Contact CU Independent General Assignment Editor Andrew Haubner at andrew.haubner@colorado.edu
University of Colorado men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle wasn’t happy, despite his teams’ 85-68 victory against Nicholls on Friday night. After the game, he entered the postgame press conference feeling disappointed and displeased with the Buffaloes’ inability to defend in the first half. These problems haven’t been any news to those watching and covering CU this season, but it’s beginning to become a cause for concern for the coaching staff.
“This team wants to score their way out of their problems,” contended Boyle. “Our program is based on defense and rebounding. But it’s built for nights like tonight so instead of 33 to 38, it’s 33 to 27 because we defend and we rebound.”
Unlike the Colorado teams of old, this current incarnation of the Buffaloes more closely resembles Boyle’s 2010 team, one that averaged 79.6 points per game while allowing 73.3. The 2015 CU squad looks similar, scoring 84.8 points per game through their first 10 contests while their opponents put up 72.2. While the 9-1 record speaks for itself, Boyle believes that it’s only a matter of time before the well runs dry for more than one half. His brand of defensive basketball, nicknamed TadBall, is a mentality, one that this team doesn’t seem to have.
“There’s gonna be nights like this in the Pac-12, and the Pac-12 is gonna be better defensively than we saw tonight,” Boyle explained. “If we don’t figure that out, it’s gonna be a rude awakening on January 1st, when we tip off against Cal. I don’t think they understand that and if they did, I don’t think they would continue to let it happen.”
The 52-28 swing in the second half of Friday’s game was the combination of the Buffaloes’ defensive shift and Josh Fortune heating up from the field. Wes Gordon in particular shined with five points, seven rebounds and seven blocks, prompting Boyle to call him the “player of the game.” Having led the way defensively in recent weeks, the redshirt junior understands the need to be tighter against good offensive teams, since Colorado’s offense might not always be shooting the newly-minted lights out in Coors.
“We’re not going to make shots all of the time, it’s just a part of basketball so we really can’t rely on our offense,” Gordon said after the win. “Sometimes the ball is going to go in and sometimes it’s not so we’ve got to fall back on our defense.”
Luckily for Colorado, they haven’t faced an elite defense since Iowa State in their first game of the year. The adjusted defensive efficiency of their 10 opponents, according to KenPom ratings, is 105.9, ranking amongst the lowest in the country (338th). What Boyle seems to fear are teams towards the top of the Pac-12, such as Arizona, Oregon and Utah, who rank above Colorado in adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency.
But, with the Vegas Classic just getting started and a home date with Hampton University Saturday night, Boyle has to get his players to readjust and get ready for a quick turnaround. Defense will still be the biggest thing on his mind, considering a possible championship game with undefeated Southern Methodist could be in the cards. The Mustangs, ranked 18th in the country, are in the top 60 in adjusted defensive efficiency, and seventh for adjusted O. For Boyle, it’s simply about having the mentality of defense first, so relying on volume shooting to defeat a team like SMU isn’t necessary.
“The mentality we need to have is to defend and rebound no matter what happens,” Boyle concluded. “We’ve got to figure out how to win on nights the ball isn’t going into the basket.”
