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Colorado is 0-10 in their new conference home.
This season has been anything but successful for Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Since the Big 12 schedule began on December 30, the Buffs have yet to win a game. They’re zero for ten, the longest winless streak in Boyle’s 15 years in Boulder, and their first 0-10 start in conference play since 1985-86.
That ‘85-86 team, you ask, finished 0-14 in the Big 8 and got Tom Apke fired.
Tad Boyle won’t get fired — he’s more likely to retire — but this team has the potential to not only match that 0-14 record, but smash it in the Big 12’s 20-game schedule.
Anything can happen. The worst team in the Boyle era literally beat the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies back in Maui. But the schedule is not very nice to the Buffs. All those road games are probable lossess — Utah is the worst one and they’re 7.5-point favorites — and the ranked home games would be massive upsets if they happen. What’s left is the three games against UCF, Baylor and TCU.
Colorado could have beat UCF earlier in the season. The two engaged in a back-and-forth affair that saw the Buffs pull ahead in the final minutes, only to blow the lead and miss two chances to win the game in the final seconds. UCF has gotten a lot better since that day, while the Buffs have not. The Citronauts travel well, as they’ve knocked off Arizona State in Tempe and challenged both Arizona and Kansas on the road.
After that, the Buffs will host the Baylor Bears in what will likely be a bloodbath. Baylor started the season #8 in the preseason polls, looked sketchy in the early part of the season (they couldn’t even beat UConn) and have now run hot and cold in the Big 12. The talent is there, what with VJ Edgecombe, Jeremy Roach and Norchad Omier. They just need a get-right game to turn their #26 ranking on KenPom into on-court success.
Finally, the Buffs will celebrate Senior Day with a home clash with the TCU Horned Frogs. Jamie Dixon’s boys are not very good, but we just saw them put CU’s offense in a stranglehold on Sunday. The Buffs have struggled time and again with turnovers, fouls and a general lack of chemistry on both ends of the floor. Maybe Tad will find something that works, or maybe the threat of an 0-20 season will kick them into high gear. Either way, it’s something to watch in the back-half of this unforgettable season.
by Sam Metivier
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