Buffs Ready For Visit From Utes
March 01, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In a normal year under normal circumstances in the Pac-12, the Colorado Buffaloes would figure to hold a solid home court advantage Saturday when Utah pays a 4 p.m. visit to the CU Events Center.
But this has not been a normal year in the Pac-12. Nothing in the conference is holding to form — witness Thursday night's Cal upset of 25th-ranked Washington. The Bears had lost 23 straight Pac-12 games, including all 15 this season, while the Huskies entered the game with a sparkling 13-1 conference mark.
Utah is just another example of the topsy-turvy occurrences in the conference this year. Currently sitting in a tie for third in the Pac-12 standings (15-12 overall, 9-6 Pac-12), the Utes have a better record in conference play on the road (6-2) than at home (3-4).
That's a statistic that no doubt concerns CU head coach Tad Boyle as his Buffs prepare to host the Utes in a 4 p.m. game Saturday.
"A lot of times your team is a reflection of your coach in many cases and (Utah coach) Larry Krystkowiak is a tough-minded guy," Boyle said after Friday's practice. "He was a helluva player back in his day. They have great toughness. They have two senior guards, (Sedrick) Barefield and (Parker) Van Dyke, who have been through the wars and understand what it takes. And they have some young, talented players to go along with them."
For both teams, Saturday's encounter is a chance to stay in the hunt for a top-four conference finish, which means a first-round Pac-12 tournament bye. The Buffs (16-11 overall, 7-8 Pac-12) need a win to get back in contention; the Utes need one to solidify their current standing.
But truth is, the Pac-12 standings and tournament seeds likely won't be decided until until the final buzzer of the final regular season game next weekend. With just two games in the loss column currently separating second and 10th place in the standings — the Buffs could finish anywhere from the third seed to the 10th seed — the last week of the season will be critical for almost everyone involved.
It is why Boyle has stressed to his team all week that the only game that matters is the next one. Worrying about tournament seeds and postseason possibilities won't do the Buffs any good if they don't take care of business against the Utes — something they could not do earlier this year on the Utes' home floor.
In their first meeting this year in early January, the Buffs fell behind early and never recovered. Playing without point guard McKinley Wright IV, who sat out with a shoulder injury, the Buffs trailed 41-19 at the half and saw the deficit balloon to as much as 28 after intermission before finally shaving the final margin to a respectable 78-69.
"As I looked back at that game in Salt Lake, we have to take better care of the basketball and not turn it over," Boyle said. "Just understand they play mostly a matchup zone, and they'll throw man-to-man in there occasionally. We have to have great movement against that zone, both with the ball and with our bodies, and get a great shot every time down."
Without Wright, the Buffs shot themselves in the foot early in Utah, committing 11 first-half turnovers that led to 14 Utah points. That included three straight turnovers that led to Utah dunks in a decisive 25-4 Utes run.
"They're not a pressing team and they threw a little soft press on us, a 2-2-1, and we just (collapsed)," Boyle said. "We got them going. We turned it over four out of five possessions in the first half and they blew the game open."
The Utes also hurt the Buffs from 3-point range in their first meeting, hitting eight of 13 tries from long distance before halftime, with Barefield hitting five.
"They are the best 3-point shooting team in the league," Boyle said. "They take a lot of them and they make a lot of them and they've got multiple guys that can make 3-point shots."
The Utes have indeed taken more 3-pointers in conference play than any other team (396), have made more than anyone else in the league (157), and are shooting a league-best 39.6 percent from long distance in conference play.
"It starts with Barefield, but it doesn't end there," Boyle said. "You've got Van Dyke, DonnieTillman — all three of those guys can really, really shoot the ball. They've got multiple 3-point threats. We have to do a great job of taking those 3-point attempts away from them, and if they do get them up, they have to be over a hand and contested without fouling jump shooters."
Offensively, the Buffs can't afford another slow start. In their first meeting, Colorado scored just 19 points before intermission, the Buffs' lowest total for a half this season. CU did come back to score 50 points in the second half, but still shot just 40 percent from the field for the game.
The good news is Colorado won't play the game without Wright, their leading scorer (13.2 ppg) as well as the team leader in assists (5.0 per game) and steals (1.2).
"I always say this about Arizona, but I think the same is true with Utah," Boyle said. "You have to beat Utah. You have to go out and beat them. You have to make shots, you have to move the ball, you have to run offense and show some patience. And defensively, you have to guard them. They're not going to beat themselves and they're a team that's really, really capable from 3-point land."
One player the Buffs don't know if they will see today is talented Utah freshman Timmy Allen, who has missed the last two games with a back injury. Allen collected his first career double-double in Utah's win over the Buffs in January, scoring 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
But Boyle said they have been preparing as if Allen will play.
"He kicked our tail in Salt Lake with 21 and 10," Boyle said. "He beasted us on the boards."
THE SERIES: Colorado leads the all-time series, 27-23, but the Utes have dominated in recent years. CU finally stopped a seven-game Utes win streak with a victory in Boulder last season, but Utah has still won nine of the last 10 and has a 10-6 edge since the two teams entered the Pac-12.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by ESPNU with Eric Rothman and Adrian Branch. The radio broadcast will begin on 760 AM KDSP with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke, then move to 850 KOA after the Colorado Rockies' postgame show is completed.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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