there have been close games, blowouts and everything in between, but the common thread has been the Buffs coming out on the short end of the stick.
For his part, Colorado's Boyle isn't much for looking into the past. He doesn't worry about such things as streaks. Every year and every team, he notes, is different. But Boyle also knows that it is difficult to win at Utah, and the reasons are by no means a secret.
"They've got great fans, they average over 10,000 fans a game," Boyle said. "They're second in the league behind Arizona in terms of home attendance. They have a passionate fan base that cares about basketball. They have good basketball tradition and Larry (Krystkowiak) and his staff do a very good job."
Indeed, the Utah faithful are exactly that. The Utes averaged 11,710 per home game last year, second in the league only to Arizona's 14,435.
But it's more than just the fans. The Utes also usually have some very good players, and while this year is a rebuilding year to a degree, Krystkowiak still has some quality players, beginning with senior guard Sedrick Barefield, who is averaging 15.4 points and 3.8 assists per game.
"Sedrick Barefield is a guy that can go off on any given half or game," Boyle said. "He's an explosive, dynamic scorer who is a very, very talented offensive player."
The Utes also have a capable scorer in 6-foot-7, 225-pound sophomore Donnie Tillman, who comes off the bench with an 11.5 per game scoring average; a good shooter in senior guard Parker Van Dyke; and a talented scorer and rebounder in 6-9 freshman Riley Battin, who the Buffs targeted in their recruiting efforts a year ago.
"In my mind, (Tillman) is one of the most improved players in the league," Boyle said. "He's a very tough matchup because he's so big and strong and physical, but now he can shoot the 3."
But this is not a typical Krystkowiak team in one regard, as they have struggled to establish any kind of consistency. In putting together an 8-8 season thus far (2-2 Pac-12), the Utes have not won — or lost — more than two games in a row.
"They've got their problems, they've got their issues just like we do," Boyle said. "Nobody's immune to that. But it should be a heck of a matchup."
The Buffs are well-aware of what it will take to win at the Huntsman Center.
"It's a matter of playing the type of basketball that keeps their crowd out of the game," Boyle said. "The way you do that on the road is take care of the ball and defend at a high, high level. When you do that, you can take their crowd out of it. When you don't do that, they get things rolling and start making threes and get out in transition."
The Buffs have played relatively well in front of big crowds on the road this season. They rallied from a 17-point deficit in front of 10,800 at New Mexico to collect a 78-75 win, then dropped a 64-56 decision at Arizona in front of 13,511.
"It shouldn't be overwhelming for our guys," Boyle said "But they need to understand the power that those 10,000 people have when you don't play the way we're supposed to play. We experienced it on the downside and the upside at New Mexico. I think we experienced it on the downside and upside at Arizona. … Every time you have a chance to play in those kind of environments, as a player you relish it. You look forward to it. I know our guys will."
The Buffs hope to have the services of point guard McKinley Wright IV when they tip it off Sunday. Wright suffered a shoulder injury in last weekend's loss to Washington, but practiced the last couple of days. Also getting some time in on the practice floor was senior guard Namon Wright, who has been hampered by a foot injury.
The Buffs also hope that a week of uninterrupted practice will pay dividends. Because this is their designated "rivalry week" in the Pac-12 schedule, they play just one game.
THE SERIES: This will be the 50th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Colorado holding a 27-22 edge. Utah, however, has won nine of the last 12 and has a 9-6 edge since both teams entered the Pac-12 in 2011-12. Utah has a 15-8 edge in Salt Lake City, including six straight wins. The two teams split their season series last year, both winning on their home floors.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Adrian Branch. KOA (850 am) will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: The Buffs will finally wrap up one of their longest overall stretches away from home in their history next week with a pair of games in the Bay Area — Thursday at Cal and Saturday at Stanford. It will mark the end of an 11-game stretch that included nine games away from home.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
