Colorado Basketball – November, 2016

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Colorado Basketball

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December 1st

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs, 13.5-point favorites, fall to Rams by 14

From CUBuffs.com … A sub-par night offensively and from the free throw line, plus a stifling Colorado State defense, made Wednesday night a miserable one for the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center.

The Rams rolled over the Buffs 72-58, handing CU its second loss of the season (5-2) and snapping a 12-game winning streak at the CEC. The Buffs’ 58 points were a season low and their fewest at home since a 56-54 loss to Utah on Jan. 8, 2016 — also their last home loss.

CSU (6-1) made 17 of its first 18 free throw attempts, finishing 26-of-33, while CU was 17-of-31 from the foul line (54.8 percent) and only 19-of-59 (a season-low 32.2 percent) from the field.

“You’ve got to find a way to win this game ugly . . . Colorado State makes the game ugly,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “They’re a very physical team (and) I’ve got a lot of respect for them . . . we weren’t mentally tough enough tonight to win ugly.”

CU senior Wesley Gordon believed the Buffs “underestimated (their) guys and they came out and handed it to us . . . we lost to a team we should have beat. If we don’t come out to play that’s what’s going to happen every game.”

Derrick White led the Buffs with 17 points and Gordon added 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. CSU had four players in double figures, topped by Emmanuel Omogbo’s 15.

… Continue reading story here …

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No. 21 CU women 7-0 after 112-54 rout of SE Louisiana 

From CUBuffs.com … No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team extended its season record to 7-0 today with a 112-54 win over the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions (2-4), scoring the most points in 22 years.

The 112 points on the board were the fifth-most ever and the most points since a 114-52 win over St. Francis (Pa.) in 1994 and it was the Buffs first game over 100 points since a 100-71 win over Cal Fullerton in 2005.

The Buffs are rolling with confidence, undefeated on the season under new head coach JR Payne. Next they look to continue this streak on Saturday night when they take on Idaho State at Coors Events Center.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 28th

… CU in the Arena … 

Getting to Know: Colorado State 

Game … Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., MT … Pac-12 Mountain

Game Notes … From CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “Brooks: Pivotal Four-Game Stretch Looming For Boyle’s Buffs” … from CUBuffs.com 

… “Rivalry battle on deck as CU Buffs men’s basketball ready to host CSU” … from the Daily Camera

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “I’m always talking about defense and rebounding, but rebounding is the key against (Colorado State) because they’re so well-schooled and well-coached in terms of going to the glass offensively,” Boyle said. “We’re going to have to box out, and then we have to exert our will on the offensive glass.

“It’s going to be a bloodbath inside. They play physical and they rebound the ball extremely well, so we’re going to have to be ready for that.”

Colorado State 2015-16 Record: 18-16, 8-10 in Mountain West Conference play.

Colorado State 2016-17 Season: The Rams are, like the Buffs, 5-1 on the young season. The lone loss for Colorado State was a 56-49 loss to Stanford in CSU’s lone road trip to date. At home, the Rams have taken out the likes of New Mexico State, Alcorn State, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Ft. Lewis and Southeastern Louisiana.

Preseason magazines … Lindy’s predicted that Colorado State will finish sixth in the Mountain West, while Athlon had the Rams finishing fifth in conference play

Series:  Colorado has a commanding 89-37 record in the series. In games played in Boulder, the Buffs have a 52-9 advantage.  The Buffs have won three of the past four, but the Rams won the last game played in Boulder, in 2014.

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Buff fans asked to wear appropriate colors for CSU game

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Undefeated CU women’s team ranked in national polls for the first time in two years

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado has been perhaps the biggest surprise in Division I women’s basketball and the Buffaloes checked off another box on their list of early-season accomplishments on Monday when they entered the Associated Press poll at No. 21. It is the first national ranking for the Buffs since Jan. 13, 2014.

CU is off to a 6-0 start to the season, one of just three Pac-12 schools without a loss at this point. This is all coming off a season when the Buffs won just seven games and finished with 23 losses. First-year head coach JR Payne has a reputation for reviving struggling programs, but even she hasn’t had this much instant success at her previous two stops at Southern Utah and Santa Clara.

“It’s really early in the season so [the ranking doesn’t really matter], but it’s a great honor for the amount of work our team has put in since last spring,” Payne said. “They’ve worked really hard in the weight room and really bought in with what we’re trying to do.”

