2024 Pac 12 Tourney thread- #3 seed MEN'S bball (Las Vegas; their 1st game vs. #6 Utah/ #11 ASU winner, Thurs., 3/14, 9:30 PM MT, FS1)

[Darth Snow]

That's been the entire reason it hasn't worked for Bobby. He gets dudes, but doesn't keep them. No continuity.

he seems like such a likeable guy. Can't figure out why this keeps happening.

 

[Buffnik]

he seems like such a likeable guy. Can't figure out why this keeps happening.

It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma

 

[Hallett Hell]

Wilner picking the Buffs to win the Tourney!

Championship (Saturday)​

No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 9 USC (6 p.m.)
Comment: Colorado won the first conference tournament of the 12-school era in 2012 and will collect the trophy from the final edition — not because the arc of history bends toward Boulder but because coach Tad Boyle has the most complete team: an elite point guard (Simpson), a super-skilled wing (Tristan da Silva) and a future NBA Lottery Pick (Cody Williams) who is merely the third or fourth scoring option.
Pick: Colorado

 

[Darth Snow]

Wilner picking the Buffs to win the Tourney!

Championship (Saturday)​

No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 9 USC (6 p.m.)
Comment: Colorado won the first conference tournament of the 12-school era in 2012 and will collect the trophy from the final edition — not because the arc of history bends toward Boulder but because coach Tad Boyle has the most complete team: an elite point guard (Simpson), a super-skilled wing (Tristan da Silva) and a future NBA Lottery Pick (Cody Williams) who is merely the third or fourth scoring option.
Pick: Colorado

Kiss of death. First round exit confirmed

 

[Uncle Ken]

Kiss of death. First round exit confirmed

Not a doubt in my mind. I'm not playing your game here, I'm serious. ****ing Wilner manages to be wrong about every ****ing thing.

 

[Buffnik]

Wilner picking the Buffs to win the Tourney!

Championship (Saturday)​

No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 9 USC (6 p.m.)
Comment: Colorado won the first conference tournament of the 12-school era in 2012 and will collect the trophy from the final edition — not because the arc of history bends toward Boulder but because coach Tad Boyle has the most complete team: an elite point guard (Simpson), a super-skilled wing (Tristan da Silva) and a future NBA Lottery Pick (Cody Williams) who is merely the third or fourth scoring option.
Pick: Colorado

No one can always be wrong.

 

[Darth Snow]

Not a doubt in my mind. I'm not playing your game here, I'm serious. ****ing Wilner manages to be wrong about every ****ing thing.

No **** man. We are proper ****ed.

 

[Uncle Ken]

No **** man. We are proper ****ed.

 

[FChairbanks]

No one can always be wrong.

Perfect. The double whammy.

We're ****ed

 

[GABuff]

No one can always be wrong.

I can. Just ask my wife.

 

[BuffDog]

Bags are mostly packed and I head out tomorrow for the final P12 basketball tournament! Go Buffs!!!!

 

[ZandiBuff]

Bags are mostly packed and I head out tomorrow for the final P12 basketball tournament! Go Buffs!!!!

2 more hours til I leave work for the airport

 

[King_George_XXIV_Rules]

Kiss of death. First round exit confirmed

Maybe that's WIlner's plan - jinx the Buffs by picking CU to win it all. The reverse jinx would just be to win it all then.

I'm not sure we'd want to run into a red hot USC or UCLA in the finals because that's too much risk. If we lose to one of them, they get in and steal a bid from somebody. Who would the committee bounce if we lost to UCLA? Probably us, because they don't want 4 Pac teams in the field. If we lose to Zona in a hypothetical scenario, then it doesn't matter. Zona doesn't steal a bid because they are obviously already a lock. They are the only lock on that side of the bracket. Wazzu is the only lock on our side. Even though we'd stand a better chance of beating a USC or UCLA or Oregon in the final, might be better off facing Arizona where there's a good chance we're in even if we lose.

