LOS ANGELES — Tad Boyle has coached 428 video games because the chief of the Colorado males’s basketball group.
If one prefers to nitpick, it’s technically 427 video games, as affiliate head coach Mike Rohn took over for one recreation final yr whereas Boyle handled a bout of COVID. Regardless, all through a tenure that’s nearing the stretch run of his thirteenth season, Boyle’s groups have dedicated no less than 22 turnovers in a recreation simply 12 occasions.
Two of these cases occurred throughout CU’s two losses in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Correcting a relapse of a turnover problem that haunted the Buffs early within the season however had apparently been corrected over the previous month will probably be precedence No. 1 as Colorado will get again to work this week forward of Thursday’s Pac-12 Convention dwelling recreation in opposition to Washington (7 p.m., ESPNU).
“I bear in mind a pair years again this system hung their hat on not dropping at dwelling,” Buffs level guard KJ Simpson mentioned. “We’ve simply bought to regroup at dwelling. Play our recreation and be composed and it must be higher with our dwelling crowd. We’ve simply bought to regroup.”
Maybe considerably surprisingly, flirting with two dozen turnovers — the Buffs truly hit that mark as soon as, committing a Boyle-era excessive 24 turnovers at Oregon State on Feb. 6, 2016 — hasn’t at all times been a recipe for defeat. In truth, within the 10 video games underneath Boyle that includes no less than 22 turnovers previous to the Los Angeles journey, the Buffs went 5-5. Two of these wins occurred within the postseason regardless of 23 turnovers, defeating California within the 2019 Pac-12 match and UNLV within the first spherical of the 2012 NCAA Event.
Nonetheless, it’s not a blueprint for fulfillment, notably for a group this season that isn’t almost environment friendly sufficient on offense to beat so many giveaways. There stays time to salvage some kind of postseason berth, as Saturday’s defeat at No. 7 UCLA didn’t affect CU’s NET rating. The Buffs held regular at No. 61 in Sunday’s NET and, outdoors of the ultimate six minutes of a loss in opposition to Arizona State on Dec. 1, CU has performed nicely at dwelling all season.
The Buffs have seven dwelling video games remaining within the common season and 5 on the highway. This week’s dwelling sequence in opposition to the Washington faculties will push CU (11-8, 3-5 Pac-12) to the midpoint of convention play.
“We’re on the level now the place you’re simply attempting to win the following recreation,” Boyle mentioned. “Whether or not it’s at dwelling or on the highway, I don’t take a look at all that stuff. You simply attempt to win the following recreation, and that’s the mode that everyone’s in proper now. The groups that may try this on a constant foundation are going to complete within the prime half of the league. And the groups that don’t are going to complete within the backside half. Proper now, that’s the path we’re headed. However we are able to change that by successful the following recreation.
“We’ve bought plenty of room for enchancment. This group is one the place I wish to search for incremental enchancment, day-to-day, week-to-week. This highway journey, I didn’t see that. I didn’t see enchancment between (USC) and UCLA. I noticed the identical issues. Now we have to do one thing about that.”
The Buffs might obtain some reinforcement in opposition to the Washington groups with the potential return of senior guard Jalen Gabbidon, who has missed the previous 5 video games resulting from a knee damage however was on the Los Angeles journey going by exercises.
“I hope so. We’ll see,” Boyle mentioned. “I don’t have any really feel for that. He was on the journey. He’s figuring out. He’s operating, no less than straight traces. I don’t learn about transferring laterally but. We’ll get a really feel for that this week.”