The Buffs have bought into Payne’s up-tempo style on both ends of the floor. That aggressive style on defense puts CU fifth in the nation with 14.8 steals per game and despite pushing the pace on the offensive end, CU turns the ball over just 14.2 times per game. The team’s turnover margin is +8.2 per game, leading the Pac-12 and ranking 14th in the country. A year ago, the team had a -1.6 turnover margin.

The team is also averaging nearly 20 more points per game this year compared to last season, a pace of 80.2 per night. Colorado hasn’t averaged more than 70 points over the course of a season since 2001-02.

While non-conference schedules can sometimes often be soft early in the season, CU owns victories over Kentucky, which is currently ranked No. 17, and SMU, which carries a 4-2 record after falling to the Buffs on Saturday to make the schedule respectable at the very least. Even with those two tough opponents on the schedule, CU has not trailed once this season in the second half of a game.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 27th

… CU in the Arena … 

CU struggles early (one point lead at halftime), but pull away for win over Wofford

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado senior Xavier Johnson continued to make his comeback from an Achilles tendon tear a successful one.

Johnson, who missed all of last year with his injury produced his seventh career double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds Sunday to lead the Buffs to an 75-60 win over a feisty Wofford squad.

The Buffs improved to 5-1 on the season and will next play host to in-state rival Colorado State in a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at the Coors Events Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED: After leading by just one at the half, the Buffs slowly built a cushion through most of the second half, taking the lead for good with 16:12 to go in the game.

After Nathan Hoover gave the Terriers a 36-35 lead with a 3-pointer, the Buffs responded with an 11-0 run to produce their first double-digit lead of the game.

Wesley Gordon started the burst by muscling inside for a bucket, followed by a Derrick White steal and layup, a Johnson basket on an assist by White, and a George King 3-pointer. Two Johnson free throws capped the run and Colorado held a 46-36 lead with 12:38 to go.

The Terriers did come back and cut the gap to six on a pair of occasions, the latest with just under 10 minutes to play, but CU answered each time.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 26th

… CU in the Arena … 

Getting to Know: Wofford

Game … Sunday, 12:00 p.m., MT … Pac-12 Networks

Game Notes … From CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “Boyle’s Buffs Return Home For Sunday Game vs. Wofford” … from CUBuffs.com

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “I would like to think they see the difference between our effort defensively against Texas and the second half against Notre Dame relative to the first half against Notre Dame,” head coach Tad Boyle said Friday. “To the naked eye, it’s pretty obvious. We talk about it. Now hopefully they understand it and understand that when we put our mind to it, we can be pretty good defensively. But you have to play with great effort, great energy for 40 minutes against good teams.”

Wofford Terriers 2015-16 Record: 15-17, 11-7 in Southern Conference play.

Wofford Terriers 2016-17 Season: The Terriers are not very good. Wofford is 1-4 on the new season, with the lone victory coming over a school named Allen. The four losses? A season-opening 91-69 loss to LSU, followed by three losses in the Gulf Coast Showcase … to Vermont, Bradley and Kent State.

Sophomore guard Fletcher Magee leads Wofford at 15.2 points per game while averaging 2.8 assists per contest. Cameron Jackson and Ryan Sawvell top the Terriers in rebounding at 4.6 per game.

Series:  Colorado has won both meetings with Wofford, most recently a 75-59 decision at the Coors Events Center on Nov. 9, 2012. The Buffaloes are 5-0 all-time against teams currently in the Southern Conference

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November 22nd 

… CU in the Arena … 

CU defeats No. 22 Texas, 68-54 … give up 54 a day after giving up 50 to Notre Dame in first half

From CUBuffs.com … Tad Boyle’s Colorado Buffaloes bounced back from their first loss of the season in fine fashion.

One day after falling to Notre Dame, 89-83, in the Legends Classic semifinals at the Barclays Center, the Buffs rebounded Tuesday to knock off No. 22 Texas, 68-54, to improve to 4-1.

Once again, the Buffs received excellent performances from junior George King and senior Derrick White. King turned in his second-straight double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, coming on the heels of his 17-point, 13-rebound effort against the Irish. White followed up a 20-point, nine-assist, five-rebound effort Monday to log 16 points, five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals in Tuesday’s win.

Boyle, whose team returns home for a noon matchup Sunday with Wofford at the Coors Events Center, said he was proud of the way his team rebounded from Monday night’s spotty effort.

