Boulder – There’s no sense asking Colorado men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton or Colorado State’s Dale Layer where they were the last time CSU won in Boulder.
It was Dec. 2, 1957.
Patton and Layer were born in 1958.
CU has won 13 straight at home since then against the Rams. The Buffaloes (3-5) will try to hold serve Saturday night at Coors Events Center.
“Every team fights hard to take care of their home court,” Patton said. “I don’t know if (the streak) serves as any kind of motivation.”
If Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t make Colorado State (6-2) the favorite on this visit, they probably should. The Rams are on a five-game win streak after a 75-66 home victory over Northern Colorado on Wednesday.
Colorado has already lost three times at home. Then again, CSU isn’t exactly a finished product. The Rams are 1-2 away from Fort Collins.
“(CU) is trying to blend a lot of new guys,” Layer said. “I don’t know if they are all the way in sync. It’s similar to us.”
Taking advantage of pre-finals week, Patton scheduled two practices for Wednesday and Thursday. The morning workouts stressed drills and teaching. Five-on-five scrimmages consumed much of the afternoon practices.
Spending that much time together can help players bond and develop team chemistry, Patton said. He said the Buffs, who have five of their eight freshmen playing significant minutes, are “right there” in trying to develop into a competitive team.
“We need guys communicating better on the floor,” Patton said. “We still have some of our young guys playing like they’re not quite sure whether they should shoot it or should not shoot it.”
CU won’t have to worry about the star of last year’s 83-82 CSU win in Fort Collins. Guard Sean Morris, who scored 34 points, transferred to New Orleans. But the Rams have several scoring options. Seven-foot junior forward Jason Smith averages 17.8 points. Shooting guard Tyler Smith, a 6-3 junior-college transfer, contributes 14.3 points per game. And senior point guard Cory Lewis scored 30 points last week in a home win over Kansas State.
Not surprisingly, CU junior guard Richard Roby said the key for the Buffs “has to start at the defensive end.”
Staff writer Natalie Meisler contributed to this report.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