 

[Hallett Hell]

Maybe that's WIlner's plan - jinx the Buffs by picking CU to win it all. The reverse jinx would just be to win it all then.

I'm not sure we'd want to run into a red hot USC or UCLA in the finals because that's too much risk. If we lose to one of them, they get in and steal a bid from somebody. Who would the committee bounce if we lost to UCLA? Probably us, because they don't want 4 Pac teams in the field. If we lose to Zona in a hypothetical scenario, then it doesn't matter. Zona doesn't steal a bid because they are obviously already a lock. They are the only lock on that side of the bracket. Wazzu is the only lock on our side. Even though we'd stand a better chance of beating a USC or UCLA or Oregon in the final, might be better off facing Arizona where there's a good chance we're in even if we lose.

If we lost to USC or someone other than UA in the finals I don't think it would hurt us. We would have won twice to get there which should cement our status. Some other bubble team would suffer. That would be the case with any autobid stealing a bubble spot, not just Pac 12.

 

[Denver_sc]

If we lost to USC or someone other than UA in the finals I don't think it would hurt us. We would have won twice to get there which should cement our status. Some other bubble team would suffer. That would be the case with any autobid stealing a bubble spot, not just Pac 12.

Yeah this is a non concern. In a worst case version of that scenario, CU would be 24-10 as a P6 school and still probably in the top 35 or so of NET. This assumes something REALLY fluky happens and they'd only have 2 more Q3 victories and a Q3 loss (assuming that #12 seed Oregon State won 4 straight), but if CU makes theP12 tourney final they'll be locked into the NCAA Tournament unless there is an absolutely wild number of stolen bids.

 

[Bone Buff]

You guys think this is like the Football selection committee. Basketball is way more metrics reliant because they're trying to figure out 31 whatever at-large bids AND seed them AND work around a bunch of other rules we barely know, AND they only like 2 hours after the last game ends to get the bracket out.

 

[King_George_XXIV_Rules]

Yeah this is a non concern. In a worst case version of that scenario, CU would be 24-10 as a P6 school and still probably in the top 35 or so of NET. This assumes something REALLY fluky happens and they'd only have 2 more Q3 victories and a Q3 loss (assuming that #12 seed Oregon State won 4 straight), but if CU makes theP12 tourney final they'll be locked into the NCAA Tournament unless there is an absolutely wild number of stolen bids.

I'm only paranoid because the Committee always seems is out to get us.

 

[DBT]

I'm only paranoid because the Committee always seems is out to get us.

They’re still mad about the Fifth Down. Or maybe that we single handedly destroyed the Pac.

 

[Highlander]

Or maybe that we single handedly destroyed the Pac.

That award goes to the Presidents, Larry, and USC/UCLA.

 

[DBT]

That award goes to the Presidents, Larry, and USC/UCLA.

Oh. But I thought the OSU AD blamed Colorado?

 

[slider]

Yassss

 

[Luke]

From my X-Twitter Universe: @LukeAddington4

IntuitionChangesFastThisTimeOfYear:
-UpsetWednesdayInPAC:
U-Dub/OregonSt/Stanford Win?-2moreQuad1 Wins4:If Utah MovesUp2SpotsInNet2 50; &vs 45 NET WashingtonSt?
- 2 Avoid 11/11 Seed Play-In & 6/3 SeedingsGames 2MoveUp2 10 Seed& 7/2 SeedingsN1st&2nd Round?
-11Seed AlmostEasier Road 2 Sweet16?

-AllAboutMatch-UpsN NCAA:
-3-Seeds Creighton/Baylor/Kentucky/Duke AllMoreFavorable2ndRound Match-Ups4at 11-Seed?
-vs MarquetteOnlyFavorable 2-Seed Match-Up4 ’s w/ Arizona/IowaSt/NorthCarolina all likely 2-seeds vs. at10-seed in 2ndRound?
-ReturnOf PtW Cody &SharpShooterPtG Julian 2B 4 ’sSweet16 goal?