“We learned that we can play with anybody in the country,” Boyle said. “I really believe that. But for us to be successful, we’ve got to play with great toughness and great pride on the defensive end. When we hit our numbers — field goal percentage defense and rebounding plus-nine — we win.”

The Buffs accomplished both against Texas, holding the Longhorns to 36.8 percent shooting (21-for-57) while carving out a 43-32 rebounding edge. King finished the tournament with 26 rebounds in the two games.

“He’s going after every one,” Boyle said of King’s effort on the boards. “He’s so athletic, so big and strong. That’s what we’ve been waiting for. We haven’t seen that happen since a guy named (Andre) Roberson was playing for us.”

The Buffs also shot 44 percent from the floor (29-for-66) and had 13 turnovers.

NEXT UP:  The 4-1 Buffs return home Sunday for a noon contest with Wofford at the Coors Events Center.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 21st

… CU in the Arena … 

Buff comeback falls short, Notre Dame defeats Colorado, 89-83, in Brooklyn

From CUBuffs.com … Down by 15 points at halftime, the Colorado Buffaloes gamely battled back but couldn’t overtake Notre Dame, losing 89-83 on Monday night in the semifinals of the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.

CU, losing for the first time this season (3-1), closed to within four points twice in the final minute. Notre Dame (4-0) held off the Buffs by making 12 consecutive free throws in the final 1:33 and finished 27-of-29 for the game.

“They’re a good team, but you have to keep them off the free throw line,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “They had 50 points at halftime (CU had 35), they’re shooting 54 percent from the field . . . it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know we need to play better defense.”

Xavier Johnson led the Buffs with 23 points, with Derrick White adding 20. The Irish had four players in double figures, headed by Bonzie Colson’s 22 and Matt Farrell’s 20.

“I like our guys’ toughness,” said Boyle, but added that his team must “get tougher in finishing in the paint . . . we had easy baskets we let go (and) offensive rebounds we couldn’t convert on. You have to have that toughness factor to beat a good team and Notre Dame is a good team.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 20th 

… CU in the Arena … 

Getting to Know: Notre Dame

Game … Monday, 500 p.m., MT … ESPN2 … Game to be played in Brooklyn, New York, as part of the Legends Classic basketball tournament … The second game Monday night will pit No. 23 Texas v. Northwestern (7:30 p.m., MT). The losers of Monday night’s games will square off on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., MT, with the winners playing at 4:00 p.m., MT.

Game Notes … From CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “Notre Dame to give CU Buffs men’s basketball first true test of season” … from the Daily Camera

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “Darn right I’m excited to play those games, and I’m sure the team is too,” said Boyle of CU’s trip to Brooklyn. “Games like this are fun to play in the preseason because you get a feel of where you’re at.  There’s going to be Pac-12 level teams and programs, and we get to play two of them in New York.  We know that we’re going to play Notre Dame.  I’ve got great respect for Mike Bray and his program and what they’ve done.  They’ve got a couple of Elite Eight appearances here lately, and they shoot the ball as well as any team in the country, from different spots on the floor and different players on the floor.  So we’ve got to be ready.”

Fighting Irish 2015-16 Record: 24-12, 11-7 in ACC play … Lost to North Carolina in the Elite Eight

Fighting Irish 2016-17 Season: The Fighting Irish are 3-0 on the season, and have yet to be challenged. Notre Dame beat Bryant College, 89-64, and Loyola (Maryland), 83-48. The third victory, over Seattle University, was a 92-49 rout … the same Seattle team that the Buffs struggled to beat, 67-55.

Notre Dame is 3-0 overall and like Colorado receiving votes in the latest Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. The Irish are averaging 88 points while shooting a solid 49 percent from the field. Notre Dame has done a great job taking care of the ball committing less than seven turnover games while on the defensive end, the Irish collect over 11 steals per game.

Senior forward VJ Beachem is Notre Dame’s top scorer averaging 19.7 points per game. He leads the Irish with seven 3-pointers on the season and overall shoots 54 percent. Junior forward Bonzie Colson is right behind Beachem in scoring at 19.3 per game while leading  the team in shooting at 63 percent and rebounding at 8.0 per game. Senior guard Steve Vasturia averages 12.7 points and 3.3 assists an outing.

Series:  This is the first-ever meeting between Colorado and Notre Dame.

