Buffs Get Back To Work With Eye On Ending Skid

BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle says there's nothing wrong with the Buffaloes that a win or two won't fix.

But, Boyle stressed Wednesday, the Buffs do have to correct those issues in a hurry. CU has just one regular season game remaining — a 12:30 p.m. game Saturday at Utah (Pac-12 Networks) — followed by next week's Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas, then what Colorado hopes will be an NCAA Tournament appearance.

It means the stakes and stage get bigger every game from here on out.

"The margin for error gets razor thin (in March)," Boyle said. "We're to the point now where it's win, you stay alive, lose you go home … That's why they call it madness."

The Buffs are currently shouldering the burden of a three-game losing streak, their longest in more than two years. Still, with a 21-9 overall record and a 10-7 Pac-12 mark, they are being considered as a solid bet for an NCAA berth — but they could no doubt improve that outlook with a road win Saturday, then a strong showing in the conference tournament.

CU's current skid has put the Buffs in precarious position for even claiming a top-four spot and the first-round Pac-12 tourney bye that goes with it. Even with a win Saturday against Utah, Colorado needs two of three teams — Arizona, ASU and Stanford — to lose at least one game this week to ensure a top-four finish.

But Boyle said he won't be spending much time worrying about what other teams do.

"I'm just concerned about getting this team right Saturday at 12:30," Boyle said. "The other stuff … what will happen will happen. I have no control over it so I don't really worry about it. You control what you can control."

One good thing about this week is that the Buffs have had plenty of time to prepare for their last game. It meant a couple days away from the court to get their legs back and prepare for what they hope is a long March run, and still some extra practice time to work on the issues that led to the three-game skid.

Wednesday's practice, Boyle said, was a good sign. The Buffs had two sub-par workouts last week before a Bay Area trip that yielded losses at Stanford and Cal, but Wednesday's workout was much more productive.

"Good energy," Boyle said. "Guys competed. We're still turning the ball over too much. But we locked in on a lot of defensive stuff today with that mindset to get the toughness back and I thought the guys responded well."

Colorado's 21 wins has tied the school record for the most victories in the regular season, and CU is still No. 23 in the NET rankings, with seven Quadrant 1 wins and four Q2 victories. It's a resume´ experts say will get them an NCAA Tournament berth — but no doubt a resume´ they would like to burnish a little more over the next 10 days.

One thing Boyle has continued to stress to his team is that he has by no means lost faith in them.

"Every basketball team that goes through a 31-game season over four months is going to have peaks and valleys," Boyle said. "Right now, we are hitting a little adversity. But I love this team, I believe in this team. I have confidence."

And, he hasn't been hesitant to point out what this team can still accomplish — but it has to happen in a hurry.

"Time is of the essence," he said. "We have one regular season game left. People feel like the sky is falling. (But) this team has an opportunity to break a school record — 22 regular season wins. That's never been done before. We have the opportunity to do something that's never been done in over 100 years of Colorado basketball. And we get that opportunity on Saturday."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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