Yes, I know many of you will probably still think I’m a little crazy 4 talking about Sweet-16, but Buffs with good match-ups vs. the projected 6 & 7 seeds in 1st round. Likely in West Regional vs Arizona in 2nd round as 10 seed. I would Hate 2C Buffs GoDown for 4th time vs. Arizona?(If they meet 3rd time n PAC Tourney final?).But need a run! Gos!

 

[Luke]

Carlson (the good one) injured his elbow last night. If he's not back by next week, the yoots are in trouble.

Utah dropping to 48 NET & Washington St to 45 NET are both very surprising. If Utah wins over ASU, & moves up to at least 50 (neutral court wins), Buffs have chance of getting 2 more Quad 1 wins (if Wazzu stays at least 50 also). Even losing to Arizona in finals, pushes NET up more & likely 10-seed. 1 Buffs win to stay an 11 seed & play extra play-in game.

Brandon Carlson’s injury gives Ben Carlson (rebounding machine; who Buffs were finalist to sign) & Ex-Buff Nemesis more minutes. Utes Still big team w/ fastest PtG in the league -Devion Smith- not an easy out?

Regarding Hurley losing Perez at ASU: I’ve seen him and USC coach as the 2 harshest coaches in the league to players. Hurley supposedly chill off-the-court, but players don’t want to play for negative coaches.

Drake taking Indiana St’s auto bid, gives at-large to MVC’s Indiana St. It could play out similarly for South Florida: stealing at-large bid from NEW Power5 conferences. But Mtn West killing-it in non-conference to get 6 likely bids, the biggest challenge for Selection Committee. Mega-conferences racking up Quad 1 & 2 games still bodes well for CU in Big-12; Buffs 2nd Tier Big-12 Team still better chance to Dance, at 6-10th best team in Big12 than finishing in Top-4 of Dead&Buried PAC. It’ll be interesting to see if Mtn West can continue Mid-Major dominance over American/Atlantic 10/Missouri Valley - after extra Covid years are done? But depth of recruits in WestCoast/BestCoast bodes well for Mountain West to stay 6th best conference? Cue the Taps Song on PAC! Cue the Buffs emergence as a regular attendee in NCCA?

 

[Luke]

Half-time of Zags/St Mary’s; enough Mtn West/WCC teams around 6-7 seeds, that Buffs may see one/some of West’s teams.

How underwhelming are’s potential 1st Round Opponents-11/11, 11/6 & 10/7 seed games?….CU at 10-seed vs. 7 most likely:

10 vs likely 7-seeds: UtahSt/St Mary’s/Florida/Texas Tech
-Utah St - “Great” Odobor at 6’8 250 & couple skinny 6’10 guys hold it down. Elite O & shooting; w/ rare PtG actually shooting better than KJ recently=looking in mirror?
-St Mary’s-elite Rbding, tough D, consistent ball-control guards= Good Tourney Blend. Could be as hard a match-up as Utah St?
-Florida: elite Rbding w/ inconsistency on O for spurts/putting 40 minutes together. Similar 2Buffs 2? But lack size to match Lampkin. Elite versatility at F’s is tough.
-Texas Tech: classic BIG-12 prep vs. toughness & D. 2 guys at 6’7 220 & 6’8 230 can’t match Lampkin either. Easiest 7 draw?

11/11: Virginia/Indiana St/St John’s.
Match-ups are mostly guard-heavy teams, that Lampkin should eat against:
-Virginia: 6’8 250 & 6’11 225 biggest dudes.
-Indiana St: 6’10 275 F & 4 guards. Only other 3 guys in Top-9 at 6’7/6’8 are Wings.
-St John’s: Only other potential 11 seed w/ True Center -6’11 250- but only 1 other guy over 6’7 in Pitino’s deep 9-10 man rotation.

