Ring Them Bells
By Michael Krumholtz
The noises came as sudden as they left. Air Force’s first half assault kept taking a sold-out Coors Events Center crowd back into the silence. But eventually the roars flooded the arena as the Buffs pulled away 89-74 from the Falcons.
In the first period, the nets were singing swooshes. Whenever CU made a shot, a solid Air Force squad answered the ring to the tune of eight three-pointers.
With the No. 23 ranking hanging over their heads, the Buffs withheld the pressure of their first ranking in the Tad Boyle era. Now they’re 5-0 for the first time since 1989, before anyone on the roster was born.
"I'm not going to ignore it,” Boyle told CUbuffs.com after the win. “I'm happy for our program and our fans. We have to understand how we got there, and what we have to do to stay there.”
Air Force’s five seniors looked like they could spoil CU’s return home after last week’s championship at the Charleston Classic. At the half, the Buffs held a slim 41-39 lead. Then they brought the Falcons back down to earth, limiting them to 25 percent shooting and grounding their long-range spectacle.
Boyle’s ever-nasty defensive scheme allowed a single layup in the first half, helping to calm coach’s nerves just a bit (pun avoided).
"I felt pretty nervous as a coach,” Boyle said. “Air Force is a good team, well coached, well disciplined. We did a great job in the first half taking away their lay ups…(But) you have to pick your poison against Air Force because it’s hard to take the ball away.”
André Roberson looked like the first-round NBA talent that some promised him to be, which was most clear on a thunderous alley-oop in front of the student section. Then the chants chimed in: “Who’s Your Taddy?”
Roberson and Josh Scott combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds, imposing themselves down low on the smaller Falcon frontcourt. It turned out to be a memorable night for the freshman from Colorado Springs, who finished with career bests in points, rebounds, and made field goals.
“I just feel like it felt like any other night,” Scott said. “I was just playing my game. I have never played against a team that could shoot this well before so I was kind of in shock. Coming from Colorado, you don't see that very often, so, I was just playing really."
The large-bodied and athletic Buffs continued their brilliant interior defense. In the first half, Air Force didn’t have a point in the paint with its set offense. As a team, the Buffs more than doubled the opposition’s rebounding effort, getting a number of vital second chances on the offensive glass to tire Air Force.
"Rebounding was a big factor,” Roberson said. “It takes away their possessions and second chance points. We killed them on the boards."
The static buzzer sounded at game’s end, blending in to the ongoing applause and post-game pleasantries between teams. When the doors opened to the arena, the noise escaped into Boulder’s nightfall and rang through the valley. There is a 5-0 team building steam in Colorado and soon its loudening victories won’t be able to go unheard.
By Michael Krumholtz
The noises came as sudden as they left. Air Force’s first half assault kept taking a sold-out Coors Events Center crowd back into the silence. But eventually the roars flooded the arena as the Buffs pulled away 89-74 from the Falcons.
In the first period, the nets were singing swooshes. Whenever CU made a shot, a solid Air Force squad answered the ring to the tune of eight three-pointers.
With the No. 23 ranking hanging over their heads, the Buffs withheld the pressure of their first ranking in the Tad Boyle era. Now they’re 5-0 for the first time since 1989, before anyone on the roster was born.
"I'm not going to ignore it,” Boyle told CUbuffs.com after the win. “I'm happy for our program and our fans. We have to understand how we got there, and what we have to do to stay there.”
Air Force’s five seniors looked like they could spoil CU’s return home after last week’s championship at the Charleston Classic. At the half, the Buffs held a slim 41-39 lead. Then they brought the Falcons back down to earth, limiting them to 25 percent shooting and grounding their long-range spectacle.
Boyle’s ever-nasty defensive scheme allowed a single layup in the first half, helping to calm coach’s nerves just a bit (pun avoided).
"I felt pretty nervous as a coach,” Boyle said. “Air Force is a good team, well coached, well disciplined. We did a great job in the first half taking away their lay ups…(But) you have to pick your poison against Air Force because it’s hard to take the ball away.”
André Roberson looked like the first-round NBA talent that some promised him to be, which was most clear on a thunderous alley-oop in front of the student section. Then the chants chimed in: “Who’s Your Taddy?”
Roberson and Josh Scott combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds, imposing themselves down low on the smaller Falcon frontcourt. It turned out to be a memorable night for the freshman from Colorado Springs, who finished with career bests in points, rebounds, and made field goals.
“I just feel like it felt like any other night,” Scott said. “I was just playing my game. I have never played against a team that could shoot this well before so I was kind of in shock. Coming from Colorado, you don't see that very often, so, I was just playing really."
The large-bodied and athletic Buffs continued their brilliant interior defense. In the first half, Air Force didn’t have a point in the paint with its set offense. As a team, the Buffs more than doubled the opposition’s rebounding effort, getting a number of vital second chances on the offensive glass to tire Air Force.
"Rebounding was a big factor,” Roberson said. “It takes away their possessions and second chance points. We killed them on the boards."
The static buzzer sounded at game’s end, blending in to the ongoing applause and post-game pleasantries between teams. When the doors opened to the arena, the noise escaped into Boulder’s nightfall and rang through the valley. There is a 5-0 team building steam in Colorado and soon its loudening victories won’t be able to go unheard.