Colorado Buffaloes
Pac-12 (22-11, 10-8)
Considering how difficult the Pac-12 has been this season, Colorado deserves a lot of credit for being as successful as they have been. Unlike some other teams in the conference, the Buffaloes were able to pick up some decent wins away from home and that bodes well moving into the postseason.
Big Wins: 1/17 Oregon (91-87), 1/31 California (70-62), 2/24 Arizona (75-72)
Bad Losses: 1/20 at Washington (83-95), 2/17 at USC (72-79), 2/20 at UCLA (53-77)
Coach: Tad Boyle
Why They Can Surprise:
Everybody expected Colorado would have a dominate frontcourt and Josh Scott and Wesley Gordon have lived up to those expectations. Scott, a 6-10 senior, leads the team with 16.1 points and 8.7 rebounds and added 1.6 blocks and 1.8 assists per game. The offense runs through Scott and he has the talent and versatility to play that role perfectly. He can find teammates slashing to the basket or even step out and knock down a mid-range jumper. Gordon is not nearly as effective scoring the basketball, but he is great on the glass and a better shot blocker than Scott. With those two in the paint, the opposition is often forced to make jump shots. Sophomore Tory Miller has emerged as a quality big man off of the bench. At 6-9 and a slimmed down 255 pounds, he can bang around in the paint and at least be a defensive presence who will work hard on the glass. Without Gordon picking up his scoring, Colorado has looked to their backcourt for some options and they found one in George King. The sophomore, who redshirted last season, is averaging 13.8 points per game and is lethal from long range. At 6-6 and 220 pounds, he can attack the basket and help out in the rebounding department too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The rest of the backcourt has been a rotation of Josh Fortune, Dominique Collier, Tre’Shaun Fletcher, Xavier Talton and Thomas Akyazili. Coach Tad Boyle does not lack in depth or options, but the team as a whole has struggled at times in the turnover department. Most of that falls on the shoulders of Collier, a sophomore point guard. He is super quick and has a nice outside shot, but it is up to him to work the ball through Scott in the paint and put everybody in a position to not turn the ball over. This is a Colorado team that is pretty good at playing at different tempos and it is nice to have a player like Collier who can speed things up when needed, but turnovers will be key in the postseason whether Colorado is in a low scoring affair or pushing for 90 points.
Probable Starters:
Dominique Collier, Sophomore, Guard, 7.5 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg
Josh Fortune, Junior, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.0 rpg
George King, Sophomore, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Wesley Gordon, Junior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 1.3 apg
Josh Scott, Senior, Forward, 16.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.8 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Thomas Akyazili, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.6 apg
Tre’Shaun Fletcher, Junior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 1.2 apg
Tory Miller, Sophomore, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Xavier Talton, Senior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 1.9 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.8 (115th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.8 (147, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.8 (234, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.0 (93, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (114, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.6 (13, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.2 (50, 1)
Rebound Margin: 8.6 (10, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (142, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.5 (252, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 CBI First Round win over Gardner Webb
2015 CBI Quarterfinal loss to Seattle
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Pittsburgh
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to Illinois
2012 NCAA Second Round win over UNLV
2012 NCAA Third Round loss to Baylor
2011 NIT First Round win over Texas Southern
2011 NIT Second Round win over California
2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over Kent State
2011 NIT Semifinal loss to Alabama
2006 NIT First Round loss to Old Dominion
2004 NIT First Round loss to Oregon
2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
2000 NIT First Round loss to Southern Illinois
*all team stats through 3/6
