Colorado
Pomona-Pitzer
Boyle's Buffs Roll Past Sagehens In Exhibition
October 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes did what good teams are supposed to do Saturday in their exhibition opener, dominating Division III Pomona-Pitzer 87-56 at the CU Events Center.
Thanks to some hot shooting and solid defense, the Buffs jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to the win in their opener. The Buffs led by 17 midway through the first half, 27-10, and pushed the margin to 52-25 by halftime.
Most promising was a CU post presence that saw Colorado dominate the smaller Sagehens from the beginning. Colorado big men Evan Battey and Dallas Walton combined for 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting, with Battey also collecting six rebounds. It was the first game for Walton in more than a year, as he sat out all of last season with a torn ACL.
D'Shawn Schwartz led Colorado with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, Tyler Bey grabbed six rebounds and McKinley Wright IV dished out six assists.
Boyle substituted liberally in the game, using 11 players in the first half and 14 by game's end.
"It was a good opening day for our guys to get the uniform on and get some fans in the stands," Boyle said. "We had an open scrimmage a couple of weeks ago and I think we've come a long way since then. I think we've shown some improvement."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs' big men exerted their will from the beginning. The 6-foot-8, 262-pound Battey scored nine of Colorado's first 11 points as the Buffs jumped out to an 11-2 lead. Schwartz then added a steal and dunk and another basket to push the lead into double digits, 15-4, and the Buffs steadily built on the lead for much of the rest of the game. CU's big lead was 32 points late in the second half.
The 7-foot Walton drew a nice cheer from the crowd when he entered the game and it took him barely two minutes to collect back-to-back baskets.
"It felt good," Walton said. "Just being back out there, able to play the sport I love alongside my brothers."
Walton's presence also no doubt gave Boyle a good feeling. With Walton joining Battey, Bey and Lucas Siewert, the Buffs could have a post presence they haven't enjoyed since Josh Scott led the Buffs to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
"Dallas has proven he can do it," Boyle said. "It's good to have him back, and we know how good Evan is in the post. Lucas' post game has really gotten better and Tyler is a guy that can catch the ball down there and operate. Based on matchups, it gives me a lot of versatility as a coach."
But next up for Boyle is the process of whittling his rotation down to a manageable number by the time CU opens the regular season Nov. 8 against Arizona State in China. It's a process he said will be decided in practice as he continues to look for "separation."
While there's little doubt that Bey, Wright, Schwartz and Battey have shown that separation — and Walton inserted himself into that mix Saturday — it still leaves Boyle with some tough decisions at guard.
Saturday, he started sophomore Eli Parquet at the off-guard spot, but the others competing for playing time there include sophomore Daylen Kountz, junior Maddox Daniels (a JC transfer) and senior Shane Gatling. Parquet got the start Saturday because of his defense, but Boyle said there's still competition.
"If we played today, I'd have some difficult decisions because there has not been that separation," Boyle said. "It's a good problem to have … (but) there are going to be a couple guys who aren't playing that are good, capable players. It's important they keep their heads up because it's a long season."
At least part of the decision will be made based on practice performance.
"Our practices are going to mean something," he said. "It's important as a coach that I don't just get into a set rotation. I want those starters to feel heat on them every day."
But one thing Boyle won't try to do is fit 11 players into a steady rotation
"I'm not going to play 11 guys in the first half against Arizona State," he said.
SPECIAL MOMENT FOR BOYLE FAMILY: Saturday's game gave CU's Boyle a rare opportunity to watch his son Jack play. Jack Boyle is a senior guard/forward for the Sagehens.
"I don't get a chance to watch him a lot," Tad said. "Once the game got going, I tried not to concentrate on it too much … it was a special day for our family."
Jack Boyle finished with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds.
"It was incredible," Jack said of playing in the gym where he has watched his father coach for years. "I've been in the stands for so long, every game growing up. To be able to play on that floor with my dad on the court as well is just extremely unique. Not a lot of people get to experience that."
BUFFS BITS: Three CU players got their first game action in a CU uniform. Daniels had nine points, including two 3-pointers, and two assists in 21 minutes. Junior Frank Ryder had two points and an assist in eight minutes and freshman point guard Keeshawn Barthelemy played seven minutes and finished with seven points. Barthelemy is slated to redshirt, so he will likely play just one more time, when the Buffs play an exhibition in China … One thing Boyle wasn't happy with Saturday was his team's rebounding, as the Sagehens finished with a 47-43 edge on the boards. "We have to get better at rebounding the ball," Boyle said. "We were outrebounded today and that's not Colorado basketball. That's unacceptable." … The Buffs also did not shoot the ball well from 3-point range, hitting just 33 percent of their long-range attempts (7-for-21). "Offensively we will be a work in progress," he said. "We have a lot of weapons on this team."
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to China in a week and will play another exhibition Nov. 6 against Peking University before opening the regular season Nov. 8 against Arizona State in Shanghai (8:30 p.m.).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
