With Two At Home, Buffs Hope To Get Back Into Pac-12 Mix This Week
January 08, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In a Pac-12 that may be as wide open as any time since the first year of expansion, the Colorado Buffaloes know there is still time to put themselves right back into the thick of the conference race.
But to do that, they also know they will have to uphold one of the cardinal rules of college hoops: hold serve at home. It is a prerequisite for any team with designs on a top-tier finish in conference play.
This week, the 9-5 Buffs (0-2 Pac-12) have the chance to do just that, as they host Washington State on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Washington on Saturday (8 p.m.).
What has become quite clear this year is that nobody in the Pac-12 appears capable of running away with the conference title. Every team in the league already has at least four losses — the only Power 5 conference in such a state — and after just one weekend of conference play, seven teams already have at least one league loss.
Meanwhile, not a single Pac-12 team is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in the NCAA's latest NET standings (the replacement for the RPI). Washington is the closest, checking in at No. 53. The Buffs, who were in the top 50 prior to a recent skid that has seen them drop four of their last five games, are No. 87.
That's not good news for the conference — but it does mean the Buffs have the opportunity to put themselves back in the race in a hurry.
"We've talked about it certainly since we've been back from Arizona," head coach Tad Boyle said after Tuesday morning's practice. "But that's what makes it so frustrating, is you feel like you should win every game with the league the way it is. Obviously, I don't think anybody's going to go through the league undefeated. I don't think anybody's good enough to do that."
Which means that while there may be no powerhouses in the Pac-12 this year, the fundamental rules for a top-tier finish haven't changed.
"This year will be no different than years past in terms of the teams that rise to the top of our conference in the standings will be the ones that are the most consistent," Boyle said. "They're going to be the ones that hold serve at home and learn how to win a few games on the road."
The Buffs are no doubt glad to be back at the CU Events Center this week after playing their last six games away from home. They haven't played a home game since Dec. 8, and they are hoping some home cooking helps them regain their shooting eyes.
Eight games into the season, the Buffs were 7-1 and led the Pac-12 in shooting percentage, hitting nearly 50 percent of their field goal attempts.
But over the last six games, in which they have gone just 2-4, they have connected on less than 40 percent of their field goal tries.
This week, they're putting in some extra time in the gym before (and after) practice, working on their shots.
"Confidence is not a commodity that you can go buy at the store. I always say if it was the NCAA would probably ban it," Boyle said. "It would be an illegal substance. So what we have to do is get them in the gym and get their mojo going because that's the only way you get confidence, is getting in the gym. It's the only way."
Their recent skid has no doubt bruised the Buffs' confidence. But Boyle said he still believes in his team and has done his best to make that clear to his players this week.
"I told them after the Arizona State game — as bad as we played in every facet except for free throw shooting — I told the team that I believe in every one of the guys 100 percent," Boyle said. "I like this team, I like coaching this team. These are wonderful young men, they really are. When they're struggling, it pains you as a coach because they're such good kids."
But, Boyle noted, the Buffs' current skid won't be eliciting any sympathy from their Pac-12 brethren.
"This is a big-boy league. Division I basketball," Boyle said. "Nobody's feeling sorry for Colorado, I promise you that. Washington State's not feeling sorry for us, Washington's not feeling sorry for us. We have to get ourselves out of this funk."
And to do that requires taking care of another maxim: every win streak starts with the first victory.
"You can't get out of it unless you win one," Boyle said. "Once you win, you try to win a second one. You can't look at this season as 16 games left. You just look at how do we win our next game. That's what I have to do as a coach and that's what our players have to do. How do we beat Washington State Thursday night at 7 o'clock? That's all we need to be concerned with right now. We don't have to worry about what comes next."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu