The Colorado men’s basketball team opens the 2017-18 Pac-12 schedule 9 p.m. Friday at Oregon State. Here’s a closer look at where the Buffaloes stand after 12 nonconference games this season.
Record: 8-4
Best win: 70-69 vs. Quinnipiac (Nov. 17) — The opponent isn’t the root of what made this victory so sweet, but rather how the Buffs pulled it off. CU trailed by 13 points with four minutes left and stormed back to win with a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer. It showed the resilience of a young team still searching for an identity.
Worst loss: 69-59 vs. San Diego (Dec. 12) — A double-digit home defeat to a West Coast Conference opponent doesn’t instill confidence. The Buffaloes connected on only 14 of 54 attempts from the field, which equaled the lowest shooting percentage (25.9) in the history of games played at the Coors Events Center dating back to 1979.
Nonconference MVP: Freshman guard McKinley Wright — The Buffaloes unearthed a star in their latest signing class. Wright was playing high school ball in Champlin, Minn., this time last year and now he leads the Buffs in scoring average (17), steals (15), blocks (9), assists (56) and 3-point shooting percentage (.41). CU is in good hands moving forward as Wright emerges into a team leader.
Three story lines
1. Growing pains. CU coach Tad Boyle entered the year with his youngest roster to date in Boulder, and then he lost starting senior forward -Stewart to a season-ending injury in early December. The Buffaloes have struggled since, losing four of their last six games heading into conference play. Six different CU freshmen have started at least one game. The Buffs are hoping for a shortened learning curve.
2. King’s court. If CU has any shot of making a surprise Pac-12 tournament run, their senior leader must be at his best. is averaging a career high in rebounds (8.3) in addition to 14.3 points. The Buffs are stripped of depth in their front court, so King must continue to elevate the play of those around him.
3. Self-inflicted. The Buffaloes enter their Pac-12 slate tied at No. 10 among conference teams in assist/turnover ratio: 0.8 (145 assists to 173 turnovers). Among the worst symptoms of playing so much untested talent is sloppiness that puts a disadvantaged roster in a bigger hole. CU must play smarter.
Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Arizona State (12-0): The Sun Devils are one of three unbeaten teams ranked in the top-25.
2. Arizona (10-3): The Wildcats followed three-straight losses with seven-straight victories.
3. UCLA (9-3): The Bruins defeated No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday in a major upset.
4. Washington (10-3): The Huskies shocked No. 2 Kansas at Allen Field House earlier this month.
5. USC (9-4): The Trojans are shooting a Pac-12 best 40 percent from 3-point range.
6. Oregon (10-3): The Ducks lead the league in rebounding margin (+8.1).
7. Utah (8-3): The Utes began the year with impressive wins against Missouri and Ole Miss.
8. (8-4): No team relies more on the 3-point shot than the Cougars (11.9 average).
9. Colorado (8-4): The Buffaloes have struggled shooting from 3-point range (33 percent).
10. Oregon State (8-4): The Beavers tout the league’s second-best scoring defense (70.2 average).
11. Stanford (6-7): Stanford has lost three of its last four games.
12. California (6-7): The Golden Bears lead the Pac-12 in total blocks (81).
CU outlook
Boyle continues to recruit at a much higher level than his predecessors and has notable NBA alumni including Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson and Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie. But it appears CU will likely miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Buffaloes also look to have a nucleus of young talent, and given a season to develop, it might turn into something special. But the clock is always ticking to produce a Pac-12 title contender.