Buffs Notes: CU Prepares For Visit From Ducks
December 30, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — As Colorado head coach Tad Boyle likes to say, the price of poker goes up this week for the Buffaloes.
Boyle's Buffs wrapped up non-conference play on Sunday with a 99-54 win over Iona to improve to 11-2. Colorado's fourth straight win produced outstanding shooting (34-for-60, including 14-for-21 from 3-point range), solid defense (CU held Iona to 30 percent from the field) and a dominating effort on the boards (a 47-24 Colorado edge). It was a well-rounded finish to a solid non-conference slate that included wins over Dayton, Arizona State and Clemson.
But now the stakes are increased. In one of the more highly anticipated matchups of Boyle's 10 years in Boulder, the two teams picked in the preseason to finish 1-2 in the Pac-12 will square off in the conference opener Thursday night in Boulder when 11-2 Oregon (No. 4 AP, No. 6 coaches poll) and the Buffs meet in a 7 p.m. game at the CU Events Center (ESPN2).
"If we want to compete for a conference championship, we have to take care of our home floor," Boyle said after Sunday's win. "That's what you have to do, and this is a great opportunity. I don't think it's the biggest game of the year, I think it's a big game because it's the next game. I've got great respect for Oregon. They've got great players, they've got a great coach. It's going to be a heck of an opportunity for us, but it's no bigger than any other opportunity that's on our schedule."
Indeed, if the Buffs are going to make a serious run at the Pac-12 title, their ability to protect their home floor will be critical over the next month, as Colorado will play five of its first seven Pac-12 games at home.
After Thursday's conference opener against the Ducks, Colorado welcomes Oregon State to the Events Center for a 4 p.m. Sunday matchup. That will be followed by a home game against Utah the following Sunday (Jan. 12) before a trip to the desert against the Arizona schools, then two more at home against Washington State (Jan. 23) and Washington (Jan. 25).
But that home-heavy early schedule also means the Buffs will wrap up conference play with five of their last seven on the road, making their January stretch a crucial one.
It all begins with Thursday's matchup with the Ducks, who have never won in Boulder. CU's all-time 8-0 edge at home includes a 6-0 mark in Pac-12 play.
"It is going to be a war," predicted CU point guard McKinley Wright IV. "They are going to come in here trying to beat us. They have never won here so I'm sure their coach is telling them that. They have a talented group that can really stretch the floor. We are going to have to have our thinking caps on and stick to our principles."
LATEST RANKINGS: After spending five weeks in the nation's top 25, the Buffs slipped out in mid-December following a loss to Northern Iowa.
In Monday's latest polls, CU collected the 26th-most votes (just behind No. 25 Arizona) in the Associated Press rankings and had the 31st-most points in the coaches' poll. Oregon, meanwhile, checked in at No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 6 in the coaches. Arizona (No. 24 coaches) was the only other Pac-12 team in the top 25 in either poll.
Thus, Thursday's game won't match two ranked teams at the Events Center, something that has been a rarity in CU history.
Colorado did play a game earlier this season when both teams were ranked when then-No. 20 CU played at No. 2 Kansas. The last time both teams were ranked in a game in Boulder came in mid-January 2014, when No. 21 Colorado hosted No. 25 UCLA. That game, coming after CU star Spencer Dinwiddie had suffered a season-ending knee injury, saw UCLA take a 69-56 win.
NET RANKINGS: While the weekly polls provide plenty of fodder for conversation, the rankings that matter most are the NCAA's NET rankings, updated on a daily basis. The NCAA uses the rankings in place of the old RPI as a tool for the NCAA Tournament selection process.
In Monday's rankings, Colorado had moved up to No. 23. Other Pac-12 schools in the top 25 included Oregon (11), Arizona (18) and Stanford (21).
According to the NCAA, the NET system relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.
WRIGHT STUFF: Midway through December, CU fans were working up some serious angst over the production from Colorado's standout point guard.
But since a 1-for-11, 2-point effort in a win over Colorado State, the Colorado junior has shown why he was a preseason first-team all-Pac-12 selection.
In the last three games, Wright has averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game and has shot 55.8 percent from the floor in that stretch (19-for-34). He also has averaged just 3.3 turnovers in that stretch, and has double-doubles in each of his last two games, one with points-rebounds (29-10 vs. Dayton) and one with points assists (13-10 vs. Iona).
"He's a special player," said Boyle, who always chuckled when people were asking "what's wrong with McKinley?" in December. "He's kind of that engine that makes us go."
SCHWARTZ KEY OUTSIDE THREAT: CU junior wing D'Shawn Schwartz is becoming more and more of a clutch 3-point shooter for the Buffs, adding an important piece to the Buffs' arsenal.
Since an uncharacteristic 0-for-7 day from long range against Kansas (a day when the Buffs were 7-for-34 from beyond the arc), Schwartz has been dialed in from long distance. In the last five games, he is 15-for-26 from 3-point range (61.5 percent) and has bumped his season average to 48.3 percent for the year, fifth-best in the Pac-12.
FORCE INSIDE: CU sophomore Evan Battey has become a force on both ends of the floor for the Buffs.
Battey has become Colorado's most-reliable defender in the post. He's had solid games against some of the nation's best post players, ranging from Kansas' Udoka Azubuike to CSU's Nico Carvacho to Dayton's Obi Toppin. Battey makes great use of his strength and size and has shown the ability to wear down taller opponents.
On the other end, he has been outstanding on the offensive boards, where he leads CU with 37 and is fifth in the Pac-12 with 2.8 per game.
Battey is also becoming more and more of an offensive threat, as he's pushed his average to 9.8 points per game, including a 13.7 average over the last three games. Of particular importance has been his ability to get to the free throw line, where he is 19-for-23 over the last three games.
BEY STEADY: After averaging a double-double for most of non-conference play, CU junior Tyler Bey's numbers have slipped slightly, as he's now averaging 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds. But the slight reduction is due mostly to his teammates picking up in those areas, and Bey continues to be a force on both ends, averaging 13 points and six rebounds over the last three games.
TURNOVERS VS. ASSISTS: For the season, Colorado is still averaging more than 15 turnovers per game, a number Boyle would love to reduce.
But over the last three games, CU has cut the number below 14, including only 10 in a big win over Dayton.
Perhaps most importantly, the Buffs have steadily improved their assist numbers. Over the last three contests, CU is averaging nearly 20 assists per game — a number Boyle would love to see continue.
FIRST LOOK DUCKS: The 11-2 Ducks have no doubt earned their lofty ranking in the national polls.
They own three wins thus far over top-25 teams, including an impressive 71-70 overtime victory at Michigan. Their only losses, meanwhile, have come at the hands of Gonzaga and North Carolina.
Dana Altman's Ducks are a balanced, veteran bunch, led by senior point guard Payton Pritchard, who is averaging a team-leading 18.5 points and 6.2 assists per game (tied for the Pac-12 lead).
Oregon has three other players averaging double-digit scoring, including 6-foot-6 guard Chris Duarte, a JC transfer who is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.
But Oregon also has plenty of size inside, beginning with 6-foot-9, 235-pound sophomore Francis Okoro, who leads the Ducks with 6.8 rebounds per game. Oregon has also recently gained the services of N'Faly Dante, a 6-11 freshman who was recently declared eligible and has been 8.0 points per game in limited action in three games.
"They've got multiple guys and that's where the challenge we have to meet defensively is going to present itself," Boyle said. "It's going to be right out the gate on Thursday."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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