Post by mhbruin on Aug 13, 2021 11:03:02 GMT -8
Next are the 3rd Place Colorado Buffalos. They are losing quite a bit, but they are returning a nice group of players as well, including a player who could have a breakout.
season.
After a pretty good regular season the Buffalos got their best tournament seed since the NCAA started seeding the tournament. As a #5 seed, they crushed #12 Georgetown , but lost badly to #4 seed Florida State. It was a good season by Colorado standards. The last time they won more than one game in the tournament was 1955, when 2 wins got them to the Final Four.
GRADUATING
Maddox Daniels won't be using the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted. He is going to be a life coach. Whatever that is.
IN THE DRAFT
They lose their leader in points, assists, and steals. He holds a bunch of Colorado career records.
After watching him play at the Draft Combine, I think he will be an even bigger loss than I originally anticipated. He may or may not be big enough to play in the NBA, but he just makes everyone around him better. He was a GREAT college player. Pretty damned good for a 3-star recruit.
He didn't get drafted, but I expect to see him on an NBA roster.
TRANSFERRING OUT
CU loses three of its top four scorers and five of its top seven. Departed seniors Wright, Horne, D’Shawn Schwartz, Dallas Walton and Maddox Daniels accounted for about 62 percent of the Buffs’ scoring production. Horne led the Buffs in rebounding and Wright ranked third, in addition to the latter’s almost irreplaceable role in running CU’s offense.
Jeriah Horne not be leaving the Buffaloes for Buffalo. He changed his mind and will be transferring to Tulsa. Now we are unlikely to confuse him with D.J. Horne who will be playing for Arizona State.
D'Shawn is leaving for George Mason. May the Schwartz be with him. He is ranked the #84 transfer by CBS.
Here's hoping that Dallas Walton can have a healthy season at Wake. The poor young man has been plagued by injuries.
In case you are wondering, Missouri S&T is Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Owen Koonce has the distinction of being the only college basketball player I know of named "Owen".
RETURNING
Tad Boyle always plays a lot of guys, so even though he loses 4 important guys, he still returns quite a bit of experience
Faulkner was the best player on Western Carolina, one of the two worst teams in the Southern Conference. Like McKinley Wright, he seems to be an excellent rebounder for a guard.
Faulkner changed his mind and transferred to Louisville, instead.
CONCLUSION
N
Tad Boyle loses quite a bit, but has a lot of experienced pieces to work with. I also expect him to continue to play a lot of players.
Boyle has been at Colorado for 11 years now. Last season's 3rd place finish in the Pac-12 was the best he's ever had. He's never advanced past the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. He has never really had consistent success in Boulder in spite of the huge home court advantage of 5,430 feet.
This may be the most talented team he has ever had. Can he put the pieces together?
I am skeptical about this team. I picked them to finish 10th. Vrooman's computer is even more skeptical, predicting 11th. Less1Brain says 7th, Wilner says 6th, and Torvicks says 8th. That averages out to 8th or 9th. No one seems to think they will make the tournament.
This seems like a put up or shut up year for Tad Boyle. I don't think his job in at risk, but missing the tournament could warm up his seat a bit.
season.
After a pretty good regular season the Buffalos got their best tournament seed since the NCAA started seeding the tournament. As a #5 seed, they crushed #12 Georgetown , but lost badly to #4 seed Florida State. It was a good season by Colorado standards. The last time they won more than one game in the tournament was 1955, when 2 wins got them to the Final Four.
GRADUATING
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Maddox Daniels | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Maddox Daniels won't be using the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted. He is going to be a life coach. Whatever that is.
IN THE DRAFT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| McKinley Wright | 32 | 15 | 4 | 5 |
They lose their leader in points, assists, and steals. He holds a bunch of Colorado career records.
After watching him play at the Draft Combine, I think he will be an even bigger loss than I originally anticipated. He may or may not be big enough to play in the NBA, but he just makes everyone around him better. He was a GREAT college player. Pretty damned good for a 3-star recruit.
He didn't get drafted, but I expect to see him on an NBA roster.
TRANSFERRING OUT
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
| Jeriah Horne | 25 | 11 | 6 | 1 | Tulsa |
| D'Shawn Schwartz | 28 | 9 | 4 | 1 | George Mason |
| Dallas Walton | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | Wake Forest |
| Isaac Jessup | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Colorado Mesa |
| Alexander Strating | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Missouri S&T |
| Owen Koonce | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Colorado Mesa |
CU loses three of its top four scorers and five of its top seven. Departed seniors Wright, Horne, D’Shawn Schwartz, Dallas Walton and Maddox Daniels accounted for about 62 percent of the Buffs’ scoring production. Horne led the Buffs in rebounding and Wright ranked third, in addition to the latter’s almost irreplaceable role in running CU’s offense.
