Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Set For Two At Home Against Washington Schools
January 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — While Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes might not have their backs completely against the wall, there's no doubt they have precious little wiggle room as they attempt to keep their postseason hopes alive.
But at the moment, Boyle isn't as concerned about March possibilities as he is about January realities — and the reality is his Buffs (11-8 overall, 3-5 Pac-12) need a couple of wins to regain their confidence.
The good news is the Buffs are back at home this week after a disappointing Los Angeles road trip. CU had second-half leads against both USC and UCLA, but couldn't close the deal in either game and came home empty-handed.
Now, they need to conjure up some home cooking and shift momentum back in the right direction. CU's homestand starts Thursday with a 7 p.m. game against Washington (11-8, 3-5), followed by a 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon matchup with Washington State (9-10, 4-4).
The Buffaloes' top concern this week will be correcting a turnover issue that served as the biggest reason for their last two losses. In the two games in California, the Buffs committed 45 turnovers and also had 20 of their shots blocked.
That adds up to 65 empty possessions over two games, the vast majority of which never even resulted in the Buffs getting the ball to the rim.
But there's also no doubt Colorado has simply been a much better team at home. CU sports an 8-1 record at the Events Center this year, where they have averaged 15 more points per game than their opponents. On the road, they are 1-5 and have been outscored by an average of seven points per game.
There may be no better example of the home-road discrepancy than junior forward Tristan da Silva, who has been unstoppable at home — averaging 19.4 points and 6.7 rebounds — but has averaged just 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in road games.
Da Silva, though, isn't the only key to Colorado's success. Point guard KJ Simpson has been a steady force, averaging 17.8 points per game (second in the Pac-12), freshman Javon Ruffin had 23 points last week for his first back-to-back double-digit scoring games as a Buff, and sophomore big man Lawson Lovering had his first career double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds against USC.
Overall, the Buffs have been a better shooting and rebounding team in friendly confines — and they need to keep that trend up this week if they want to take a step or two up from their current spot of eighth place in the Pac-12 standings.
NET RANKINGS: Colorado's losses last weekend didn't damage their NCAA NET rankings. CU is currently sitting at No. 60, which is actually a couple of steps up from where they were a week ago.
But a win over either LA school last week likely would have moved them up into the mid- or low 50s while two wins almost certainly would have pushed them well into the 40s.
Colorado is currently 1-3 in the all-important Quad 1 games (a win over Tennessee) and 3-1 in Quad 4 contests (a loss to Cal). But the Buffs will likely have four or five more opportunities to collect Quad 1 wins down the stretch with road games at Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, as well as a home matchup with UCLA.
But equally importantly, the Buffs can't afford any more Quad 3 or Quad 4 losses, and they must almost certainly win all of their remaining home games to keep their NET ranking at a reasonable number heading into March.
QUICK LOOK WASHINGTON (11-8, 3-5): The Buffs and Huskies are currently tied in the Pac-12 standings, with Washington owning a 73-63 win over Colorado in early December. The Buffs committed 18 turnovers in the loss that led to 25 UW points.
The Huskies are led by junior forward Keion Brooks, who is averaging 16.9 points per game as well as a team-leading 7.3 rebounds.
UW brings a two-game win streak to Boulder with home wins last week against Stanford and Cal. But the Huskies are also 0-4 away from home this season.
QUICK LOOK WASHINGTON STATE (9-10, 4-4): At first glance, Kyle Smith's Cougars have had an up-and-down season at best.
But their high points have been outstanding, beginning with a 74-61 win at Arizona two weeks ago, handing the Wildcats their first home loss in the Tommy Lloyd era. That started a three-game win streak, and they also own a victory over USC.
The Cougars have done it with balanced scoring. Junior forward TJ Bamba leads four players in double figures, averaging 15.1 points per game, while forward Mouhamed Gueye is averaging 8.1 rebounds.
Interestingly enough, WSU's only road victory of the season was the win at Arizona — but that will be more than enough to catch the attention of Boyle's Buffs.
