With Win Streak In Tow, Buffs Gear For Last Pac-12 Road Trip Of Season
February 18, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With every win the Colorado Buffaloes put the in the bank, the value of the next game also grows significantly.
"You want to put yourself in a position where games matter in February," head coach Tad Boyle said Tuesday. "Our guys have done that. It's a testament to them. They've put themselves in a position where games matter in February."
Indeed, the team many folks had written off just a couple of weeks ago after a 2-6 start in Pac-12 play is in a very different position. Thanks to a five-game win streak, Colorado has moved from 10th place to a three-way tie for fifth in the conference standings and is in good position to make a run at a top-four finish. That would give the Buffs a first-round conference tournament bye, something they have yet to accomplish in their first seven years in the league.
Of course, winning four games in a row in the conference tournament isn't an impossible task. CU proved that in 2012, running the table over four straight days to win the first Pac-12 tournament.
Still, given their druthers, the Buffs (16-9 overall, 7-6 Pac-12) would no doubt rather have an extra day of preparation and rest when they begin play in Las Vegas.
But to get there, they need to follow the same plan that produced their last five wins: improve every day and figure out how to win the next game. That means that of their remaining five conference games — two on the road followed by three at home — the only one on their minds is Wednesday's 8 p.m. matchup at Washington State.
"We said this three weeks ago: we're trying to get better every day and we're trying to win the next game," Boyle said. "I don't want our guys to think Washington State is more or less important than Arizona was or Arizona State was. Our players have embraced that kind of next-up mentality. If a guy gets injured, next man up. If you lose a game or you win a game, next one. Next possession … These guys have embraced that."
What pleases Boyle most is the way his team has bounced back from the early adversity in conference play. They have shot well when necessary, made big plays in clutch situations, and different players have stepped up each night in key moments.
"I think they've shown their true colors," Boyle said. "I always say you can't win at a high level without character and I think our guys have a high degree of character. They've shown that through the adversity we've faced this year."
Now, they are playing games that matter, with plenty at stake as they head down the home stretch of the conference schedule.
"It's hard to win games any time of year, but in February it's really hard," Boyle said. "What I'm pleased with is our team has kind of embraced and accepted an identity in terms of our defense, our rebounding, our toughness, our grit. Those are the things you have to have to win games. These guys have really turned the corner when it comes to that. Confidence is not a commodity you can go out and buy for your team and distribute to them. They have to get it themselves and our team has kind of turned the corner in that sense."
The Buffs are no doubt playing their best basketball of the season over the last five games. Some numbers from their five-game win streak:
— CU has shot 50 percent from the field in the stretch (129-for-158) while holding opponents to 41 percent shooting (121-295).
— Colorado has outrebounded opponents by an average of 6.4 per game.
— The Buffs have shot an outstanding 85.4 percent from the free throw line (82-96) while opponents have shot just 58.4 percent (45-77).
— The Buffs are averaging 13.4 assists per game.
Of course, that means CU's individual numbers have also taken a jump. Four of Colorado's five regular starters have improved their scoring and rebounding over the last five games (averages for entire conference season in parentheses):
— McKinley Wright IV is averaging 15.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 54.9 percent from the field (13.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
— Tyler Bey is averaging 15.2 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 68 percent from the floor (13.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg).
— Shane Gatling is averaging 12.8 points and 2.6 rebounds (12.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg).
— D'Shawn Schwartz is averaging 8.8 points and 5.0 rebounds (9.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
— Lucas Siewert is averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds (9.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg).
One more encouraging sign? The Buffs have won five in a row despite shooting just  31.3 percent from 3-point range over the stretch while also averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. The Buffs have proven they can shoot well from 3-point range; when they find their range consistently, they could be even better.
"We haven't played to our potential yet," Boyle said.  "We've done it in stretches. UCLA was probably as close in terms of playing and putting it all together. … But again, defense and rebounding, it all gets back to those two things for us to be rock solid."
UP NEXT: Â Wednesday night's opponent, Washington State (10-15, 3-9), has won two of its last three, getting a pair of wins on the road against Arizona and Arizona State before losing a close one last weekend to Washington. While the Buffs thumped the Cougars, 92-60, in early January, WSU was without the services of forward Robert Franks, the conference's leading scorer (22.3 points per game). Franks has been particularly effective recently, averaging 32.5 points per game in the wins in Arizona, then adding 16 against Washington.
After the WSU rematch, the Buffs will wrap up their last true road trip of the season on Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. game at league leader Washington (20-5, 11-1). Colorado dropped a 77-70 decision to the Huskies in Boulder in early January.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