Jeriah Horne not be leaving the Buffaloes for Buffalo. He changed his mind and will be transferring to Tulsa. Now we are unlikely to confuse him with D.J. Horne who will be playing for Arizona State.
D'Shawn is leaving for George Mason. May the Schwartz be with him. He is ranked the #84 transfer by CBS.
Here's hoping that Dallas Walton can have a healthy season at Wake. The poor young man has been plagued by injuries.
In case you are wondering, Missouri S&T is Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Owen Koonce has the distinction of being the only college basketball player I know of named "Owen".
RETURNING
Tad Boyle always plays a lot of guys, so even though he loses 4 important guys, he still returns quite a bit of experience
| Player | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
| Evan Battey | 32 | 10 | 5 | 1 | Sr | 3 | 138 |
| Jabari Walker | 14 | 8 | 1 | 1 | So | 3 | 160 |
| Eli Parquet | 28 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Sr | 3 | 398 |
| Keeshawn Barthelemy | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | So | 3 | 170 |
| Tristan da Silva | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | So | Unranked | |
| Dominique Clifford | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | So | 4 | 116 |
As a freshman Jabari Walker looked like a future star. He can jump out of the gym and he has skills. He shot 52% (!!!) from the 3-point arc and 53% from the field. He was also a fouling machine. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he could be All-Pac-12.
Barthelemy had some flashes of looking like a quality PG, His 1.9 A/TO ratio is very good for a freshman. His 35% shooting wasn't.
The younger da Silva has some skills. He could be an excellent college player. 53% from the floor is nothing to sniff at.
Coach Boyle expects Clifford to have a bigger impact this season.
Barthelemy had some flashes of looking like a quality PG, His 1.9 A/TO ratio is very good for a freshman. His 35% shooting wasn't.
The younger da Silva has some skills. He could be an excellent college player. 53% from the floor is nothing to sniff at.
Coach Boyle expects Clifford to have a bigger impact this season.
RECRUITS
(#11 class, #1 in Pac-12)
This is a very good class, but part of the reason it is ranked so high is because there are a lot of recruits in the class.
(#11 class, #1 in Pac-12)
This is a very good class, but part of the reason it is ranked so high is because there are a lot of recruits in the class.
| Player | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
| Lawson Lovering | C | 4 | 58 | Baylor, San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State |
| Quincy Allen | PF | 4 | 79 | Michigan, Louisville, Miami, Clemson |
| K J Simpson | CG | 4 | 86 | Arizona, Arizona State, California, Georgia Tech |
| Javon Ruffin | SG | 3 | 193 | California |
| Julian Hammond | CG | 3 | 234 | Northern Colorado, Wyoming |
Lovering and Allen look like good players.
Simpson was committed to Arizona, but moved on after Sean Miller was fired. He's has a reputation as a gunner, but he had no talent around him on his HS team. His coach might have told him to shoot every chance he got.
Overall, this class brings in a lot of players and a significant talent upgrade for Colorado. Arizona State is the only other Pac-12 team bringing in 5 freshmen.
Simpson was committed to Arizona, but moved on after Sean Miller was fired. He's has a reputation as a gunner, but he had no talent around him on his HS team. His coach might have told him to shoot every chance he got.
Overall, this class brings in a lot of players and a significant talent upgrade for Colorado. Arizona State is the only other Pac-12 team bringing in 5 freshmen.
TRANSFERRING IN
| Player | Size | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
Faulkner was the best player on Western Carolina, one of the two worst teams in the Southern Conference. Like McKinley Wright, he seems to be an excellent rebounder for a guard.
Faulkner changed his mind and transferred to Louisville, instead.
CONCLUSION
N
Tad Boyle loses quite a bit, but has a lot of experienced pieces to work with. I also expect him to continue to play a lot of players.
Boyle has been at Colorado for 11 years now. Last season's 3rd place finish in the Pac-12 was the best he's ever had. He's never advanced past the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. He has never really had consistent success in Boulder in spite of the huge home court advantage of 5,430 feet.
This may be the most talented team he has ever had. Can he put the pieces together?
I am skeptical about this team. I picked them to finish 10th. Vrooman's computer is even more skeptical, predicting 11th. Less1Brain says 7th, Wilner says 6th, and Torvicks says 8th. That averages out to 8th or 9th. No one seems to think they will make the tournament.
This seems like a put up or shut up year for Tad Boyle. I don't think his job in at risk, but missing the tournament could warm up his seat a bit.