BOULDER — Time is running short for Tad Boyle‘s Colorado Buffaloes.
But with three regular season games remaining — all at home — Boyle’s Buffs still have a chance to collect some quality wins, gain some confidence and build momentum heading into their annual trip to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament (March 8-11).
CU has endured an up-and-down season this year and has struggled on the road (2-8). But the Buffs are 11-2 at home and they do have some quality wins — in particular over Tennessee and Texas A&M, two teams currently in the top 30 in the NCAA NET rankings. They have also looked good in wins over Oregon and Stanford, and just last weekend won at Arizona State.
Overall, however, they sit at 15-13 and their 7-10 mark in the Pac-12 has them in a tie for eighth in the conference standings. Their only hope for an NCAA tourney bid is to run the table in Las Vegas.
But they are also one of “those” teams — a team with the ability to beat anyone in the league, especially on a neutral floor. That means they are the kind of team opposing coaches don’t want to see in a conference tournament, especially if they arrive with a little confidence and momentum.
It’s a message Boyle has been delivering to his team.
“We have three home games that are all winnable,” Boyle said after last weekend’s loss at Arizona. “Now they’re not going to be easy … (But) we need to finish strong and understand that we can beat any team in this league on any given night when we go to Las Vegas … We have to play to the level of our ability. If we do that I like where this team is headed.”
Indeed, the final three regular season games are all against teams currently sitting in the top four in the league standings. They should no doubt provide a crucial barometer as to how the Buffs will stand when they head into the conference tourney.
The upcoming schedule:
Thursday vs. USC (19-8 overall, 11-5 Pac-12), 7 p.m., ESPN2 — The Trojans currently are third in the conference standings and have a 56 NET ranking (Colorado is 64th). The Trojans have won two in a row and six of their last eight. The Buffs dropped their first meeting with USC this year, a 68-61 defeat in early January in Los Angeles. This matchup has become a rather heated rivalry in recent years, and the Trojans need every win possible down the stretch to…
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