Did you know that the last time the Colorado Buffaloes had a stretch of games in which they faired 1-3 they went on to win their next five games? Stemming from those five wins was a Pac-12 tournament championship and an NCAA tournament win.
That’s to say that this is not unfamiliar territory. A fear for a team guided by youth would be to let this get away from them. Looking at 1-3 to start a season has a much different feel than deeper in the year. It can seem like an insurmountable ditch. This is between a rock and an uncomfortable place. But there are too many positives to have damning thoughts or believe that maybe this is who the Buffs are. I mean, it took a Wear family member making the most shots he’s ever connected on in his entire career to beat Colorado. When you force a Wear to beat you, you’ve done your job.
On to the other highlights.
Firstly, I’m coming to Boulder. My flight is booked and you know I already own Wildcat Red. What I don’t own is anything remotely close to handling sub-freezing temperatures. What is snow? Alas, come hell or iced water, I’m going to be in the Keg for that Valentine’s Day tilt and I could not be more excited. See you there.
Alas, that’s a month away and we need to wrap our minds around the fact that ASU just might be a contender. They’re playing improved defense and taking care of the basketball. Last year they literally turned the ball over one in every four possessions. You have to try to do that.
You’re also going to have to try pretty hard to beat the Oregon Ducks. They do so little flashy but they do so much of every little thing. Dana Altman has defined the roles of that group tremendously well and could really get rolling in Eugene if they’re able to sweep this week in LA. They were the better team Thursday when they beat the Wildcats and they should be the better team on the floor for most of the rest of their ball games.
But the most impressive team thus far has been the Washington Huskies. LoRo teams have long been cited as abysmal road warriors. They’ve played .500 ball on the road these past three seasons which ain’t too shabby. But when you consider they’ve played .716 ball over that same stretch, it might be fair to expect a little more out of them. Point being, the same Washington Huskies who lost at home to Albany this year, have now rattled off three straight road wins to kick the conference year off. Consider me shocked. But CJ Wilcox is legit and if the Dawgs are going to get 13/9 weekends out of N’Diaye…
Then there’s Stanford. How much do we really need to talk about those guys? They have absolutely one of my favorite rosters in the conference and they’re using it to the tune of 10-7. That’s not good. They’re drawing just a touch over half-capacity to Maples and there seems to be little buzz around this program. There was a lot to look forward to in this 12-13 campaign and while it’s not lost by any stretch of the imagination, it’s certainly been underwhelming.
USC. Utah.
Arizona dropped their inevitable first game and I don’t think it came as much of a surprise. I rather liked what Solomon Hill had to say so I’ll quote it, "I feel like we weren't undefeated to begin with," Hill said. "I feel like we had a couple losses. That's how the world looked at us, and that's how the media looked at us. So it's good to finally get the media monkey off our back. Now we have a chance to just focus back on Pac-12 play." Bright kid.
Be great.