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November 17th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs run record to 3-0 with 89-70 win over Louisiana-Monroe

… Related … “Balanced offense sends CU Buffs men’s basketball past Louisiana-Monroe” … from the Daily Camera

From CUBuffs.com … Tad Boyle‘s Colorado Buffaloes rediscovered their shooting touch and played defense with a purpose Thursday night, rolling to an 89-70 win over ULM in their second game of the Legends Classic.

The Buffs had five players in double figures, led by Josh Fortune and Xavier Johnson with 14 points each. Derrick White and George King each chipped in 12 and Wesley Gordon had nine rebounds, four assists and two points as Colorado improved to 3-0.

CU also got some good production off the bench, getting 10 points and eight points from junior Tory Miller, as well as nine points from true freshmen Bryce Peters and Deleon Brown.

The Buffs will now turn their attention to next week’s Legends Classic semifinals. Colorado meets Notre Dame on Monday in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a 5 p.m. nationally televised game (ESPN2), then plays either Texas or Northwestern a day later.

“This was great preparation for us getting ready to play Notre Dame,” Boyle said.

TURNING POINT: This one was never close. The Warhawks briefly closed an early double-digit deficit to eight, 20-12, but the Buffs answered with a 13-4 run that put the game away with three minutes still left in the first half.

CU STANDOUTS: Five players in double figures meant it was a balanced effort, but Derrick White‘s 12-point, four-assist, three-rebound, two-steal effort stands out because of it’s versatility. … Wesley Gordon was his usual force on the boards, finishing with nine rebounds, and he also had four assists. … Tory Miller had eight rebounds, with five coming on the offensive boards. … Fortune’s 10-for-10 night from the free throw line helped the Buffs go 28-for-35 from the line.

QUOTEWORTHY:  “It’s hard not to think about what’s next. … That’s what games like this are fun to play in the preseason, because you get a feel for where you’re at. It’s going to be a Pac-12 level basketball team and program.” — CU coach Tad Boyle on Monday’s game against Notre Dame.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 16th

CU in the Arena …

Getting to Know: University of Louisiana-Monroe

Game … Thursday, 7:00 p.m., MT … Pac-12 Networks

Game Notes … from CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “CU Men Prepare For Thursday Matchup With ULM” … from CUBuffs.com

… “Timely return from suspension for CU Buffs men’s basketball guard Bryce Peters” … from the Daily Camera

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “We go from 10 turnovers Friday night, which is a great, manageable number to 19 turnovers against the zone,” Boyle said after the Seattle University game. “We weren’t getting pressed or pressured, we just turned the thing over. We have to be a little bit more consistent against the zone.”

Warhawks’ 2015-16 Record: 20-14, 15-5 in the Sun Belt. ULM made it to the championship game in the Sun Belt Conference, and lost in the first round of the CBI at Furman, 58-57.

Warhawks’ 2016-17 Season: Louisiana-Monroe is 1-1 on the new season, having lost to Texas on Monday, 80-59. The Warhawks trailed by only six, 46-40, with 12:58 to go in the game but the Longhorns used a 16-4 run to pull away and ULM never managed to close the gap again.

The Warhawks, who beat Centenary 96-63 in their season opener, were led by guard Marvin Jean-Pierre with 13 points against the Longhorns.

Series:  Colorado leads the all-time series with Louisiana-Monroe, 1-0. The Buffs defeated the Warhawks in Boulder in 2008, winning 65-62.

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November 15th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs fight their way past Seattle University, 67-55

… Related … “CU Buffs men’s basketball leans on defense, rebounding to outlast Seattle” … from the Daily Camera

From CUBuffs.com … On a night when the Colorado Buffaloes’ shooting deserted them, they were forced to fall back on the principles that head coach Tad Boyle holds sacred above all others: defense and rebounding.

Those came through, and they proved to be just enough to produce a 67-55 win Monday over visiting Seattle in the first round of the Legends Classic.

Colorado improved to 2-0 with the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED: One game after shooting a blistering 13-for-21 from 3-point range in a 90-53 win over Sacramento State, CU hit just 19 of its 53 field goal tries, including a 3-for-18 night from 3-point range.

But while their shots weren’t falling, the Buffs still commanded a 55-35 edge on the boards and their defense provided a 36-24 scoring edge in the second half. Wesley Gordon had a 14-rebound, 11-point double-double — the 11th of his career — and Derrick White scored a game-high 15 points to go with six rebounds. Xavier Johnson added 13 points and six rebounds for the Buffs and Josh Fortune finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

“That was the definition of winning ugly,” head coach Tad Boyle said.