11 vs. likely 6-seeds: Washington St/Gonzaga/Wisconsin/Clemson
-Wazzu: tough D, good size, & elite PointG may be tough if see them or ‘Zona 4th time.
-Zags: St Mary’s just beat Zags (Gaels 6’10 240 Saxen plays bigger than size). Zags w/ non-existent guard depth, good shooting F’s, but tough 6’9 245 Ike just can’t handle Lampkin. Zags O & D improved recently.
-Wisconsin: Tad was finalist for Crowl-who has grown unto 7’ 250 body. Uber-athletic 6’7 guard Storr & couple good F’s not enough- especially w/ D not looking good.
-Clemson- PJ Hall great O at 6’10 240, some other good sized F’s & good guard play. But inconsistent D & 3 Pt-shooting in mediocre ACC spells 1 & out. Easiest 6 seed Draw?

 

[AztecBuff]

Congrats to the Buffs who earned conference honors!

Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/3/12/mens-basketball-buffaloes-trio-earns-postseason-pac-12-honors

"

Buffaloes Trio Earns Postseason Pac-12 Honors​

By: Troy Andre, Associate Director/Athletic Communications

BOULDER – Three Colorado Buffaloes received Pac-12 Conference men's basketball postseason honors, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Junior guard KJ Simpson was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and earned honorable mention to the All-Defensive Team. Senior forward Tristan da Silva is an All-Pac-12 Second Team pick while Cody Williams was selected to the league's All-Freshman Team.

The Pac-12 postseason awards were voted on by conference coaches. Da Silva and Simpson are All-Pac-12 performers for the second time, swapping positions from last season. Da Silva was an All-Pac-12 First Team pick as a junior in 2022-23 while Simpson earned Second Team honors as a sophomore.
...

2023-24 Pac-12 Postseason Awards (voted on by league coaches)​

PLAYER OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA
Caleb Love, Sr., G, ARIZONA

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA
Adem Bona, So., F, UCLA

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA
Myles Rice, G, WASHINGTON STATE

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA
Maxime Raynaud, Jr., F, STANFORD

SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY NEXTIVA
Koren Johnson, So., G, WASHINGTON

JOHN R. WOODEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Kyle Smith, WASHINGTON STATE

ALL-PAC-12 TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Oumar Ballo**, Arizona, C, R-Sr., Koulikoro, Mali
Adem Bona, UCLA, F, So., Ebonyi, Nigeria
Keion Brooks Jr., Washington, F, Gr., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Branden Carlson**, Utah, C, Sr., South Jordan, Utah
N'Faly Dante**, Oregon, C, Sr., Bamako, Mali
Isaac Jones, Washington State, F, 5th, Spanaway, Wash.
Caleb Love, Arizona, G, Sr., St. Louis, Mo.
Myles Rice, Washington State, G, R-Fr., Columbia, S.C.
KJ Simpson, Colorado, G, Jr., Panorama City, Calif.
Jaylon Tyson, California, G, Jr., Plano, Texas

SECOND TEAM
Jermaine Couisnard, Oregon, G, Sr., East Chicago, Ind.
Tristan da Silva, Colorado, F, Sr., Munich, Germany
Boogie Ellis, USC, G, 5th, San Diego, Calif.
Pelle Larsson, Arizona, G, Sr., Nacka, Sweden
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford, F, Jr., Paris, France

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least three votes): Isaiah Collier, USC; Frankie Collins, ASU; Jordan Pope, OSU; Deivon Smith, UTAH; Jaylen Wells, WSU.

* denotes number of All-Pac-12 First Team honors

PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Isaiah Collier, USC, G, Atlanta, Ga.
Sebastian Mack, UCLA, G, Chicago, Ill.
Myles Rice, Washington State, G, Columbia, S.C.
Jackson Shelstad, Oregon, G, West Linn, Ore.
Cody Williams, Colorado, F, Gilbert, Ariz.

