Colorado University Athletics
Boyle Wants Balanced Scoring For Buffs' Stretch Run
February 28, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — As the Colorado Buffaloes head down their March stretch run, head coach Tad Boyle would love to see his team produce some balanced scoring.
The Buffs are at their best when they share the ball.
This season, when at least four Buffs have scored in double figures, Colorado is 11-3. When the number is three or less, the record is 5-8.
"What I'd like is I'd like to have a game where we have five guys in double figures," Boyle said after Thursday's practice. "That's what we have the ability to do. D'Shawn (Schwartz) has shown it, Lucas (Siewert) has shown it, Shane (Gatling) has shown it, Daylen Kountz has shown it off the bench, Evan Battey has shown it off the bench. To me we have seven guys capable of scoring double figures. They've proven it."
The key, of course, is getting that production consistently.
The Buffs are fairly certain of what they will get from point guard McKinley Wright IV. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 10 of the 14 Pac-12 games in which he has played this year. Fellow sophomore Tyler Bey has hit the mark nine times in conference play.
But after those two, the only other Buff to hit double figures in at least half of CU's Pac-12 games is guard Shane Gatling. The junior has scored in double figures eight times against Pac-12 teams, but he has been wildly inconsistent from the field, shooting just 37 percent in conference play.
For the Buffs to make a strong run over their last three regular season games — beginning with Saturday's 4 p.m. matchup with Utah at the CU Events Center — they will need steady scoring from more than just a couple of players.
The Buffs have been getting more production up and down the lineup over the last month. Siewert, Battey, Schwartz and Gatling have all had at least two double-figure games in February. Boyle would no doubt like to see those numbers increase in March.
"We're not going to have seven in double figures, I don't expect that," Boyle said. "But to have a night where we have four or five, we usually win because we have balance. But the night where one guy gets 24, another guy gets 18 and then the other three guys (don't score double figures) … it's not good."
RARE ROAD WARRIORS: While most teams enjoy a solid home-court advantage, that won't be the expectation for the Buffs when the Utes visit on Saturday.
Utah is one of those rare teams that has actually played better on the road than at home this year. In Pac-12 play, Utah is 6-2 on the road and just 3-4 at home.
"This environment is not going to scare them," Boyle said. "They're battle tested, they're mentally tough. They almost prefer the road to home, it seems like. There's not many teams in America you can say that about, but when you look at their league record, they're a good road team."
LAST TIME: When the Buffs traveled to Salt Lake City early in the season, they played their only game of the year thus far without the services of point guard McKinley Wright, who missed the game with a shoulder injury.
It didn't go well. The Buffs committed 11 first half turnovers and trailed by as much as 26 points in the first half before cutting the margin down to a relatively respectable 78-69 by game's end. Utah's Sedrick Barefield hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points while freshman big man Timmy Allen had a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.
"Sedrick Barefield is the best player in our league nobody talks about," Boyle said of the Utah guard, who is averaging 16.7 points per game. "That kid can score in a variety of ways. He can obviously shoot the ball from 3, but he can drive it, finish at the rim, he's got pretty good mid-range. He's a good player."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
