Buffs Head To Washington State, Seek To Extend Win Streak
February 19, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
PULLMAN, Wash. — The names are the same, but it will be two very different teams squaring off Wednesday night when Colorado and Washington State meet for an 8 p.m. game at Beasley Coliseum (Pac-12 Network).
The last time they met, Colorado came away with an easy 92-60 win in Boulder on Jan. 10.
For the Buffs, it was a much-needed victory in the midst of a 3-8 stretch that included a 2-6 Pac-12 start. For the Cougars — who played without Robert Franks, the Pac-12's leading scorer — it was the fifth loss in a six-game losing streak, and part of a 1-9 conference start.
But since then, both teams have rebounded and are playing their best basketball of the season.
The Buffs (16-9 overall, 7-6 Pac-12) are riding a five-game win streak that has moved them from the 10th place in the conference into a tie for fifth, just a half-game out of third place and one game out of second. With five regular season game remaining, it means the Buffs are still very much in contention for a top-four Pac-12 finish and the conference tournament first-round bye that goes with it.
The Cougars (10-15, 3-9), meanwhile, have no such designs on moving into a top-four finish, but they would also no doubt like to establish a little momentum heading into the conference tournament.
Two weeks ago, WSU went to the desert and completed a rare road sweep of Arizona and Arizona State. The Cougars returned home last week and dropped a narrow loss to league-leading Washington, but they will still have plenty of confidence in their corner when the ball goes up Wednesday night.
"We told our players Washington State is a totally different team than who we saw when they were in Boulder in January," Â CU head coach Tad Boyle said earlier this week. "Now Colorado's a different team than we were in January. We've got two teams that are playing good basketball right now."
While the Buffs are playing much the same lineup that they featured in January, the Cougars are reaping the benefit of Franks' return. Along with leading the league in scoring, the 6-foot-9 senior forward also leads the Cougars in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and 3-point shooting (40.6 percent, 54-133).
He has has been even more effective over the last couple weeks. In WSU's last four games, he averaged more than 26 points per game while shooting 57.6 percent from beyond the arc (19-33).
"Franks makes a big, big difference," Boyle said. "Twenty-five points into your lineup over the last five games is pretty significant. He's a great 3-point shooter. (Forward Jeff) Pollard is having a great year for them, (forward CJ) Elleby is a really good freshman. But Franks is a big difference."
The 6-6 Elleby has indeed been solid for the Cougars, averaging 15.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. But, Boyle said, aside from Franks, the biggest difference in the Cougars recently has been their increased confidence.
"I see them playing with more energy, I see them moving the ball," Boyle said. "Their assist numbers are really, really good. Their assist to turnover ratio is really good. They're sharing the ball and shooting the ball. They shoot the ball from three very, very well and they've got a lot of weapons."
But the same could be said for the Buffs over their last five games. CU is averaging 13.4 assists per game in the stretch and shooting .500 from the floor. Defensively, Colorado has been holding opponents to 41.0 percent shooting over the last five games, and has held opponents to an average of just 30 rebounds per game.
In recent years, Pullman has not been a friendly place for the Buffs. WSU has won three of the last four on its home floor, including the last two.
But the Buffs are also playing with confidence, thanks to CU's longest conference winning streak since 2006. CU's five-game streak is the second-longest of any Power Five team in the nation — trailing only Duke's nine-game streak — and they have done it by winning on the road as well as at home. Colorado is 5-6 overall on the road this year, including a Los Angeles sweep of USC and UCLA two weeks ago.
"Confidence is not a commodity you can go out and buy for your team and distribute to them," Boyle said. "They have to get it themselves and our team has kind of turned the corner in that sense. This is the time of year you want to be playing your best basketball, I think we are. We always talk about improvement throughout the season and I think our team has shown that."
THE SERIES: CU holds a 13-4 all-time series edge, including a 12-3 mark since joining the Pac-12. The series is 3-3 in Pullman, however, with the Cougars having won three of the last four, including the last two.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean. KOA will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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