BOULDER — Tad Boyle made it clear before the start of his seventh season as coach at Colorado that he needed elevated play from the point guard spot.
For the Buffaloes to take the next step from NCAA Tournament team to second-weekend outfit, strengthening the position would be a must. It was plain to see in CU’s postseason loss to Connecticut last spring, when a big lead evaporated in a wave of ill-time turnovers in the second half.
The Buffs simply didn’t get steady, calming play from the most important position on the floor.
“Our point guard play has to be better this year than it was last year in order for us to continue on our upward trajectory in terms of postseason play and advancing in postseason play,” Boyle said at the team’s media day three weeks ago.
In the infancy of the 2016-17 season, there are still construction cones around the backcourt as new players aim to find footing at point guard. But consider CU’s 89-70 rout of Louisiana Monroe cement over a few potholes.
With junior , who came off the bench in CU’s first two games, sidelined for an indeterminate amount of time with a foot injury, Boyle continued to tinker with his rotation at the spot. , the 6-foot-5 Division II transfer, carried the bulk of the ball-handling duties with the first team and continued to show why Boyle has deemed him “worth the price of admission.”
White had 12 points by halftime with maximum efficiency. He hit all four of his field-goal attempts and all three of his free-throw attempts. He had three rebounds, two of the them on the offensive glass that led directly to five CU points, showcasing the off-the-ball impact Boyle raved about leading up to this season. White also had four assists and two steals to help CU move to 3-0.
“He can affect the game in so many different ways,” Boyle said. “If Derrick was a selfish player he could have have had 25 or 30 points tonight, but he’s not. He played unbelievably unselfishly in the second half. We’re playing him at the point guard because we want the ball in his hands. He makes terrific decisions.”
The Buffs continued to tinker the rotation behind White and received a new addition against the Warhawks with the debut of freshman . The 6-4 guard from La Puente, Calif., was suspended the first two games of the season for violating team rules, but he wasted little time making highlights. Moments after coming off the bench in the first half, Peters stole a pass at midcourt and cruised ahead for an emphatic dunk.
“I thought Bryce brought a lot of energy on the defensive level,” said Josh Fortune, who was tied for the team lead with 14 points, which included a 10-of-10 performance at the free-throw line. “That transferred into offense for him and the team. I thought his energy from the get-go was fantastic.”
Peters also knocked down a 3-pointer as the first-half buzzer sounded after White had corralled an offensive rebound on a free-throw miss in the final seconds. He then punctuated an encouraging debut with another steal and dunk in the second half, finishing with nine points.
The Buffs showed much greater energy and execution than they did in a lackluster 67-55 win over Seattle on Monday. rebounded from a slow start to finish with 14 points — one of five Buffs in double figures.
The Buffs will finally get a stiff test Monday when they face Notre Dame, which has reached the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons, in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“Now it’s off to New York,” Boyle said addressing the win over ULM. “It’s hard not to be thinking about moving forward right now. … We have to get better at playing 40 minutes because Notre Dame, they shoot the ball better than Louisiana Monroe.”