Buffs Ready For 'New Season' As They Prepare For Pac-12 Tournament
March 08, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — New season.
That's the attitude the Colorado Buffaloes will be taking this week when they head to the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas, and for good reason — the last stretch of the regular season is not one they want to remember, or replicate.
After spending most of the first two months of Pac-12 play contending for a conference title and ranked in the nation's top 25, Tad Boyle's Buffs stumbled over the final two weeks, losing their last four and ending up in a tie for fifth. Now, the 21-10 and sixth-seeded Buffs open conference tournament play Wednesday with a 9:30 p.m. (MT) game against 11th-seeded Washington State (15-16) at T-Mobile Arena.
"We have to hit the reset button and get back to who we know we can be," Boyle said after Saturday's regular season-ending 74-72 overtime loss at Utah. "No more road games, no more home games. Everything's on a neutral floor from here on out and we've got to be the tougher team and the better executing team when we go to Las Vegas."
The idea of a neutral floor should actually appeal to Colorado. The Buffs were 4-0 on neutral courts this year, with wins over Arizona State, Wyoming, Clemson and Dayton.
And, while the task of winning four straight games to win a tournament title is daunting, it is by no means unheard of. The Buffs did it in 2012, and Oregon repeated the feat last year.
But the Buffs aren't going to return to work Monday with an eye on winning four in a row. They will be much more focused on just getting a win against the Cougars and putting a halt to their longest losing streak in more than two years.
For the Buffs to get back to who they were, the first order of business will be regaining the defensive intensity that was their trademark for much of the season, followed closely by rediscovering their long-distance shooting eye, which has seemingly abandoned them.
Defense has always been a staple for Boyle-coached teams, and this year was no different — until the final stretch.
After 14 conference games, CU was leading the conference in scoring defense, yielding just 64.0 points per game. In the last four, the Buffs have given up 73 per game.
Colorado also headed into the Utah game having allowed four straight opponents to shoot at least 45 percent from the floor. While the Buffs held the Utes to just 39.7 percent shooting, they couldn't come up with key stops when absolutely needed. CU had the lead in the final minute of regulation and overtime, and both times couldn't protect the lead.
But it's not just defense. The Buffs are also struggling to put the ball through the hoop.
Again, after 14 games the Buffs were among the league's best on the offensive end. CU led the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.458), 3-point shooting (.382) and 3-pointers made (8.1 per game).
But in the last four, Colorado has connected on just 42.9 percent of its shots — and just 26.7 percent from 3-point range while averaging less than six 3-pointers per game.
"At some point you have to have guys step up and make shots," Boyle said. "You put so much pressure on your defense, which we did (against Utah). That's unfortunate. But those are things as a coach you can't control. Sometimes as a player you can't control it … Guys aren't trying to miss shots. I'm not mad at them, it's just unfortunate."
But the Buffs are hoping that shooting eye returns this week, along with a little more defensive concentration. Maybe a return to T-Mobile, where the Buffs won the MGM Main Event tournament title by beating Wyoming and Clemson in November, will be a boost.
They also have this bit of history on their side: CU is the only team in the conference to win at least one game in every Pac-12 tournament since the league expanded in 2012.
"It's a new season," Boyle said. "Reset, restart, let's go."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu