Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle realizes he might be a committee of one, but he’s confident his Buffaloes are capable of returning to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season.
“Absolutely, our goal is to be playing in the NCAA Tournament and this team is fully capable of doing it,” Boyle said. “I’m not sure anyone else thinks of our team that way, but I do.”
Boyle’s optimism is based on the presence of 6-foot-10 senior Josh Scott, whom Boyle considers to be one of college basketball’s premier big men.
Scott, who came to CU from Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, missed eight games because of injuries last season and the Buffaloes missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. A loss at Seattle University in the College Basketball Invitational ended the Buffs’ season with a 16-18 record. In 26 games, Scott averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds.
A healthy Scott will go a long way in improving that record.
“We’ve got good team chemistry and Josh has good support with forward Wesley Gordon and guard Dominique Collier,” Boyle said.
Xavier Johnson, the Buffs’ third-leading scorer last season at 10.3 points per game, remains out. Johnson is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
Boyle won’t have to wait long to see how his team operates under fire. The Buffs open their season at 3 p.m. Friday against No. 7 Iowa State in a nationally televised game (ESPN2) played in Sioux Falls, S.D. They continue on the road Tuesday at Auburn in another afternoon nationally televised game (ESPN).
“There’s no question that Josh is as good a big man as there is in college basketball when he’s healthy,” Boyle said. “Our guard play will be the key for us. We have to take care of the basketball and do a much better job of eliminating turnovers.”
Gordon, a junior from Sierra High School in Colorado Springs, averaged 6.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 34 games last season. Collier, from Denver East, averaged 4.7 points in 30 games as a freshman.
George King, a 6-6 sophomore guard, and Josh Fortune, a 6-5 junior guard, are eligible to play for the Buffs after transferring to CU and sitting out last season to gain eligibility.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or @irvmoss
