Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Hope To Keep Turnovers To Minimum Against Ducks
February 11, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When 16th-ranked Colorado (No. 15 coaches poll) heads to Oregon on Thursday for a matchup with the No. 17 Ducks, the Buffaloes know they will see a raucous Matthew Knight Arena crowd.
What the Buffs (19-5, 8-3) don't want to do is allow that crowd to help the Ducks (18-6, 7-4) build a head of steam. That means taking care of the ball and playing solid defense — two things Colorado did quite well in their first meeting of the year, a 74-65 win in Boulder in early January.
In that game, the Buffs held Oregon to 44.6 percent shooting for the game, including a 3-for-18 night from 3-point range.
But perhaps most importantly, Colorado committed just eight turnovers in the contest, the fewest by the Buffs in Pac-12 play this season and second-lowest total overall. CU also forced 13 Oregon miscues in the game, which helped the Buffs to a 13-6 edge in points off turnovers.
Limiting those turnovers is something Colorado needs to do again Thursday if the Buffs plan on remaining in sole possession of the conference lead.
"It's critical," CU coach Tad Boyle said after Tuesday's practice. "If you have one, it's critical, especially a live ball turnover that turns into a dunk. You can't have a second one in a row. You can't have multiple ones that allow them to go on a run and allow their crowd to get going because that's what Oregon feeds off of. It's those multiple turnovers in a row. If (one turnover) happens, we have to come down and have a great offensive possession. Get a bucket and silence the crowd and kind of get the momentum back in our favor."
The Buffs know what can happen when the Ducks start forcing those mistakes. Two years ago — CU's last trip to Eugene — Oregon forced 20 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Ducks in a 77-62 win.Â
Colorado junior Tyler Bey remembers that trip and it's an experience he would rather not replicate.
"My freshman year, we just weren't playing with each other," Bey said. "I think we're a lot more mature now and we're ready. Two years ago I think we were nervous. Now it's just another ballgame, another opportunity for us to get a win."
The Buffs are indeed a veteran team, starting three juniors, a senior and a redshirt sophomore. They've been through the battles and have seen tough crowds this year, including at Kansas, Arizona and Arizona State. CU is a respectable 3-3 on the road this year, including conference wins at ASU and Southern California, as well as a neutral floor win over Dayton in front of a highly-partisan Flyers crowd.
But now, the Buffs are the team playing with a target on their back, and Thursday's game will be just the second Pac-12 contest of the year involving two top 25 teams. A win will give Colorado a little cushion at the top of the standings; a loss will drop them into a tie with the Ducks. After Thursday, the Buffs finish off the road trip with a Saturday game at Oregon State.
Boyle believes his team is ready to handle that kind of pressure.
"I think they're very proud of what they've accomplished up to this point.," he said. "But I don't think that they're satisfied and that's the focal point. I like this team. I can't emphasize enough the maturity that I think they're playing with."
FOND MEMORIES: Trips to Eugene are special for Boyle, as it's where he got his start as a college coach.
Boyle was working as a stockbroker in Boulder in1994 while also serving as the head coach at Longmont High School when a life-changing event prompted him to change careers. He left his job in Boulder and became an assistant coach at Oregon, working alongside former Kansas teammate Mark Turgeon as assistants under Jerry Green.
Boyle spent three years in Oregon, and it's where he married his wife, Ann. He recalled this week that he was making a whopping $16,000 a year then as Oregon's restricted earnings coach, and "I begged the university to use one of their rooms for the reception and they obliged."
After three years in Eugene, the Oregon staff moved to Tennessee. After a year there, Turgeon took the head coaching job at Jacksonville (Ala.) State and Boyle joined him. From there, the duo moved on to Wichita State before Boyle earned his first college head coaching job, taking the position at Northern Colorado. Then came the move to CU in 2010, where he's been since.
Boyle said he made plenty of friends in Oregon with whom he still stays in contact, and he has fond memories of his time in Eugene.
"I've still got lifelong friends from my time there," he said. "It was a wonderful time in my life. I got married and have great memories of my three years there."
DUCKS UPDATE: After a 7-2 conference start, the Ducks have dropped their last two, dropping a 70-60 loss at Stanford two weeks ago, then falling at rival Oregon State last weekend, 63-53.
The Ducks did not have two of their big men in the loss to Oregon State, as center Francis Okoro went back to his home in Nigeria for his father's funeral and center N'Faly Dante missed a fifth straight game with a knee injury. Okoro could be back by Thursday; but Dante's status is unknown.
But the Ducks still have plenty of firepower, led by point guard Payton Pritchard, a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. The UO senior is averaging 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and nearly six assists per game. Oregon also has capable scorers in 6-foot-6 guard Chris Duarte (14.2 ppg) and guard Will Richardson (10.0 ppg).
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Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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