… Continue reading story here …

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Dominique Collier injured

From the Daily Camera … In the team’s season opener just three days earlier, junior guard Dominique Collier displayed a 3-point touch that could be one of the primary weapons off the Colorado Buffaloes’ bench this season.

Unfortunately for the Buffs, that first impression of Collier might be their last impression for a while.

On Monday Collier succumbed to a nagging foot injury that limited him through the final portion of the preseason, playing just seven minutes in the first half before watching the remainder of CU’s ugly 67-55 win against Seattle in the first game of the Legends Classic at the Coors Events Center.

“Some days are good, some days are bad,” head coach Tad Boyle said. “Friday night he was terrific, but Saturday he was really hurting. Sunday he was better and today he wasn’t himself in the first half. Coach (Mike) Rohn asked him how he was feeling and he said, ‘I just don’t know if I can go.’ He’s in a lot of pain.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 14th

… CU in the Arena …

Getting to Know: Seattle University

Game … Monday, 7:00 p.m., MT … Pac-12 Networks

Game Notes … from CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “Buffs Open Legend Classic Play By Hosting Seattle U Monday” … from CUBuffs.com

… “Seattle visit brings unpleasant memories for CU Buffs men’s basketball veterans” … from the Daily Camera

… “Dom Collier could be a bench force for CU Buffs men’s basketball” … from the Daily Camera

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “Overall, I thought our effort and intensity on defense was pretty good,” Boyle said of CU’s 90-53 season-opening win over Sacramento State. “I’ll get a better feel when we watch the film. But when you look at our field goal percentage on defense, it certainly was very good. We played shots and played without fouling for the most part.”

Pilots’ 2015-16 Record: 15-17, 7-7 in Western Athletic Conference play.

Pilots’ 2016-17 Season: The Pilots opened their 2016-17 season with a 76-65 victory over Pacific Lutheran. Lindy’s has Seattle slated as the No. 6 team in the Western Athletic Conference. According to The Sporting News, Seattle is the fourth-best team in the conference, with 6’5″ wing Brendan Westendorf a first-team All-WAC candidate.

Three of Seattle U’s top four scorers from a year ago return led by senior guard Westendorf, who averaged 12.8 points per game. Westendorf also led the Redhawks in assists at 4.3 per game and was second on the team with 54 3-pointers. Senior forward William Powell led Seattle U in rebounding at 6.8 per game while averaging 8.9 points per contest. Senior guard Manroop Clair led the Redhawks with 69 3-pointers while averaging 8.3 points an outing

Series:  Seattle leads the series, 2-0. The first game was back in 1965, with the Pilots winning 86-69 in a holiday tournament. The teams matched up again two years ago, in the only forgettable season for the Buffs under Tad Boyle. Even though Colorado had a losing regular season record, the Buffs were invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational. In the second round of the CBI, the Buffs traveled to Seattle to take on the Pilots. Seattle University defeated Colorado, 72-65, leaving the Buffs with a 16-18 final record.

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November 12th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs breeze past Hornets in 2016-17 season opener 

Related … “CU Buffs men’s basketball plays long-ball in season-opening win against Sacramento State” … from the Daily Camera 

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From CUBuffs.com … The Colorado Buffaloes shot down Sacramento State 90-53 on Friday night at the Coors Events Center, opening the 2016-17 men’s basketball season with an impressive display of long-range shooting and overall balance.

CU, which shot 38.9 percent from 3-point range last season, hit 13 of its 21 3-point attempts (61.9 percent) and finished opening night at 53.3 percent overall from the field (32-of-60).

Dominique Collier (12 points), Josh Fortune (11) and George King (10) reached double figures on a night when 10 of Tad Boyle‘s 12 players who suited up scored.

Collier, coming off the bench, hit four of his six 3-point attempts while 6-10 freshman Lucas Siewert made all three of his shots from beyond the arc.

