In a season that’s already seen more wins than ever before under Tad Boyle (25), can the CU Buffs pull off something they haven’t done in 69 years?
Thanks to an unplanned detour to Dayton’s First Four round, Boyle’s Buffs have a chance to win two games in the NCAA Tournament, something no CU men’s hoops team has pulled off since 1955, when coach Bebe Lee’s squad reached the Final Four. (Side note: CU’s Elite Eight berths in 1962 and ’63 and Sweet 16 slot in ’69 only required one victory apiece to get there, due to a smaller bracket.)
The fast-and-furious Florida Gators of the SEC are the only thing standing between these Buffs and history. Here are three keys that could help CU smash another glass ceiling:
Set the tempo: Like a killer point-guard showdown? Buffs-Gators is the matchup for you. CU and Florida are led by floor generals KJ Simpson (19.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.9 apg) and Zyon Pullin (15.6 ppg, 4.9 apg), respectfully, and their coaches prefer to run their particular offenses at very specific speeds.
The Buffs went into Thursday night ranked 184th in the country by KenPom.com in adjusted tempo, which is pretty much squarely in the middle of Division I schools. The Gators? Different story. Florida ranked 18th in adjusted tempo, as the SEC stalwarts like to run and gun at a frenetic and efficient pace. The Gators ranked 15th in adjusted offensive efficiency while the Buffs were a more-than-respectable 27th, so different strokes work for different folks. But Boyle’s preference will be to keep this one from turning into a track meet.
Don’t settle for jumpers: Nothing sends a team home from the Big Dance quicker than a.) settling for jump shots in an unfamiliar gym; and b.) missing those jumpers, repeatedly. The Buffs played heady, physical defense against Boise State in Dayton, but there was also a teeny bit of fortune involved in the paint, too. To put it another way: The Gators aren’t going to miss 21 layups.
When CU has the ball, forward Tristan da Silva has to continue to be aggressive when driving off the wing, even though Florida is arguably the biggest team up front the Buffs have faced all year. More incentive to drive and draw contact: The Buffs are 18-6 when they make at least 14 free throws in a tilt, 7-4 otherwise. UF ranks 219th nationally in conversion rate at the charity stripe (71.2%) while the Buffs are 12th (78.1%). The line’s your friend, man. Use it.
Get Cody Williams a friendly touch early: The Buffs’ super frosh hasn’t looked himself since returning to the rotation earlier this month coming off an ankle injury. The Arizona native has scored just 19 points, combined, over his last four appearances for CU, all in a tourney setting, while shooting just 8 for 25 from the floor and 0 for 4 from beyond the arc.
Every rim looks unfriendly to the Buffs’ top NBA prospect, and there’s only one sure cure: Run a set that gets him a look down low or on the wing for a comfortable, easy two. CU has won nine of its last 10 games with limited or no contributions from Williams. How many brackets could this team bust if No. 10 starts making it rain again?
