Buffs Head To Stanford With Eyes On Bay Area Sweep
January 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
STANFORD, Calif. — On paper, Thursday night's 68-59 Colorado win at Cal won't count more than any other Buffs Pac-12 victory this season.
But as far as being a much-needed lifeline for the Buffs as they wrap up the most difficult stretch of their Pac-12 schedule, CU head coach Tad Boyle had no problem summing up the importance of Thursday's victory.
"Huge, huge, huge," Boyle said in his postgame radio interview.
Thursday's win improved the Buffs to 11-7 overall and 2-4 in Pac-12 play, and it bumped the Buffs up a notch in the conference standings, into a tie for eighth place with Oregon.
But more importantly, it gives the Buffs some hope as they head to Stanford on Saturday for a 6 p.m. game (FS1), where they will wrap up an opening stretch that saw them play five of their first seven conference games on the road. A win against the Cardinal (9-10, 2-5) would bump CU to 3-4 in Pac-12 play — and while that may not seem like a lofty goal, it would be leaps and bounds ahead of where the Buffs were the last time they played five of their first seven away from home.
That's a stretch Boyle won't forget anytime soon, no matter how hard he tries.
It came two years ago, when the 2016-17 CU team dropped its first seven conference games, including the last two in overtime. Thus, despite a favorable home schedule down the stretch that saw CU win eight of its final 11 conference games, the Buffs were too far back to contend for a top-four conference finish. They won their first-round Pac-12 tourney game, lost to Arizona in the quarterfinals, and then settled for an NIT bid with a 19-14 record.
That's why a 3-4 record coming back to Boulder for a pair of games next week — Oregon State on Thursday and Oregon on Saturday — would be a nice boost. The Buffs play seven of their final 11 conference games at home, including five of their final seven.
That's a formula that lends itself to a strong stretch run, but the Buffs need a win Saturday at Maples Pavilion to serve as a springboard. With just two losses currently separating the second through ninth teams in the conference standings, CU could stay in the thick of contention for an upper-tier finish.
"Now we've got a chance to get a road sweep and you can't get a road sweep unless you win that first one," Boyle said late Thursday night. "It's a short turnaround and we have to dial in to Stanford and be ready to go. It's not going to be easy, but we've played well at Stanford (in the past). At least we've put ourselves in position."
A Bay Area sweep would be just Colorado's second road sweep since the Buffs entered the Pac-12. The only time previously CU won a pair of back-to-back road games on the same weekend came in 2013, when Colorado beat Oregon and Oregon State.
Saturday will be a golden opportunity, as the Buffs have indeed played well against Stanford since CU entered the Pac-12. Colorado has won nine in a row against the Cardinal, including four in a row on Stanford's home floor. But, as Boyle noted, every year and every team is different, and such streaks have little bearing on the present — as his Buffs proved Thursday night by winning at Cal, where CU had not won since joining the Pac-12.
One thing the Buffs don't want to repeat is the early mid-second half effort against Cal. After a solid first half, Colorado burst from the gate after intermission to build an 18-point cushion — only to see the Bears rally and actually take the lead with just more than seven minutes to play. The Buffs did manage to regain the edge and collect the win, but it is not the type of collapse they want to test again, especially on the Cardinal's home floor.
"They're a talented team," Boyle said.
They are also big. Led by 6-foot-9 sophomore KZ Okpala, the Cardinal boast three starters 6-9 or taller, including 7-0 senior center Josh Sharma, and their smallest starter is 6-3 guard Daejon Davis. Opkala averages almost 18 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while Davis is scoring at a 12.1 clip with 4.4 assists per game.
The Cardinal is coming off a 70-66 home loss to Utah on Thursday — but while their 9-10 overall record is by no means impressive, their nonconference schedule was. Stanford faced off with North Carolina, Kansas and Wisconsin earlier this year, and took KU to overtime before losing on the Jayhawks' home floor.
ALCATRAZ VISIT: The Buffs took a mid-day tour of the famed prison Alcatraz on Friday, along with getting in a workout in preparation for Saturday's game.
THE SERIES: Colorado leads the all-time series with the Cardinal 12-9, including a 9-2 mark since joining the Pac-12. CU has won the last nine games in the series, including four in a row on the Cardinal's home floor.
BROADCAST: FS1 will carry the telecast with Aaron Goldsmith and Casey Jacobsen. KOA will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu