It fell short of the declaration Colorado fans have eagerly awaited. But coach Tad Boyle hinted the end of the line might finally be near for the worst of the Buffaloes’ personnel issues.
As the Buffs traveled directly from Arizona to Berkeley, Calif., for the final Pac-12 Conference visit at California on Wednesday, Boyle indicated the return of talented freshman Cody Williams might be on the horizon.
“I’m hopeful he’ll be back Wednesday,” Boyle told BuffZone, “but we’ll see.”
Williams has missed the past seven games due to a left wrist injury, getting sidelined just as he appeared to be getting fully comfortable at the collegiate level. Williams also missed the second game of the season against Grambling State due to an unrelated injury, but in seven starts he averaged 14.0 points while shooting .623 from the floor. That included a 6-for-10 mark on 3-pointers, and he was averaging 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Before getting injured, Williams had posted back-to-back 21-point games, compiling that total in just the second half of a Nov. 29 loss at Colorado State before posting 21 points again against Pepperdine. Williams shot .680 (17-for-25) in those two games and was 4-for-4 on 3-pointers in the three games prior to his injury.
The Buffs were 6-0 without Williams this season until the 0-2 trip through Arizona this past weekend. CU has played the past seven games shorthanded and have played the past four while missing two key rotation pieces. Senior forward Tristan da Silva missed three games due to a sprained ankle before returning for Saturday’s loss at Arizona State, while guard Julian Hammond III missed the ASU game with a back injury. Hammond remains day-to-day going into the Cal game.
Regardless if Williams returns on Wednesday, or perhaps Saturday at home against USC, his return, coupled with da Silva’s comeback, would provide a huge boost.
“Certainly the personnel issues are real. There’s no way around them,” Boyle said. “We’re not using them as an excuse, nor will we ever. But it is a challenge. I think our guys are as frustrated as I am about the result the other night (at ASU). But it wasn’t because we didn’t compete. It wasn’t because we didn’t play hard. We just didn’t play well enough.”
With or without Williams, the Buffs on paper should have an opportunity to get well offensively against a Bears squad that ranks last in the Pac-12 in defensive field goal percentage, defensive 3-point percentage and points allowed. But Cal is coming off its first win at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in 14 years, and first-year Bears coach Mark Madsen designed a winning scouting report against the Buffs 10 months ago as his former team, Utah Valley, knocked off CU in the second round of the NIT in Boulder.
Cal has discovered a pair of consistent play-makers in two Texas Tech transfers, guard Jaylon Tyson and forward Fardaws Aimaq. Aimaq also previously played for Madsen at Utah Valley, where he was a two-time WAC defensive player of the year and the league’s overall player of the year in 2020-21.
“They play with a lot of effort, and I think they’re confident,” Boyle said. “I think they believe in themselves, they believe in their coach. They’ve struggled to win games, but they’ve been right there. Itap not going to be easy. Nothing in conference play ever is.
“(Aimaq) brings skill, he brings toughness. He’s a skilled big guy, he can shoot the ball from three, he can score on the block. He’s a good passer. He knows how to play.”
CU Buffs men’s basketball at California Golden Bears
TIPOFF: Wednesday, 9 p.m. MT, Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.
TV/RADIO: ESPNU/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Colorado 11-4, 2-2 Pac-12 Conference; California 5-10, 1-3.
COACHES: Colorado — Tad Boyle, 14th season (283-176, 339-242 overall). Cal — Mark Madsen, 1st season (5-10, 75-61 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G KJ Simpson, 6-2, Jr. (20.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.3 apg, .531 FG%, .450 3%); F Tristan da Silva, 6-9, Sr. (15.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, .525 FG%); F J’Vonne Hadley, 6-6, Sr. (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, .563 FG%); C Eddie Lampkin Jr., 6-11, Sr. (9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .520 FG%); G/F Luke O’Brien, 6-8, Sr. (7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .405 3%). Cal — G Jaylon Tyson, 6-7, Jr. (20.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, .502 FG%); F Fardaws Aimaq, 6-11, Gr. (15.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg); G Jalen Cone, 5-11, Gr. (14.3 ppg); G Keonte Kennedy, 6-5, Gr. (10.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg).
NOTES: CU is just 3-15 all-time at Cal, with a 2-8 mark at Haas Pavilion since joining the Pac-12. The Buffs dropped a four-point decision last year at Cal against a Bears team that finished 3-29. … CU has lost all three of its true road games this season — both games last week in Arizona, and at CSU on Nov. 29. … Aimaq leads the Pac-12 at 10.7 rebounds per game. … Despite last week’s losses in Arizona, the Buffs go into the next round of Pac-12 games leading the league in 3-point percentage (.395) and free throw percentage (.771). … Simpson enjoyed a big game during the loss at Cal last year, going 10-for-20 with 25 points and five assists. … This is the last of three consecutive road games for the Buffs, who begin a run of three consecutive home games against USC on Saturday (8 p.m., ESPN2).
