The Pac-12 microsite will preview each of its league teams over the next few weeks, continuing today with Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes
Strengths: Experience can carry Colorado a long way in a Pac-12 with so much turnover. Spencer Dinwiddie is out the door, but the Buffaloes got a head start on life without The Mayor after a midseason knee injury hastened the transition. A combined 157 starts from last season returns to this Tad Boyle‘s roster, headlined by senior guard Askia Booker and junior forward Josh Scott.
Josh Scott returns as the leading scorer on a Colorado team with plenty to like in the starting lineup. (US Presswire)
Weaknesses: While Dinwiddie’s injury caused Boyle to accelerate the future of the program at point guard, questions remain at the position. The team finished 11th in the league in assists (11.3 per game) and sported the worst assist-to-turnover ratio (0.85) in the conference. The narrative necessarily flips from the replacement of a missing star to a program looking for stability at the point. No excuses in Boulder this year.
Non-conference tests: Think back to how tough of a challenge Kansas presented in Colorado’s signature win last season. Now think about the opposite and you have an uneventful non-conference slate for this season’s Buffs. The highlight will be from December 22-25 at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, with games against DePaul, either George Washington or Ohio, and possibly Wichita State in the championship game. Outside of that, next on the list would be Friday’s opener against Drexel, picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association, and next Monday’s contest against Auburn for the sole entertainment of head coach Bruce Pearl’s return to the bench. True road games at Wyoming and Georgia aren’t going to impress anyone this year.
Toughest conference stretch: There will be no easing into the Pac-12 portion of the schedule. Three of the Buffaloes’ first four games will be at home against UCLA (January 2) and on the road at Utah (January 7) and Arizona (January 15).
If everything goes right… That will have plenty to do with how sophomore Jaron Hopkins performs. Hopkins is the point guard Colorado will bank on, with a handful of explosive scoring options in Booker and Xavier Johnson and one of the Pac-12’s premier big men in Scott. Hopkins’ decision-making will determine just how well the Buffaloes finish.
If nothing goes right… Colorado can very much be a high-risk/high-reward team. The guards can be wildly erratic just as quickly as they can get hot and sink a bunch of 3-pointers. Failing to remember Scott is down low and settling for deep jump shots will be the downfall of this group, particularly if their turnovers are not minimized. The Buffs are usually their own worst enemy on the nights things go awry.
Projected starting lineup:
- G Jaron Hopkins (So, 6’6”, 200 lbs., 4.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- G Askia Booker (Sr, 6’2”, 175 lbs., 13.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.3 APG)
- G/F Xavier Johnson (Jr, 6’7”, 230 lbs., 12.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 36.3% on 3-pointers)
- F Wesley Gordon (So, 6’9”, 240 lbs., 5.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
- F Josh Scott (Jr, 6’10”, 245 lbs., 14.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 51.1% on FGs)
There’s plenty to love about the balance of the starting five in Boulder. Size? Check. Experience? Check. Scoring? Check. Rebounding? OK, you get the point. The second spot in the Pac-12 preseason media poll could have just as easily gone to Colorado over Utah. You only have to wonder how long it will take the unit to figure out how to play as one and maximize those talents.
Key reserves:
- G Dominique Collier (Fr, 6’2”, 170 lbs.)
- G Xavier Talton (Jr, 6’2”, 185 lbs., 4.9 PPG, 37.3% on 3-pointers)
- G/F Tre’Shaun Fletcher (So, 6’7”, 210 lbs., 2.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG)
- G/F Dustin Thomas (So, 6’7”, 225 lbs., 3.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG)
- F Tory Miller (Fr, 6’9”, 255 lbs.)
If there is one thing Boyle will not be afraid to do, it’s turn to his bench. He had no choice but to do so last season after Dinwiddie’s injury, so the returnees are familiar with bigger roles. That should only help this season, as Fletcher, for one, looks to return to form after a knee injury cost him two months last season. But the injury bug is already back, as Boyle awaits Collier’s return from a left ankle injury. Once healthy, he is expected to command valuable minutes at point guard. Miller, meanwhile, is the lone notable backup in the post so that could be troublesome if the transition turns rough.