NOTEWORTHY: CU’s opening night starters: F – Wesley Gordon, F Xavier Johnson, G – Derrick White, G – George King, G – Josh Fortune . . . . The Buffs’ first three players off the bench: G – Dominique Collier, F Tory Miller, G Thomas Akyazili . . . . First true freshman to play: Siewert . . . . Freshman Deleon Brown‘s first college field goal attempt was a 3-pointer from the left corner. Swish . . . . Freshman guard Bryce Peters sat out Friday night’s game, the first of a two-game suspension for violating team rules . . . . With 12:09 left in the first half, Miller hit his first career 3-pointer, giving the Buffs their largest lead (19-6) to that point. Miller might not have planned to bank in the straight away trey attempt – or maybe he did . . . . Boyle coached against Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz in the Big Sky Conference when Boyle was coaching Northern-Colorado. Katz is in his ninth season at Sac State . . . . New at the Coors Events Center this season: Hand rails in the upper reaches of all aisles . . . . Friday night marked the first of three consecutive home games for the Buffs. Their first road trip features a pair of neutral site games on Nov. 21-22 at the Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the Legends Classic . . . . CU’s first real road game isn’t until Dec. 3 when the Buffs play at Portland.

QUOTEWORTHY: “As home openers go this was a good one . . . we lost (intensity) at times in the second half, but overall it was good. – Boyle on the Buffs’ opening-night effort

NEXT UP:  The Buffs play host to Seattle University (7 p.m., Coors Events Center) on Monday in the first game of the Legends Classic. The tournament continues on Thursday night at CEC (7 p.m.) when Louisiana-Monroe visits. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 11th

… CU in the Arena … 

Freshman Bryce Peters suspended for the first two games of the season

Tweet from Jeff Goodman at ESPN: “Colorado’s Bryce Peters will miss the first 2 games due to a suspension, Tad Boyle told ESPN“.

Bryce Peters, a 6-4 guard, scored 1,197 career points for Damien High School in La Puente, Calif., and was the 2016 San Gabriel Valley Tribune Player of the Year. He averaged 22 points and five assists as a senior, helping Damien (25-6) advance to the quarter- finals of the 2016 CIF Open Division Championship.

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Getting to Know: Sacramento State

Game … Friday, 7:00 p.m., MT … Pac-12 Networks

Game Notes … from CUBuffs.com

Related …

… “Boyle’s Buffs Open Season At Home Friday” … from CUBuffs.com

… “‘XJ’ Learning The Talk Means Nothing Minus The Walk” … from CUBuffs.com

… “2016-17 CU Buffs Basketball Primer” … from BSN Denver

… “Coach Tad Boyle makes official redshirt seasons for Walton, Strating” … from the Daily Camera

… “Gordon Ready To Be The Man In The Middle For Boyle’s Buffs” … from CUBuffs.com

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Quotable Tad Boyle … “We’re going to learn a lot Friday night,” Boyle said of the Buffs’ opener. “I know no matter how many practices the NCAA gives you, you never feel like you’re ready, but I know the players are. They’re ready to play a game and compete against somebody other than themselves.”

Hornets’ 2015-16 Record: 14-17, 6-12 in Big Sky Conference play. The Hornets kicked off the season last November with a 66-63 win over Arizona State (see story, below), but that was the highlight of the campaign. The only other Pac-12 team Sacramento State played last season was Stanford, a 70-60 win for the Cardinal.

Series:  Colorado and Sacramento State have met just once on the hardwood, an 80-56 Buffaloes’ win on Jan. 26, 1994, at the Coors Events Center.

… Before getting too over-confident … Bear in mind that in the season opener a year ago, Sacramento State traveled to Tempe to take on Arizona State. The result? A 66-63 win for the Hornets …

Sacramento State beat a Pac-12 team for the third time in six years. In the process, the Hornets ruined Bobby Hurley’s debut as Arizona State coach.

Cody Demps, a fourth-year senior and three-year starter, scored eight points in the final two minutes, including consecutive 3-pointers, and the Hornets beat the Sun Devils 66-63 on Friday night.

“It was not the way I wanted to start things here for sure,” Hurley said. “It was an embarrassing loss for us.”

Demps finished with 22 points and Marcus Graves added 20 for the Hornets. Overall, Sacramento State is 4-36 against teams currently in the Pac-12, but the Hornets beat Utah in 2012 and Oregon State in 2009.

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November 10th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs officially sign a recruiting Class ranked in the top 20 nationally

From CUBuffs.com … What could be the best men’s basketball signing class in the Tad Boyle era at the University of Colorado was made official Wednesday as Evan Battey, Tyler Bey and D’Shawn Schwartz inked their National Letters of Intent to join the Buffaloes for the 2017-18 season.

On paper this class is right up there. Rivals.com rates Colorado’s class the 16th best in the nation while Scout.com has the Buffaloes at 18th. Scout considers all three signees four-star recruits. Schwartz and Bey are also four-star players according to Rivals.

