There will be more telling tests for the Colorado men’s basketball team in the coming weeks.
Yet Buffaloes fans are well aware that head coach Tad Boyle loves defense and rebounding. And the opening week results in those departments were decidedly … meh.
CU has been sturdy, if untested, on the boards but has plenty of ground to gain defensively in the nonconference buildup to Big 12 play. It’s a process the Buffs will continue with a Wednesday night home date against Cal State Fullerton.
The Buffs have outrebounded both of their foes by double digits in a 2-0 start, but enjoyed a significant size advantage both times. And that edge probably won’t change until the Buffs take on Michigan State in the first of three games at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25.
Defensively, however, the Buffs’ early returns have been erratic.
“We’ve got to take away threes from teams that can shoot the ball from three,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “I think our defense is certainly ahead of our offense. There’s no doubt about that. For where we are in the season, defensively I feel OK. Again, you give up 88 points and 13 threes (against Northern Colorado), you don’t feel good about that. I thought against Eastern (Washington) it was pretty good. Northern Colorado, we took a step back.”
UNC’s 13 3-pointers in CU’s double-overtime win last week were the most by a CU foe since Northern Iowa went 14-for-26 in an upset of the Buffs in Boulder on Dec. 10, 2019. The Bears had to work much harder for their 13 3-pointers in a 50-minute game, going 13-for-36, but that final .361 mark still is higher than the Buffs would prefer.
“I feel like we have good possessions, then we have bad possessions. It’s just something we need to be consistent at,” CU senior guard Julian Hammond III said. “Playing against other teams, it’s different. You’re seeing different actions. You’re seeing different players and stuff like that. You have teams like Northern Colorado that shoot a lot of threes. But we’ve got to know that and take that away. Did they hit some ones that were really tough? Yeah. You can’t do anything about those. But the ones that shooters have, we’ve got to make sure we take away those as much as we can.”
UNC shot .432 overall after the Buffs held Eastern Washington to a .362 mark in the opener. The Eagles went 4-for-8 on 3-pointers in the first half but were only 1-for-8 after halftime as the Buffs rallied for the win. Cal State Fullerton went 7-for-17 from long range in its opening game but finished 3-for-12 in a lopsided loss at Stanford.
“Young players and immature players, they equate their offense with how they play. And they let their frustrations on offense affect their defense,” Boyle said. “We’ve let that happen. Am I happy with where we are? No. But I knew with this team from the get-go, it was going to be a process. I’ve got to just remind myself of that.”
Cal State Fullerton at CU Buffs men’s basketball
TIPOFF: Wednesday, 7 p.m. CU Events Center.
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Cal State Fullerton 0-2; Colorado 2-0.
COACHES: Cal State Fullerton — Dedrique Taylor, 12th season (151-181 at Cal State Fullerton and overall). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 15th season (300-183, 356-249 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Cal State Fullerton — F John Mikey Square, 6-6 Sr. (10.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 8-for-10 FG%); G Kaleb Brown, 6-7, Jr. (10.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 7-for-9 FG); G Donovan Oday, 6-2, Jr. (9.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg); G Zion Richardson, 6-4, Sr. (8.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 10-for-10 FTs). Colorado — C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 10-for-15 FG); G Javon Ruffin, 6-5, R-Jr. (12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg); F Trevor Baskin, 6-9, Gr. (10.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg); F Andrej Jakimovski, 6-8, Gr. (10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 9-for-11 FTs); G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg); G RJ Smith, 6-3, R-So. (8.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3-for-5 3-pointers).
NOTES: The Buffs and Fullerton have met just once, with CU posting a 79-69 win at home on Dec. 21, 1993. … Fullerton is in the middle of four straight road games to open the season. The Titans opened the year with a loss at Grand Canyon and are coming off a 27-point loss at Stanford. … Cal State Fullerton was picked 10th in the 11-team Big West Conference preseason coaches’ poll. … CU guard Javon Ruffin has posted consecutive double-digit scoring games for the first time since the 2022-23 season. … The Buffs are 98-8 in nonconference home games under Boyle. CU has won 18 consecutive nonconference home games, dating back to a loss against No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 4, 2021. … CU freshman forward Sebastian Rancik is off to a 5-for-7 start on 3-pointers. … The Buffs have recorded 12 steals in each of the first two games. … Colorado completes its season-opening four-game homestand against Harvard on Sunday (noon, ESPN+).