Boyle's Buffs Aim To Avoid 'Trap Game' Vs. Northern Iowa
December 09, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle made no bones about what kind of challenge his team will face Tuesday when the No. 24 Buffaloes play host to Northern Iowa in a 7 p.m. game at the CU Events Center.
"I'm telling you, this is the biggest trap game of the year for Colorado," Boyle said after the 7-1 Buffs wrapped up their Monday morning practice. "It's going to be a physical game. If we have an emotional letdown after the Kansas game, which is sometimes a natural thing, we're going to be in for a battle."
The Buffs are coming off their first loss of the season, a 72-58 loss at No. 2 Kansas on Saturday. The loss dropped the Buffs four spots to No. 24 in the Associated Press national rankings and two spots in the USA Today/Coaches poll, to No. 23.
UNI, meanwhile, brings an 8-1 record to Tuesday's game that includes wins over South Carolina, Old Dominion and Northern Illinois, as well as a narrow loss to West Virginia in a game the Panthers led by 15 in the second half.
Boyle's familiarity with Northern Iowa goes clear back to his days as an assistant at Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference. Greg McDermott built UNI into a quality program and when he left, Ben Jacobson took over and continued the trend. He has guided UNI to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA Tournament wins, and he is the only coach in MVC history to knock off two No. 1-ranked teams (Kansas and North Carolina).
"They're the second-best team we've played all year behind KU," Boyle said. "Clemson has better athletes, Clemson runs good stuff, but Northern Iowa's got guys that can shoot it from multiple positions. They're not as athletic — you look at them in warmups, they don't look like Clemson. They don't play in the ACC. But they've got tough-minded Midwestern kids who understand how to play the game and they're well-coached. It's a dangerous game."
The Panthers make their living on defense. They are holding opponents to just 61.1 points per game and a .398 field goal percentage thus far this season. They are not particularly big, but they play tough post defense and force teams to shoot from the outside — much the same approach that stymied the Buffs at Kansas.
"They dare you to beat them with jump shots," Boyle said. "They double the post, especially when you post your four man on them. We're going to have to handle that … We have to be patient enough to get the ball moved from side to side and get the ball in the paint, whether it's on a post up or a drive. When we settle for one-pass jump shots and quick jumpers, it's advantage Northern Iowa."
CU's offense has been inconsistent for much of the season thus far. The Buffs are shooting just .398 from the floor this season and are coming off a season-low .300 effort at Kansas (18-for-60) that included a 7-for-34 evening from 3-point range.
"We've got to get the ball inside against these guys," Boyle said. "That's where our advantage is. They're going to do everything they can — sagging, gapping up, doubling the post. They're going to do everything they can to keep it."
Boyle definitely wants to get more touches — and shots — inside for junior forward Tyler Bey, who had just three field goal attempts at Kansas. He would also like to see sophomore Evan Battey continue to get his chances inside, as well as 7-footer Dallas Walton.
Defensively, the Buffs must contend with a balanced UNI lineup that features three quality scorers in 6-foot-4 sophomore guard A.J. Greene (14.4 points per game), 6-5 junior Trae Berhow (13.9 ppg) and 6-9 sophomore Austin Phyfe (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rebounds). Greene and Berhow in particular can shoot from
But the biggest concern for Boyle is the emotional state of his team after the quick turnaround from the Kansas game.
"I'm giving these guys plenty of time off physically to get in the training room, get their bodies right," Boyle said. "But emotionally … it's going to be a physical game. If we have an emotional letdown after the Kansas game, which is sometimes a natural thing, we're going to be in for a battle. (But) if we're emotionally ready and we're physically ready and we play with great toughness, and we start executing on offense the way we're capable of executing, it's certainly a winnable game."
RPI NUMBERS: While the NCAA Selection Committee no longer uses RPI as a tool in its process for picking and seeding teams for the tournament, a number of websites still compute and publish the rankings.
Colorado is ninth in the latest CBSSports RPI ratings, the best of any Pac-12 team, with Arizona next Pac-12 school on the list at No. 17.
The highest-ranked team among opponents CU has already played this year is Kansas, which is No. 1, followed by Arizona State at No. 27. Northern Iowa is 61st.
The NCAA's NET rankings, which supplanted the RPI as one of the committee's main metrics, have not yet been released this season.
THE SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between Colorado and Northern Iowa.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson and Bill Walton. The radio broadcast will be carried by 850 AM and 94.1 FM KOA, with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: Colorado travels to Fort Collins on Friday for a 6 p.m. matchup with Colorado State at Moby Arena (CBS Sports Network).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