But put stars and rankings to the side, Boyle sees an incredible upside and potential to this class.

“I’ve never been a coach that’s into the star system in recruiting, so the number of stars next to a kid’s name is inconsequential to me,” Boyle said. “It’s not the biggest class we’ve signed while we’ve been here at Colorado, but in my opinion best, and I say that because all three of these young men have the opportunity to be 1,000 point scorers, maybe more. I really think they all can have great careers here; play early and be impact players immediately.”

… Continue reading story here ..

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Preseason bracketology has CU at a No. 11 seed in NCAA tournament

The bracketology expert Joe Lunardi at ESPN has posted his preseason NCAA tournament bracket. Lunardi has Colorado as a No. 11 seed, one of the “last four in”, participating in a play-in game against BYU.

The full bracket can be found here.

The rest of the Pac-12 … No. 1 seed: Oregon … No. 2 seed: Arizona … No. 5 seed: UCLA … No. 8 seed: California … Next four out: USC.

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November 8th

… CU in the Arena … 

Tad Boyle post-practice talk with media

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsNation.com:

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Freshman Lucas Stewart “probably the most pleasant surprise”

From the Daily Camera … On Friday, the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team opens the 2016-17 season at home against Sacramento State. This year’s crop of freshmen — Lucas Siewert, Bryce Peters, Deleon Brown, Dallas Walton, and Alex Strating — are expected to play a complementary role among a cast of veterans, with Walton and Strating already tentatively ticketed for redshirt seasons.

In the case of Siewert, his status as the only other true post player behind senior Wesley Gordon and junior Tory Miller meant his services probably were going to be needed to a certain extent, even as a rookie. Yet as preseason workouts give way to the routine of game-planning this week, CU head coach Tad Boyle reports no Buffs player has exceeded expectations quite like Siewert.

“Lucas Siewert is, at this point, probably the most pleasant surprise,” Boyle said. “He is unbelievably coachable. He gets in here on his own and is in the gym shooting. He’s going to be a terrific player. I couldn’t be happier with where he is. He’s definitely played his way into the rotation. He’s a good player and a guy that has really progressed from the start of practice as well as any player in our program.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 6th

… CU in the Arena … 

… Reminder … First game: Sacramento State … Friday, November 11th, 7:00 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

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The Sporting News:

Pac-12 in the preseason Top 25 … No. 5 Oregon … No. 9 Arizona … No. 17 UCLA …

The rest of the Pac-12 … No. 4 Colorado … No. 5 Utah … No. 6 Stanford … No. 7 California … No. 8 USC … No. 9 Oregon State … No. 10 Washington … No. 11 Arizona State … No. 12 Washington State

Colorado: For the past four years, Colorado has largely been defined by Josh Scott’s status. The in-state big man helped put CU in the Pac-12 upper division annually while plastering his name all over the school’s record book. He helped them to three NCAA tournaments. And when he struggled with back issues in 2014-15, guess what? The team fell apart, winning just 16 games.

But even without Scott this season, the Buffaloes can’t be written off. There’s too much talent left over. Four starters return, and five if you count forward Xavier Johnson, who sat out last season with a torn Achilles tendon. They’ll just look different – a lot different.

… While the Buffs will undoubtedly look different, their place in the Pac-12 won’t. Expect them again to be the thick of the race, with 20-plus wins, and in yet another NCAA tournament.

Difference maker … Xavier Johnson, 6’7″ G/F … With the ability to create inside or pull up with an improving three-point shot, Johnson’s a matchup nightmare, but consistency and health are a concern.

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November 1st

… CU in the Arena … 

Tad Boyle post-practice talk with media

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsNation:

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October 31st

… CU in the Arena … 

Colorado ranked No. 41 in preseason AP top 25

The Pac-12 has three teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25, including two in the top ten, Oregon (No. 5) and Arizona (No. 10). The other Pac-12 team to make the list is UCLA, at No. 16. Among the others receiving votes were Cal, at No. 29, Colorado, at No. 41, and Washington, at No. 45.

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Tags: Bryce Peters, Deleon Brown, Derrick White, Dominique Collier, George King, Josh Fortune, Tad Boyle, Thomas Akyazili, Tory Miller, Wesley Gordon, Xavier Johnson
This post, about the Colorado Basketball game, from the 2016 Season, is filed under Article.
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