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least three votes): Kanaan Carlyle, STAN; KJ Lewis, ARIZ.

PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Oumar Ballo, Arizona, C, R-Sr., Koulikoro, Mali
Adem Bona**, UCLA, F, So., Ebonyi, Nigeria
Frankie Collins, Arizona State, G, Jr., Sacramento, Calif.
N'Faly Dante, Oregon, C, Sr., Bamako, Mali
Kobe Johnson**, USC, G, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.

HONORABLE MENTION (receiving at least three votes): Keshad Johnson, ARIZ; Spencer Jones, STAN; Joshua Morgan, USC; KJ Simpson, COLO.
"










___________________________________________________________________________________

And, latest episode of the "Pursuit" series of videos -

 

[AztecBuff]

Tourney preview - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/3/13/mens-basketball-buffs-gear-up-for-pac-12-tournament

"

Buffs Gear Up For Pac-12 Tournament​

By: Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor

BOULDER — After two critical road wins last weekend, the Colorado men's basketball team finds itself on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, with the majority of bracket predictions having the Buffaloes as at least one of the "last four" teams in.

Now Tad Boyle's Buffs, owners of a six-game winning streak, have to make sure that bubble doesn't pop this week at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

The Buffs, the No. 3 seed, open play Thursday with a 9:30 p.m. (MT) game at T-Mobile Arena against the winner of Wednesday's Arizona State-Utah matchup.

One more win would be a huge boost to Colorado's tourney resumé. A loss, however, would put the Buffs in a precarious position and leave them playing the waiting game until Sunday's bracket announcement.

There is, of course, one way Colorado can guarantee an NCAA berth — win the conference tournament. Boyle's Buffs won the first-ever Pac-12 tourney in 2012 to earn a bid and there would be some synchronicity involved if the Buffs could bookend that title with a championship in the last Pac-12 tournament.

But the Buffs haven't spent the week looking forward to Saturday's championship game — or even the Friday semifinals.

All that's on their mind is Thursday night's game.

"Win or go home," Boyle said after last weekend's win over Oregon State. "You're in the Pac 12 tournament, you lose, you're done. You get to postseason play, you lose, you're done."

The Buffs are also expecting to be closer to full strength for Thursday's game. Boyle said standout freshman Cody Williams, who has missed the last four games with an ankle injury, has practiced two days in a row and could be available Thursday.

"He's an extremely talented guy who's come in and been a great teammate," Boyle said. "He can affect the game in a lot of different ways. He can pass the ball, he can obviously shoot the ball, he can score the ball in transition. He's a good defender. He's got great length … It's been an up and down year for him, no doubt. But it's good to have him back out. We'll keep our fingers crossed he'll be in uniform on Thursday."

Boyle also said reserve guard Julian Hammond III, who has missed the last five games with a knee injury, is still a question mark.

No doubt the Buffs will be watching Wednesday night's game closely. CU split with both of their possible opponents this year, getting victories at home and losing on the road.

"Our players have done a great job this year of digesting scouting reports quickly," Boyle said. "We'll have 24 hours to prepare and they'll have a short prep for us because they will have just played. But this late in the season, league play, you've played each other twice. They know us, we know them. There won't be a lot of surprises."

Despite being short handed for the last few weeks, the Buffs are still playing their best basketball of the season.
Guard KJ Simpson, named first team All-Pac-12 this week, has been an ironman in the stretch. Simpson has played at least 35 minutes in every game of the win streak, including back-to-back 40-minute stretches and a 48-minute stint in CU's double-overtime victory at USC. Senior forward Tristan da Silva has shot 55 percent from the floor (33-for-60) over the last four games while averaging more than 20 points per gamer. Big guard J'Vonne Hadley — last week's Pac-12 Player of the Week — has been a do-everything guy, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game over the win streak, and big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. has scored in double figures four of his last five games, including a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double against Oregon State.

