Colorado
Colorado State
Boyle's Buffs Ready For Road Test At No. 20 Colorado State
November 28, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Every college basketball rivalry game has a little extra juice, particularly when it's an in-state matchup.
But Wednesday night's Colorado-Colorado State tilt in Fort Collins (7 p.m. tip) could have more spark than normal — and a little more at stake — thanks to the recent play of both programs.
Tad Boyle's 5-1 Buffaloes spent two weeks in the nation's top 25 earlier this month before slipping to "also receiving votes" status in the most recent poll on the heels of an overtime loss to Florida State last week.
The 6-0 Rams, meanwhile, made their debut in the national rankings this week, coming in at No. 20 after a victory over No. 8 Creighton — making it the first time in the history of the rivalry that Colorado State will be ranked when playing the Buffaloes.
"We talk about small opportunities that lead to big opportunities, and every time we step on the floor it's a small opportunity," Boyle said after Tuesday's practice. "Colorado State's a small opportunity, but it's a little bit bigger than maybe some of the other opportunities. One it's an in-state rival, number two it's a quality opponent in a true road game."
The game is no doubt a solid opportunity for the Buffaloes to burnish their resumé with a quality road win in non-conference play. It's also a chance for the Buffs to get a taste of a true hostile environment — something they will see regularly in Pac-12 play.
"Hopefully, at the end of the year true road games mean something, winning on the road means something," Boyle said. "When you're able to do that in a hostile environment it gives you confidence as you go into league play and that's really what everybody's trying to do right now, is position themselves for league play. And these games are important, not only for us, but they're important for the Pac-12."
But beyond the opportunity at hand for both squads, the game is also a chance to boost the overall profile of college basketball in the state.
"What a great opportunity for college basketball fans in the state of Colorado," Boyle said. "It's good for the game in this state. And it's good for our guys to understand what it's going to be like in a hostile environment because it will be hostile."
Nikko Medved's Rams have no doubt captured the attention of CSU faithful with their 6-0 start. Point guard Isaiah Stevens — who Boyle calls "one of the best guards in America" — leads the Rams in scoring (17.5 per game) and assists (7.8 per game), and he is 31st in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.92).
But the Buffs have their own quality guard in junior KJ Simpson, who also leads his team in scoring (18.3 ppg) and assists (4.5 per game) and is 32nd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86).
"KJ is a great player in his own right," Boyle said. "Those two guys going head to head will be worth the price of admission."
But the Rams are far more than a one-man show. Grad student Joel Scott, the younger brother of former Buffs star Josh Scott, is averaging 14.5 points per game. Former Buffs Nique Clifford, who transferred to CSU in the offseason, is scoring at a 13.2 clip.
And, the Rams are fifth in the nation in shooting percentage, hitting nearly 54 percent of their shots from the floor.
"They all shoot the ball extremely well," Boyle said. "They're one of the most efficient offenses in the country. They've got four grad transfers and two seniors, so they're one of the oldest, most-experienced teams in the country as well."
The Buffs are coming off an 85-68 win over Iona on Sunday, a game that helped rinse the bad taste of last week's overtime loss to Florida State from their mouths. Both Simpson (15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Tristan da Silva (17 points, 3 rebounds) got back on track after difficult outings against the Seminoles.
Now they will be tested in their first true road game of the year in an atmosphere that will no doubt be unfriendly to everyone in black and gold.
"It's gonna be a heck of an environment," Boyle said. "Colorado State took care of their business against Creighton and we didn't take care of our business against Florida State. That's why they're ranked and we're not. There's nothing we can do about it other than go try to win the next game which is this one … I like our guys, I like our team. It should be hell of a college basketball game, especially for November in the state of Colorado. We know we'll be ready. I know CSU will be ready."
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. KOA radio (850 AM) will carry the broadcast with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke on the call. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.
THE SERIES: Colorado has a healthy 93-65 overall all-time edge against the Rams, including last year's 93-65 win in Boulder, which was CU's third straight win in the series. But the series has been much closer in Fort Collins, with CU holding a 37-28 edge.
