Colorado Buffaloes
Pac-12 (23-11, 11-7)
Generally Colorado is thought of as a football school. Head coach Tad Boyle may be changing that perception. In his first season, he guided the Buffaloes to 24 wins. This season Colorado finished in the top half of the Pac-12. It’s a veteran team with players coming from all parts of the country – and the world (two solid contributors come from Australia). Boyle’s team has prided itself on defense and that may be a reason why Colorado found itself in the conference title hunt this year. They aren’t quite there offensively, but the Buffaloes can no longer be an afterthought in the Pac-12.
Big Wins: 11/28 Georgia (70-68), 1/5 Washington (87-69), 2/26 California (70-57)
Bad Losses: 11/18 vs Maryland (71-78), 12/9 Wyoming (54-65), 3/3 at Oregon State (69-83)
Coach: Tad Boyle (2 seasons at Colorado)
Why They Can Surprise:
This team will have to win tournament games on the defensive end. They hold their opponents to under 41 percent shooting from the field, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. If Colorado can have one of their better scoring performances coupled with their defensive effort, then they can win some games. They scored 87 against Washington at one point during the season. They need to find that type of a groove and come out firing. They are already a solid rebounding team. Capitalizing on a strong defensive effort will be key.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Offensively, they can be a fickled team. They score just under 69 points per game, which on average is not horrible. They had some contests this season where they put up less than 60 against some non-AQ opponents. They did not win those games. They have to find some consistency in scoring in order to progress in a tournament format. The Buffaloes also tend to turn the ball over a lot with nearly 14 per game. It’s difficult for an erratic offensive team to beat good teams when they keep giving away possessions.
Probable Starters:
Nate Tomlinson, Senior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 3.1 apg
Carlon Brown, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 1.9 apg
Spencer Dinwiddie, Freshman, Guard, 10.2 ppg, 1.8 apg
Austin Dufault, Senior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Andre Roberson, Sophomore, Forward, 11.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Sabatino Chen, Junior, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg
Jeremy Adams, Sophomore, Guard, 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Shane Harris-Tunks, Sophomore, Forward-Center, 2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Askia Booker, Freshman, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 1.4 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.6 (158th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.7 (85, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (115, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (66, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (210, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.8 (144, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.2 (168, 5)
Rebound Margin: 4.1 (55, 4)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (229, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (146, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Colorado 2011 NIT First Round win over Texas Southern
Colorado 2011 NIT Second Round win over California
Colorado 2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over Kent State
Colorado 2011 NIT Semifinal loss to Alabama
Colorado 2006 NIT First Round loss to Old Dominion
Colorado 2004 NIT First Round loss to Oregon
Colorado 2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
Colorado 2000 NIT First Round loss to Southern Illinois
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
