Tad Boyle knows what a solid Northern Colorado basketball team looks like. Boyle coached one of the best hoops teams in Bears history.
So while this year’s version of the UNC Bears is a team in transition after losing a pair of premier scorers, Boyle has been quick to caution his Colorado men’s basketball team about complacency.
Coming off their biggest win of the season’s early stages, the Buffaloes are hitting a slower competition window two weeks ahead of the start of Pac-12 Conference play with renewed confidence and an understanding that any off night can have long-lasting ramifications.
Friday nightap date is part of a two games-in-18 days stretch for the Buffs, who nearly rejoined the Associated Press Top 25 this week but once again are likely to play without standout freshman Cody Williams.
“They’ve recruited some good players. I like their personnel,” said Boyle, who coached at UNC for four seasons and led the Bears to a 25-win season in 2009-10 prior to his arrival at CU. “You look at their numbers from three, and they don’t pop off the page at you. But they’ve got capable players that can make threes. We’ve got to do a good job of guarding the 3-point line.
“I like their team. I haven’t studied the Big Sky, but when I coached there, I would love to have this team in the Big Sky.”
Boyle on Thursday stopped short of declaring Williams out for Friday’s game and still didn’t offer a public prognosis for Williams’ ailing left wrist, but signs are pointing to a more likely potential return at or near the start of Pac-12 play. Williams, averaging 14.0 points with a .623 field goal percentage, missed Sunday’s win against Miami in New York and also missed the second game of the season against Grambling State due to an unrelated minor foot injury.
CU begins its final Pac-12 schedule at home against the Washington schools, starting on Dec. 29 against the UW Huskies, before playing the next three games on the road (Arizona, Arizona State, California).
“We’re just taking it based on how his wrist feels,” Boyle said. “Itap going to be based on how that feels and how he responds to treatment and how he responds to rest. Thatap really all he can do right now, is rest it and get treatment on it.”
UNC hasn’t played a power conference foe, although the Bears suffered an 83-64 loss at home against Colorado State on Nov. 14. However, Boyle pointed to an overtime win by UNC against Chicago State in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 21 as evidence of the Bears’ potential. On Wednesday, Chicago State won at No. 25 Northwestern on the same floor where the Wildcats knocked off then-No. 1 Purdue two weeks earlier.
UNC’s top two scorers are transfer newcomers in forward Saint Thomas (Loyola Chicago) and guard Dejour Reaves (Trinidad State) as the Bears continue to adjust to life without former CU guard Daylen Kountz and Dalton Knecht, who opted to play his extra season of eligibility at Tennessee.
“We’ve just got to stay focused,” CU guard Julian Hammond III said. “Every team is doing this right now, so we know that we’re not the only ones. We’ve just got to stay locked-in, because you don’t know what can happen on any given night. We’ve just got to stay prepared, stay ready, and keep working at practice and on our own.”
Northern Colorado Bears at CU Buffs men’s basketball
TIPOFF: Friday, 6 p.m., CU Events Center.
TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Northern Colorado 4-5; Colorado 7-2
COACHES: Northern Colorado — Steve Smiley, 4th season (49-52 at UNC and overall). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 14th season (279-174, 335-240 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Northern Colorado — F Saint Thomas, 6-7, Jr. (17.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 3.8 apg); G Dejour Reaves, 6-0, Jr. (16.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .577 FG%); F Brock Wisne, 6-9, So. (12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .527 FG%); F Riley Abercrombie, 6-9, Gr. (9.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .371 3%). Colorado — G KJ Simpson, 6-2, Jr. (19.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, .558 FG%, .471 3%); F Tristan da Silva, 6-9, Sr. (16.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .556 FG%, .410 3%); G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Jr. (10.0 ppg, 2.6 apg, .452 3%); F J’Vonne Hadley, 6-6, Sr. (9.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .574 FG%); C Eddie Lampkin Jr., 6-11, Sr. (7.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg); G/F Luke O’Brien, 6-8, Sr. (5.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
NOTES: CU has outrebounded all nine opponents this season. … In a series first played on Jan. 25, 1918, the Buffs own a 23-18 mark against UNC, with wins in the past 11 matchups. … CU defeated the Bears 88-77 at home last year behind big games from da Silva (26 points), Simpson (18 points) and Hadley (nine points, nine rebounds). … Simpson has made 16 consecutive free throws. … The Bears were picked ninth in the preseason Big Sky Conference media poll and finished in a tie for eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll. … Boyle has gone 5-0 against UNC, his former team. … UNC is coming off a double-overtime loss at Texas A&M-Commerce on Monday. … The Buffs complete the nonconference schedule at home on Dec. 21 against Utah Tech (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
