Tad Boyle admitted he has coached a bad team before. Despite a depth of struggles unprecedented during his tenure, Boyle doesn’t believe this year’s Colorado men’s basketball team is one of them.
Not that Boyle or any of the Buffaloes are OK with how the season has unfolded. But after a long-overdue first victory in Big 12 Conference play, Boyle explained how being the leader of a mediocre team is far more frustrating than coaching a bad one.
In this definition, a mediocre team is one capable of more, but continues to fall short of expectations. Boyle said this season’s struggles still pale to those of his first team as a head coach, a 2006-07 Northern Colorado squad that finished 4-24 in its first season in the Big Sky Conference.
Boyle still believes this year’s team is capable of more. And after ending the second-longest losing streak in program history with Saturday’s home win against Central Florida, the Buffs will have another opportunity to prove they’re a tougher out than their record says when they visit No. 8 Iowa State on Tuesday night.
“I’d rather be bad than mediocre. And that’s what I think this team is. We’re mediocre,” Boyle said. “Because you know you’re capable of playing better. You know you have players who are capable of performing better, but you’re not. That’s the most frustrating thing as a coach. And that’s what I’ve been through this year.
“And it’s not woe is me. I put the roster together. I signed the scholarship agreements. The blame goes right here. But when you’re bad, you’re bad. You’ve got to get your young guys better and you’ve got to recruit better. But when you’re mediocre? It’s really frustrating.”
CU already has dealt with a healthy dose of the Cyclones this season, suffering a 28-point drubbing at the Maui Invitational in November before opening Big 12 play with a 10-point loss at home on Dec. 30.
The Buffs were routed thoroughly in the first matchup but battled the Cyclones the second time, remaining within one point with 4 minutes, 59 seconds to play before ISU gradually pulled away. ISU has won three consecutive games on the heels of a three-game losing streak that included road losses at Arizona and Kansas, plus a home defeat against Kansas State.
ISU’s three-game win streak has coincided with the return of forward Milan Momcilovic from a seven-game absence due to a left hand injury. At 10-4 in the Big 12, ISU begins the week in fourth-place in the league standings, one game behind Texas Tech and Arizona with a showdown looming for the Cyclones on Saturday at Big 12-leading Houston.
For the Buffs, at the very least Saturday’s breakthrough against UCF should lessen the tension for a club whose losing streak was reaching historic proportions. Yet at this point, with a win finally in hand, no postseason in sight, and the clock ticking on the season, there are exactly zero reasons for the Buffs to take the floor without a nothing-to-lose mentality.
“Once you win one game, you just want to build on all of the good things,” CU guard Julian Hammond III said. “We rebounded the ball really, really well (against UCF), so we want to take that into Iowa State. There’s no pressure on us anymore really. We’re just going to go out and try and compete hard every night. Whatever we do good in the past game, we want to carry that into the next six games.”
CU Buffs men’s basketball at No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones
TIPOFF: Tuesday, 6 p.m. MT, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa.
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Colorado 10-15, 1-13 Big 12 Conference; Iowa State 20-5, 10-4.
COACHES: Colorado — Tad Boyle, 15th season (308-198, 364-264 overall). Iowa State — TJ Otzelberger, 4th season (90-40, 189-103 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Sr. (13.1 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.5 rpg, .394 3%); F Andrej Jakimovski, 6-8, Gr. (9.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg); C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .583 FG%); F Trevor Baskin, 6-9, Gr. (7.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .504 FG%); F Bangot Dak, 6-11, So. (7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .507 FG%); G Javon Ruffin, 6-5, R-Jr. (6.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, .355 3%); F Sebastian Rancik, 6-9, Fr. (5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg); G RJ Smith, 6-3, R-So. (5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .400 3%). Iowa State — G Curtis Jones, 6-4, Sr. (17.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .371 3%); G Keshon Gilbert, 6-4, Sr. (14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, .502 FG%); F Joshua Jefferson, 6-9, Jr. (12.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, .518 FG%); G Tamin Lipsey, 6-1, Jr. (10.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, .471 FG%); F Milan Momcilovic, 6-8, So. (10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .437 3%); C Dishon Jackson, 6-11, R-Sr. (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .570 FG%).
NOTES: Iowa State moved up two spots in this week’s Associated Press Top 25. … CU’s loss last week at Kansas extended its losing streak in true road games against AP top 25 teams to 20. Colorado hasn’t won a true road game against a ranked team since Feb. 7, 2013, at No. 19 Oregon, 48-47. … Dating back to CU’s previous tenure in the Big 12, ISU has won six consecutive home games against the Buffs. … ISU has generally been a balanced team all season, beginning the week ranked in the top five in Big 12 league games in scoring (75.9, fourth), scoring defense (68.1, fourth), field goal percentage (.456, fifth), defensive field goal percentage (.416, fourth), and average rebound margin (plus-4.7, third). … Hammond enjoyed big games in both of the previous matchups against ISU, averaging 20.5 points while shooting .536 (15-for-28) overall and going 5-for-12 on 3-pointers. … Ruffin has shot .448 (13-for-29) from 3-point range over the past eight games. … CU will host consecutive home games for the first time in more than a month, beginning Saturday against Baylor (2 p.m., ESPN+).
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