Boyle's Buffs Set For Visit From Gaels
December 28, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — One of the messages Colorado coach Tad Boyle had for his Buffaloes after Saturday's practice was to not take their home court for granted.
Boyle's 10-2 Buffs, fresh off an overtime victory against No. 13 Dayton one week ago, return to action Sunday at home with a noon game against Iona at the CU Events Center (Pac-12 Network). While the 2-4 Gaels have struggled thus far, Boyle needed only to remind his team of their home loss to Northern Iowa earlier this season as to what can happen if the Buffs take anyone for granted.
"A dangerous team from my standpoint as a coach," Boyle said of the Gaels, who have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. "We talked to our players about the Northern Iowa situation. We have to respect everybody as they come into this building. We can't just rely on the fact that we're playing at home to guarantee a win."
Sunday's game is CU's last non-conference tuneup, with Thursday's Pac-12 opener at home against No. 6 Oregon looming very large. But while the matchup against the Ducks is no doubt big, the Buffs want to head into that game with some momentum.
That means playing well Sunday.
"I mentioned to them that I want them to use the Dayton game as a springboard forward into being the team that we know we can be and want to be," Boyle said. "Taking care of the basketball, competing every possession, playing with unbelievable effort."
Two of the Gaels' losses have come in overtime, including a 90-86 loss to Princeton in their last outing. They are led by 6-foot-9 senior forward Tajuan Agee, who is averaging 17.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, and 6-6 senior guard E.J. Crawford, who checks in with a 16.5 scoring average and 5.0 rebounds per game.
"A couple high-scoring guys that can really score not only facing the basket and putting the ball on the floor, but also with their back to the basket," Boyle said. "And they have some guards that can make threes. They're a much better 3-point shooting team than their numbers would indicate."
 The Gaels also have a quality backcourt, including junior guard Asante Gist, who is averaging 11.2 points and 4.0 assists per game.
"They've played in four straight NCAA tournaments," said Boyle, who will be seeking his 200th win at Colorado on Sunday. "These are the games that can go a long way in helping you prepare yourself for league play."
One big edge the Buffs should enjoy is depth, especially at altitude. The Gaels have four players averaging more than 30 minutes per game, meaning they don't go to their bench on a regular basis.
"They will run," Boyle said. "They'll get out and run with us. They're not afraid to play in transition."
But more than anything, the Buffs are concentrating on picking up where they left off against Dayton.
"We can't play how we did with Northern Iowa," said junior Tyler Bey. "That was terrible. We came out and played to the level of our competition. With the Dayton game we learned what we're capable of … We have to keep our hands up tight and play with our energy."
JUST A NUMBER: With a 199-125 record at Colorado, Boyle — now in the midst of his 10th season in Boulder — is already the second-winningest coach in CU history, trailing only Russell "Sox" Walseth (261-245).
"It's a testament to the players that we've had through the last nine and a half years," Boyle said. "You stick around long enough, things like this start happening. It's a testament to our players because without good players, coaches can't win games."
But while there have been plenty more victories than losses, it's the latter that Boyle remembers most.
"There's a handful of games I could look back on that stick in your craw," he said. "I don't remember all 199 wins, but I remember the handful of losses that should have been wins."
Still, there are some of those wins that stick out, beginning with last week's win over Dayton in Chicago.
"The Dayton win was as good a win as I've been a part of in 25 years I've coached," he said. "I've been a part of some big wins. Certainly the (Pac-12 tournament) championship game in Los Angeles, a couple of games at Northern Colorado, and we had some barnburners against Northern Iowa when we were at Wichita State."
Boyle is CU's 18th men's basketball coach, and along with being second in wins, he is also now fourth on the list in longevity, trailing Walseth (20 seasons), Forrest Cox (13) and Ricardo Patton (12).
"I'm humbled and thankful for the opportunity to be the coach here every day," he said. "Nothing has changed from the day I got the job, I can promise you that."
ACTING HEAD COACH FOR GAELS: According to a school press release, Iona associate head coach Tra Arnold continues to serve as the team's acting head coach, as Tim Cluess "continues to monitor a health matter."
BUFFS BITS: Colorado is second in the Pac-12 and 27th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 61.1 points per game … CU is also second in rebounding margin in the Pac-12 (plus-6.9) and rebound defense (32.0 rpg) … The Buffs have forced double-digit turnovers in 11 of 12 games … Bey still leads the team in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and is second in scoring (12.6 ppg) … McKinley Wright IV has taken over the team's scoring lead, averaging 12.8 points per game. Wright is also the only Buff averaging at least 30 minutes per game, currently at a 34.3 clip … Sophomore Evan Battey continues to lead CU in field goal percentage (54.9) and is sixth in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding (2.8) … Junior D'Shawn Schwartz has made 11 of his last 15 field goal attempts and leads the team in 3-point shooting (46.3 percent) … Colorado is 73-5 in non-conference home games under Boyle ... The Buffs are now 27th in the NCAA NET rankings, a tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee in place of the RPI.
TIPOFF: The game is set to tip off at noon at the CU Events Center.
THE SERIES: It is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Drew Goodman and Wyking Jones. The radio broadcast will be carried by 760 AMÂ with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: The Buffs open Pac-12 play at home Thursday with a 7 p.m. game against Oregon (No. 6 AP, No. 7 USA Today) at the CU Events Center (ESPN2).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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