Tad Boyle, like most of us, has no idea what a full CU men’s basketball season during a global pandemic is going to look like. But the Buffs coach now knows that season won’t have the same lofty expectations as a year ago.
The Buffs, coming off a 21-11 campaign that was cut short because of COVD-19 cancellations, were picked to finish seventh in the Pac-12 in a poll of conference media released Thursday.
CU was picked second, narrowly, in the 2019-20 preseason poll, landing behind only Oregon. A late-season slump saw Boyle’s squad finish in a tie for fifth with Arizona at 10-8 in league play.
UCLA was picked to win the league and garnered nine of 23 first-place votes. Arizona State was second, followed by Oregon, Stanford, Arizona and USC.
The last time the Buffs were picked to finish seventh, in the preseason 2018-19 poll, they wound up in a tie for fourth. CU was also tapped for seventh in 2015-16 and finished fifth, eventually reaching the NCAA tourney as an 8 seed.
During those two campaigns, Boyle’s squads averaged 22 victories and won 65.1% of their regular-season contests.
CU was slated to open the season vs. South Dakota State on Nov. 25 in Manhattan, Kan., as part of the four-team Little Apple Classic. But the Jackrabbits pulled out of the event, leaving the Buffs, and its organizers, looking for a replacement as of last week.
Pac-12 Media Poll
| Team (First Place Votes) | Pts |
|---|---|
| 1. UCLA (9) | 251 |
| 2. Arizona State (5) | 246 |
| 3. Oregon (7) | 241 |
| 4. Stanford (1) | 209 |
| 5. Arizona | 173 |
| 6. USC (1) | 154 |
| 7. Colorado | 149 |
| 8. Utah | 131 |
| 9. Washington | 85 |
| 10. California | 65 |
| 11. Washington State | 54 |
| 12. Oregon State | 36 |