Now Boyle wants his team to step up its defense one more notch.

"We've gotten better defensively," Boyle said. "We're still not where we can be, where we need to be, but we've gotten better, we've shown improvement in that area. And, our turnovers have come down significantly."

Offensively, CU has been outstanding, scoring more than 80 points in four of the last six games.

"This team has been a really good offensive team all year long," Boyle said. "Very efficient, very unselfish. We put a lot of points on the board. But we have to prepare ourselves for maybe a game that is going to come in March at some point where you're not scoring. You have to rely on your defense, have to rely on your grit and your toughness. I hope that game doesn't come but we have to be ready for that."

While the reward for a top-four finish in the league standings is a first-round tournament bye, the downside is that the Buffs' opponent will have a game under their belts and the chance to become accustomed to the T-Mobile Arena court and baskets.

"I've always felt like playing the first round game is an advantage for you on Thursday," Boyle conceded. "But you get into Friday and Saturday and it becomes a disadvantage. I just talked to the team. I said, 'Look, whoever we play on Thursday night is going to have a game under their belt. They're gonna be feeling good about themselves because they just won the night before and we have to keep our edge mentally and emotionally and understand it's not going to be easy whoever we play.' We have to be locked in and ready. When our team is locked in and ready, I like our chances."

Williams' likely return will no doubt be a boost for the Buffs, especially if they can extend their stay in Las Vegas and play two or three nights in a row.

"It's nice to have everybody in uniform," Boyle said. "I don't know if we'll have Julian or not. …But when we get everybody healthy and going in the same direction we're an NCAA tournament team that can win some games in the tournament. But we've got to get there."
"
______________________________________________________________________________________

 

[Buffsbball]

Tourney preview - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/3/13/mens-basketball-buffs-gear-up-for-pac-12-tournament

"

Buffs Gear Up For Pac-12 Tournament​

By: Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor

BOULDER — After two critical road wins last weekend, the Colorado men's basketball team finds itself on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, with the majority of bracket predictions having the Buffaloes as at least one of the "last four" teams in.

Now Tad Boyle's Buffs, owners of a six-game winning streak, have to make sure that bubble doesn't pop this week at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

The Buffs, the No. 3 seed, open play Thursday with a 9:30 p.m. (MT) game at T-Mobile Arena against the winner of Wednesday's Arizona State-Utah matchup.

One more win would be a huge boost to Colorado's tourney resumé. A loss, however, would put the Buffs in a precarious position and leave them playing the waiting game until Sunday's bracket announcement.

There is, of course, one way Colorado can guarantee an NCAA berth — win the conference tournament. Boyle's Buffs won the first-ever Pac-12 tourney in 2012 to earn a bid and there would be some synchronicity involved if the Buffs could bookend that title with a championship in the last Pac-12 tournament.

But the Buffs haven't spent the week looking forward to Saturday's championship game — or even the Friday semifinals.

All that's on their mind is Thursday night's game.

"Win or go home," Boyle said after last weekend's win over Oregon State. "You're in the Pac 12 tournament, you lose, you're done. You get to postseason play, you lose, you're done."

The Buffs are also expecting to be closer to full strength for Thursday's game. Boyle said standout freshman Cody Williams, who has missed the last four games with an ankle injury, has practiced two days in a row and could be available Thursday.

"He's an extremely talented guy who's come in and been a great teammate," Boyle said. "He can affect the game in a lot of different ways. He can pass the ball, he can obviously shoot the ball, he can score the ball in transition. He's a good defender. He's got great length … It's been an up and down year for him, no doubt. But it's good to have him back out. We'll keep our fingers crossed he'll be in uniform on Thursday."

Boyle also said reserve guard Julian Hammond III, who has missed the last five games with a knee injury, is still a question mark.

No doubt the Buffs will be watching Wednesday night's game closely. CU split with both of their possible opponents this year, getting victories at home and losing on the road.

