The University of Colorado men’s basketball team made the most of an opportunity Wednesday night, and head coach Tad Boyle told his team last night that more opportunities are to come – ones that could, as Boyle hinted, cement their legacy as one of the best Buffs basketball teams in school history.
With a 75-72 win over No. 9/10 Arizona on Wednesday night, Boyle’s squad hit several important milestones. The win was CU’s 400th at Coors Event Center (which opened in 1979) and 20th on the season. Most importantly for this year, the win likely punched the Buffs’ ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re 20-9 now,” Boyle told the team in the locker room postgame. “It’s only been done nine times,” he said, referring to the number of 20-win teams in school history.
He continued on, referencing a private conversation he had with the team in weeks past, which suggest that Boyle believes this team has the makings of one that can make a significant run in the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
“We still have that opportunity we talked about a couple of weeks ago, in terms of cementing our legacy at the University of Colorado. But it’s all about the next opportunity. We take care of those opportunities, and then they become big ones.”
That next opportunity is Arizona State, who will be in Boulder on Sunday. The Sun Devils are in 11th place at 4-10 in the Pac-12 (14-13 overall). CU’s win over Arizona secured a minimum .500 record in the conference for the Buffs, and a win over ASU would guarantee a winning record.
Go inside the @CUBuffsMBB locker room to see what Tad tells the team after the 75-72 win over Arizona. #GoBuffshttps://t.co/FDDlDVP5va
— Colorado Buffaloes (@CUBuffs) February 25, 2016
The Buffs can’t afford to falter against Arizona State after CU let a win slip away last week at USC and then were blown out against a middling UCLA team. The victory over Arizona, Boyle told his squad, showed that the Buffs are capable of beating top teams in the nation when they play with intensity and confidence.
“We’re strong. We played smart. We played aggressive and we were confident,” the coach passionately extolled his team after the game.
“That’s what high level, top-25 basketball looks like. It’s not easy. We beat a good team. Beating good teams like that is not easy. You do it by competing every single time.”
But his praise was not without a note of caution though, perhaps referencing the letdowns in Los Angeles the week prior and looking ahead to Sunday.
“My question is, ‘Why not every single time?’ That’s an answer we’ve got now. Now it’s incumbent upon us to bring it like that with the same energy, no matter if it’s Arizona or Arizona State.”
A difficult trip to Oregon and Oregon State in the early part of February started to show some cracks, but the Arizona win has the makings of a codifying win late in the year.
“We’ve been through some adversity here lately. We’ve got to keep believing. We played with confidence tonight. Believe in yourself. Believe in your teammates.”
After Arizona State, the Buffs will travel to Utah for the regular-season finale. The No. 22/23 Utes beat the Buffs in Boulder on Jan. 8 and have only lost one game in Salt Lake City this season.
Tad Boyle appears to have his team in the right direction as that next big opportunity against Utah approaches. They’ll need another confident performance Sunday against Arizona State to keep the momentum going not just for Utah, but for the even bigger opportunities that will follow.