Buffs Turn Focus To Detail, Consistency
January 07, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle welcomed his Buffaloes back to practice Tuesday morning with an emphasis on attention to detail and consistency.
The message was simple: when the Buffs exhibit both of those traits, they are a very good team, worthy of a top 25 national ranking and Pac-12 contender status. But when they don't — when they lose that focus — they drift into the realm of another team that could easily get lost in the middle-of-the-pack conference shuffle.
Both ends of the spectrum were on display within a four-day span last week.
Thursday, the Buffs opened conference play with one of their best overall games of the seasons, a 74-65 win over fourth-ranked Oregon. The Buffs played excellent defense, rebounded with authority, ran their offense and limited turnovers.
But four days later, they made just enough mistakes — particularly down the stretch — to drop a 76-68 home decision to Oregon State.
Now, with a week to prepare for Sunday's 4 p.m. home game with Utah (ESPNU), the Buffs (12-3 overall, 1-1 Pac-12) have some extra time to work on those details, improve their game — and hopefully establish a level of consistency that will make them a conference title contender down the season's stretch.
"Today was a good practice," Boyle said. "This is a week for us to get better as a group and individually. Every player on our team has two or three things they have to get a little bit better at. As a group, we have to get better at our attention to detail and our focus defensively."
From Boyle's perspective, last weekend was the second such instance this season that provided a microcosm of what a difference the details can make.
The first came in December, when Colorado lost a home game to Northern Iowa, then put forth another excellent effort just 10 days later to knock off 13th-ranked Dayton in overtime on a neutral floor.
"I look at the Dayton game, the Northern Iowa game. I look at the Oregon game, Oregon State game," Boyle said. "Our players, if they can't learn from both of those situations, it's going to be an up-and-down year and we're going to lose games we shouldn't lose. And, we may win some games that people are like, 'Oh, that was a great win.'"
But those ups and downs won't produce a conference title run, which is what the Buffs want to be making in late February-early March — which is why a week with a little extra practice time built in becomes a little more important.
Thus, Boyle is meeting with each player on an individual basis this week to provide a "mid-year assessment."
"Sixteen games left, here's what you have to do to make our team a little bit better," Boyle said. "If every guy will buy into that and do that, we'll be fine."
What the Buffs know for sure is that they can't afford another home loss — not if they want to be in the conference title race when the calendar turns to March.
"We put ourselves in the hole a little bit by losing the game at home," Boyle said. "We have to make up for that some at some point down the road on the road. We can't lose home games because that just puts more pressure on the road. I just want our guys to understand what it takes — and they do. Now the challenge is to go do it."
SILLY FOULS: One of those details Boyle discussed with his team Tuesday was the Buffs' disturbing tendency recently of fouling 3-point shooters. The Buffs have committed eight such fouls in the last seven games, including twice in Sunday's loss to Oregon State — both in the second half at critical junctures.
"It should never happen once," Boyle said. "We can't we can't do that. It's a cardinal sin. is like saving the ball in your opponent's basket … I've been their coach for 2½ years, so that's my fault. I take ownership of that."
CONFERENCE LEADERS: The Buffs enter the week second in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (.737) and second in scoring defense (61.87 points per game) … Individually, junior Tyler Bey is second in rebounding (9.6 rpg) … D'Shawn Schwartz is sixth in 3-point percentage (.451) and McKinley Wright IV is sixth in assists (4.87 apg).
WALSETH REUNION: For the last several years, CU has hosted a reunion for former coaches and players, honoring one "era" every season.
Thus far, the Buffs have welcomed former CU coaches Bill Blair, Tom Apke, Tom Miller, Joe Harrington and Ricardo Patton, along with players from those eras.
This week, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in CU men's history and players from his era will be honored when the Buffs host a reunion for the Russell "Sox" Walseth era.
Walseth, whose name is emblazoned on the CU Events Center court, guided the Buffs for 20 seasons (1956-76) and compiled a 261-245 record. Walseth led the Buffs to three Big Eight championships (1961-62, '62-63 and '68-69) and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Players from the Walseth era will be recognized at Sunday's Colorado-Utah game (4 p.m.), with the Buffs set to wear 1960s retro jerseys representing the 1968-69 Buffs, the last CU team to win a regular season conference title.
The special jerseys feature the word "BUFFS" in gold lettering with gold numbers and an old-school interlocking "CU" is featured on the shorts while the jersey top is trimmed in black and gold.
In addition to recognizing the 1968-69 team, 1960s themes will be featured throughout the gameday experience. There will be a special ticket deal for the Jan. 12 game. A limited number of reserved bench seating will be available for $19.68 by using the promo code "THROWBACK" at CUBuffs.com.
DOWN THE ROAD: After Sunday's home game vs. Utah, the Buffs will finally play a pair of Pac-12 road games, beginning with a Jan. 16 tilt at Arizona State (7 p.m.), followed by a Jan. 18 game at Arizona (12:30 p.m.).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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