Buffs Open Key Stretch By Hosting Oregon State On Thursday
January 30, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Roughly two-thirds of the way through the season, the Colorado Buffaloes have spent more time on the road than they have at home.
That's not an exaggeration. After 19 games, the Buffs have played nine on the road, eight at home and two on a neutral floor. In case you are wondering, that makes Colorado unique among major conference programs. As of Wednesday, CU is the only team from a Power Five conference, as well as the Big East and American Athletic conferences, to play more road games than home affairs thus far this season.
It's been a long road, literally and figuratively. Colorado (11-8 overall, 2-5 Pac-12) visited five states and played nine of its 11 games away from home over the last six weeks, including five of seven Pac-12 contests.
But much to the Buffs' relief, the schedule will now flip in their favor, beginning with a pair of homes games this week at the CU Events Center. Thursday's 7 p.m. matchup with Oregon State and Saturday's 7:30 game with Oregon are the beginning of an 11-game stretch that include seven at home.
That's a welcome sight for a team still hoping to produce at least a top-half finish in conference play — but given the Buffs' current standing, they also know they have absolutely no margin for error.
With a 2-5 mark in conference play, the Buffs currently sit 10th in the Pac-12 standings. But with only two games separating fourth and 10th place, the opportunity to move up still exists — but only if the Buffs can protect their home floor. That's something Tad Boyle's teams have been particularly good at in his nine years in Boulder. CU is 120-23 at the Events Center in the Boyle era, including a 54-19 home mark in conference games.
"We don't harp on it, but we certainly talk about it," Boyle said after Wednesday's practice. "We talk about the formula, and finishing in the top half of the league is to win your home games and you have to at least get splits on the road. You have to throw a sweep in there now and then. We had that opportunity in the Bay Area but we let it go by."
The Buffs are 7-1 at home this year, with their only loss coming to league leader Washington. To get a win Thursday against the Beavers (12-7, 4-3), Boyle said the equation is simple:
"We have to be a 40-minute team that defends and rebounds at a high level. Simple as that," Boyle said. "Offense will come, offense will go. It's the way every season has been. I think every team in America is like that. There's going to be nights when you're really shooting the ball well and you might be able to outscore somebody if you don't guard. But there's going to be nights when you can't throw it in the ocean, you can't get to the free throw line."
Colorado's defense will certainly be tested against the Beavers, particularly by OSU's trio of Tres Tinkle, Stevie Thompson and Ethan Thompson. The three are combining to average more than 55 points per game in conference play for a team that is averaging 76 points per game overall.
"When you talk about the big three … these guys have the big three," Boyle said. "They've got some other players that certainly support those three guys — but those three guys are averaging 55 points amongst the three of them and they're all playing 35-plus minutes a game."
Of the three, the 6-foot-8 junior Tinkle might be the most difficult matchup. Currently averaging a league-leading 21.8 points per game in Pac-12 play, Tinkle is a versatile scorer who can shoot from the outside (30 3-pointers this season) as well as put the ball on the floor and go to the rim. Tinkle also leads the Beavers in assists (4.2 per game) and rebounding (8.2 rpg).
"We'll try different guys on him, much like we did with (Stanford leading scorer KZ) Okpala," Boyle said. "I thought D'Shawn did a really good job on Okpala defensively, holding him to five points. Tyler's a capable defender. We'll see. We'll try different guys and see who has the best luck and stick with that."
The Beavers also have a big defensive presence in 7-footer Kylor Kelly, who is second in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in blocked shots with 70 this year.
The Buffs, meanwhile, will be looking to establish some consistency for an entire game, something that has escaped them more often than not in Pac-12 play. With no CU player averaging even 13 points per game — McKinley Wright IV leads at 12.7 points per game — they need contributions from up and down the lineup.
"We're just going to keep chopping wood every day and getting better," Boyle said. "This team's got some firepower. Now it's time for us to show it."
THE SERIES: Colorado holds a 14-7 edge in the all-time series, including an 8-5 mark in Pac-12 play. The Buffs have won nine of the 10 all-time meetings in Boulder, including the last three. The two teams met just once last year, with the Beavers collecting a 76-57 win on their home floor.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson and Eldridge Recasner. KOA radio will carry the broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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