BOULDER — Colorado basketball. That’s all the CU men’s coach, Tad Boyle, wants to see.
In a week that has included a busy slate of final exams and the team’s first injury concern of the season — all coming on the heels of two emotional victories — factors are colliding that could set up the streaking Buffaloes for a letdown.
Particularly with a pair of unheralded opponents arriving at the Coors Events Center for the first two games of the Las Vegas Classic on back-to-back nights, a run that begins Friday against Nicholls State and concludes Saturday against Hampton.
Boyle is aware of the potential pitfalls facing his team with marquee matchups against Penn State and, possibly, No. 18 SMU next week in Las Vegas. That’s why the simple directive of playing Colorado basketball is the priority for this weekend.
“Nicholls State and Hampton, they’re both athletic teams,” Boyle said. “They’re both perimeter-oriented teams. Not that they don’t have good big guys. They do. But these first two games, what I’m concerned with is Colorado basketball. Am I concerned with Nicholls State? Absolutely. Am I concerned with Hampton? Absolutely.
“So it’s about taking care of our business and doing what we do well. If we do that, I think we’ll be OK. If we don’t … crazy things happen in college basketball. It’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing, getting these guys prepared.”
The Buffs could be without Tre’Shaun Fletcher this weekend; the junior suffered an injury in last weekend’s win over BYU.
“We just have to stay humble and stay hungry,” said junior guard Josh Fortune.
Nicholls State was blasted by SMU on Wednesday night and brings a three-game losing streak to Boulder. While the Buffs are averaging a robust 84.8 points per game, Nicholls State is averaging only 66.3 points.
A quick start against the Colonels that might allow CU to rest starters late could come in handy against Hampton, an NCAA Tournament team last season that should present a bigger challenge. Hampton was 4-3 going into its Thursday night game at SMU and averaging more than 75 points per game.