"Our players have done a great job this year of digesting scouting reports quickly," Boyle said. "We'll have 24 hours to prepare and they'll have a short prep for us because they will have just played. But this late in the season, league play, you've played each other twice. They know us, we know them. There won't be a lot of surprises."

Despite being short handed for the last few weeks, the Buffs are still playing their best basketball of the season.
Guard KJ Simpson, named first team All-Pac-12 this week, has been an ironman in the stretch. Simpson has played at least 35 minutes in every game of the win streak, including back-to-back 40-minute stretches and a 48-minute stint in CU's double-overtime victory at USC. Senior forward Tristan da Silva has shot 55 percent from the floor (33-for-60) over the last four games while averaging more than 20 points per gamer. Big guard J'Vonne Hadley — last week's Pac-12 Player of the Week — has been a do-everything guy, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game over the win streak, and big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. has scored in double figures four of his last five games, including a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double against Oregon State.

Now Boyle wants his team to step up its defense one more notch.

"We've gotten better defensively," Boyle said. "We're still not where we can be, where we need to be, but we've gotten better, we've shown improvement in that area. And, our turnovers have come down significantly."

Offensively, CU has been outstanding, scoring more than 80 points in four of the last six games.

"This team has been a really good offensive team all year long," Boyle said. "Very efficient, very unselfish. We put a lot of points on the board. But we have to prepare ourselves for maybe a game that is going to come in March at some point where you're not scoring. You have to rely on your defense, have to rely on your grit and your toughness. I hope that game doesn't come but we have to be ready for that."

While the reward for a top-four finish in the league standings is a first-round tournament bye, the downside is that the Buffs' opponent will have a game under their belts and the chance to become accustomed to the T-Mobile Arena court and baskets.

"I've always felt like playing the first round game is an advantage for you on Thursday," Boyle conceded. "But you get into Friday and Saturday and it becomes a disadvantage. I just talked to the team. I said, 'Look, whoever we play on Thursday night is going to have a game under their belt. They're gonna be feeling good about themselves because they just won the night before and we have to keep our edge mentally and emotionally and understand it's not going to be easy whoever we play.' We have to be locked in and ready. When our team is locked in and ready, I like our chances."

Williams' likely return will no doubt be a boost for the Buffs, especially if they can extend their stay in Las Vegas and play two or three nights in a row.

"It's nice to have everybody in uniform," Boyle said. "I don't know if we'll have Julian or not. …But when we get everybody healthy and going in the same direction we're an NCAA tournament team that can win some games in the tournament. But we've got to get there."
"
______________________________________________________________________________________

Love this clip from KJ and quote:

"I grew up in an era where if you were really good and started at a bad school you'd transfer to a good school, and uh I'm really big on loyatly, that's just who I am, and what I embody, and uh I think just being loyal has kind of taken me down a different path. A path that may have not been the most famous and glamarized as other people, and I'm kind of underneath a lot of those other names mentioned, however my dad always said at the end of the day as long as you put in the work everything will pay off"

Feel like there was a lot to read into in this clip about how he could have transferred after last year but due to who he is and how we was raised that wasn't an option. Also I know there was a lot of chatter in allbuffs about if KJ doesn't go to the NBA next year would he take a huge payout and transfer to a blue blood, I feel like this quote speaks to his mindset on these things. Absolutely love KJ he's a dog been so great to see him grow and take a challenge head on and answer the bell time and time again.

 

[BuffsNYC]

Story on cubuffs.com says Cody will play Thursday. Sounds like Hammond won't.

 

[DBT]

Story on cubuffs.com says Cody will play Thursday. Sounds like Hammond won't.

CW has missed so many games I worry about the chemistry at least a little.

 

[Buffnik]

Story on cubuffs.com says Cody will play Thursday. Sounds like Hammond won't.

Probably better to work one guy at a time into the rotation.

Ideally, I think we are 9 who play postseason minutes.