Colorado University Athletics
Boyle's Buffs Open With Exhibition Game Saturday
October 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After roughly a month of practicing and scrimmaging against each other, Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes will finally get a chance to see another team Saturday.
The Buffs' 1 p.m. exhibition game against Division III Pomona-Pitzer at the CU Events Center will also provide Buffs fans with their first glimpse of a team that enters the season toting a host of big expectations, including that of contending for a Pac-12 title.
But when it comes to the big picture, Saturday's game is no doubt a small piece. The game will offer Boyle a chance to coach against his son — Jack is a senior forward for the Sagehens — and it will also offer the CU coaching staff a chance to get playing time for just about everyone on their roster.
"We'll go deep into our bench," Boyle said of his rotation plans for the game. "We know what McKinley (Wright) is capable of, we know what Tyler (Bey) is capable of. Those guys have established themselves … We'll see some of those other guys (and) give them a chance to see what they do under the lights."
That is a luxury that won't be present a couple of weeks from now when the Buffs start playing games that count, beginning with a Nov. 8 game against Arizona State in China. By then, Boyle plans to have developed a rotation of eight to nine players — something that won't be easy on a team that he believes has more quality depth than any of his previous nine teams in Boulder.
"I look at 11 players right now, maybe 12, that I would feel comfortable putting in the game," Boyle said. "Now we're not going to play 12. Our rotation is not going to be 12. But we'll be able to hopefully absorb some nicks and bumps along the way."
Boyle still has some specific goals for Saturday's game, in particular guarding the 3-point line. Charles Katsiaficas' Sagehens last season hit 40 percent of their long-distance attempts in league play, helping them to a 26-3 overall record that took them to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"It doesn't matter if you're playing Pomona-Pitzer or Fort Lewis or Colorado Mines — usually those kind of teams are going to have good shooters who spread the floor," Boyle said. "They may not have the size and the bulk of a Pac-12 caliber team, but they've got decent size. They really spread the floor, they're well coached, they run their stuff."
The Buffs were one of the league's better 3-point defensive teams last year, holding opponents to just 32.6 percent from beyond the arc. He wants to make sure this year's team understands the importance.
"We want to take away 3s from other teams, especially from their good shooters," he said. "That will be an opportunity on Saturday to see how our guys can adapt to that."
Saturday's game should offer CU fans their first — and likely only — look this year at new guard Keeshawn Barthelemy. The late signee from Montreal has had an outstanding fall thus far, but the plan is for him to redshirt. Also getting their first game action in a CU uniform will be junior transfer Frank Ryder, a former Fairview High School standout who started his career at San Diego, and junior college transfer Maddox Daniels, an outside sharp-shooter who CU coaches hope will give the Buffs another 3-point threat.
Boyle said he likes the way his veteran team has progressed thus far.
"The first two and a half weeks we mixed the teams up and we had really competitive battles," he said. "Here over the last few days we've put some of the top guys on one team and we've shuffled guys in and out on that team. It's not been quite as competitive, but I like where that first unit is executing and talking … Overall, I like where we're at. We'll find out on Saturday and we have another exhibition game in China. After both of those, it's game on."
TICKETS: Tickets for Saturday's game are priced at $5 and $10.
WATCH ONLINE: While the game won't be televised or broadcast on the radio, it will be streamed live at Pac-12.com/live/cubuffs with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
