Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
California
Buffs Hope To Bounce Back Wednesday At Cal
January 09, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BERKELEY, Calif. — Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes return to the court Wednesday night aiming to halt a two-game skid when they take on Cal at Haas Pavilion (9 p.m., ESPNU).
That's not how the Buffs (11-4 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) envisioned wrapping up a three-game swing away from home, but a Wednesday win against Cal (5-10, 1-3) will at least keep them in the upper half of the Pac-12 standings.
The Buffs started their road trip with hopes of at least a pair of wins. But after a blowout loss at Arizona and a narrow defeat at Arizona State — a game the Buffs had a chance of winning in the final minutes — they now find themselves needing a win just to regain some momentum for an upcoming three-game homestand.
"We have to get an identity back that right now we don't have," CU head coach Tad Boyle said. "We had two games in a row where we were 0-for-9 in our game goals. The Arizona game was understandable the way we played and how we got blown out of the gym, but Arizona State is a one-possession game, went down the wire and we didn't play well in any facet of the game."
Indeed, the Buffs weren't at their best in any part of their game at ASU — and they still had a chance to take the lead with under two minutes to play.
"That should let us know how close we are to winning a game like that, but we don't have an identity right now," Boyle said. "We usually try to hang our hat on defense and rebounding. We didn't do that. We didn't guard the 3-point line. We didn't take care of the ball, didn't get to the free throw line. There's a lot of things that didn't happen in that game, and we fouled too much. There's a lot of things we have to get better at."
The Buffs are currently in a four-way logjam tied for fourth in the league standings. With 16 conference games still to play, there's obviously plenty of time to move up in the standings.
But to do that, they have to pick up some road wins in a league that may be as deep and balanced as it has been in years.
While Cal has just five wins this season, one of those came in their last outing — a 66-57 victory at UCLA. Mark Madsen's Bears have a very capable scorer in Jaylon Tyson (20.07 points per game, third-best in the league), as well as the conference's leading rebounder in 6-foot-11 forward Fardaws Aimaq (10.67 rpg).
Both are transfers from Texas Tech.
"Mark Madsen was a gritty, tough player and his players are taking that personality," Boyle said. "They're a team made up of transfers (seven on the roster) and they've put together a talented group."
But the Buffs' biggest concern is getting their game back in order. After opening up Pac-12 play with two home victories — despite the absence of Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams — they struggled in their trip to the desert. CU committed 31 turnovers in the two losses that led to 52 points for the opponents.
Colorado also failed to shoot 50 percent from the floor in either game, including an 11-for-35 combined effort from 3-point range.
This from a team that has been one of the top shooting teams in the nation nearly all season.
If there was any good news from the Arizona trip, it was the return of da Silva at ASU. The CU senior had missed three straight games with an ankle injury and recorded 17 points, three rebounds and three assists in his return.
Boyle is also hopeful of getting star freshman Williams back this week — he has missed the last seven games — and Julian Hammond III (back injury) could also return after a one-game absence.
But CU's coach won't use Colorado's injury woes as an excuse.
"It's definitely a factor, there's no doubt about it," he said. "But you don't have control over that so we're never going to use it as an excuse. I do know when we get all of our guys back and healthy there's not a team in this league we can't beat. But until that time comes, we better figure out a way to win games."
HADLEY STEPPING UP: While the Buffs have been shorthanded, CU senior J'Vonne Hadley has been stepping up. The 6-6 senior guard had 19 points against ASU — his best as a Buff — and in conference games, he now leads the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (1.000) and 3-point shooting percentage (.714).
Hadley also might be CU's most versatile defender, as he is called upon to guard opponents at just about every position.
"He's so important to our team," Boyle said. "He does so many different things and he does so many things for our team defensively. He is one of our toughest rebounding guys and he's one of our better defenders on perimeter players and on post players. J'Vonne is extremely important to this team— but everybody that's playing is important."
UP NEXT: After Wednesday's game at Cal, the Buffs return home for three in a row at the CU Events Center. The homestand starts with an 8 p.m. game Saturday against USC (ESPN2), followed by an 8:30 p.m. game Jan. 18 against Oregon (FS1) and a 5 p.m. contest Jan. 20 against Oregon State (Pac-12 Network).
