There still will be plenty of basketball to play after the upcoming week.
Yet if Colorado wants to avoid spiraling into another last-place finish in the Big 12 Conference, the upcoming week will be critical.
CU is coming off its worst performance of the season, dropping a 30-point decision at No. 8 Iowa State on Wednesday, a result that extended the Buffs’ losing streak to six games. But a run of three matchups more favorable to the Buffs begins on Sunday, as they host TCU.
Even CU head coach Tad Boyle, an avowed follower of the one-game-at-a-time approach, didn’t mince words when asked about the importance of the upcoming week.
“Very important,” Boyle said. “This is a huge week. It’s the biggest week of our season.”
The Buffs’ six-game losing streak is the third-longest in 16 seasons under Boyle. A loss against TCU would match the second-longest streak of Boyle’s tenure, which was an 0-7 start in Pac-12 play during the 2016-17 season.
Yet the fate the Buffs truly are trying to avoid is the one suffered by last year’s CU team, which started 0-13 in Big 12 play before finishing last. The Buffs already have two Big 12 wins to their credit, but if Colorado stumbles through the upcoming week, the schedule says wins will be more difficult to earn through the bulk of February.
Following the home matchup against TCU, the Buffs visit a Baylor squad that has struggled so far and has not yet won a Big 12 home game. Granted, the Bears have hosted three of the league’s best — Iowa State, Houston and Texas Tech — but Baylor also lost at home against TCU.
Following the trip to Baylor, the Buffs host Arizona State, which they defeated on the road to open Big 12 play. On the other side of the upcoming week, the Buffs face road dates at a pair of top 15 teams, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 13 BYU. If the Buffs don’t right the ship this week, the struggles might worsen to the extent that a second consecutive last-place finish would become an alarming possibility.
For his part, Boyle believes the fight that served the Buffs so well during the bulk of nonconference play is still simmering within the club.
“(Saturday’s) practice was a step in the right direction,” Boyle said. “There’s no question the fight’s there. As much as we took a (butt-kicking) in Ames, our guys didn’t give up. You’ve got to build on the positives. We shot 50% in the second half. We only turned the ball over 10 times against a really, really good defense.
“In our film session we showed them, ‘Here’s what makes (Iowa State) special. Here’s what’s holding us back from being special.’ And our guys, there’s a learning curve that’s going on with this team, there’s no doubt about it.”
While CU’s struggling defense has fallen to 15th in the Big 12 in overall defensive field goal percentage (.466) and last in defensive 3-point percentage (.376), TCU ranks only 10th in the conference in field goal percentage (.467) and 13th in 3-point percentage (.354). TCU has suffered its five conference losses by an average of just 6.0 points.
“Attitude’s perfectly fine. We’re just going to be prepared for TCU on Sunday,” CU guard Isaiah Johnson said. “We just need to stack wins.”
TCU Horned Frogs at CU Buffs men’s basketball
TIPOFF: Sunday, noon, CU Events Center.
TV/RADIO: TNT and truTV/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: TCU 13-8, 3-5 Big 12 Conference; Colorado 12-9, 2-6.
COACHES: TCU — Jamie Dixon, 10th season (189-134, 517-257 overall). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 16th season (324-213, 380-279 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: TCU — F David Punch, 6-7, So. (14.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.3 bpg, .546 FG%, .541 3%); F Xavier Edmonds, 6-8, Jr. (12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .582 FG%); G Jayden Pierre, 6-0, Sr. (10.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, .411 3%); F Micah Robinson, 6-6, So. (9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg); G Liutaurus Lelevicius, 6-7, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .496 FG%). Colorado — G Isaiah Johnson, 6-1, Fr. (16.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, .513 FG%, .420 3%); G Barrington Hargress, 6-1, R-Jr. (14.0 ppg, 4.5 apg, .546 FG%, .525 3%); F Sebastian Rancik, 6-11, So. (13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg); F Bangot Dak, 7-0, Jr. (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, .461 FG%); F Alon Michaeli, 6-9, Fr. (8.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg); C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (5.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .544 FG%).
NOTES: This is TCU’s first visit to Boulder since Dec. 3, 2008. … The Buffs lead the all-time series 4-3 and won two of three matchups last season, defeating TCU at home and in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. … Johnson’s 24 points at Iowa State matched his season-high and marked his sixth 20-point game of the season. … Johnson ranks 10th on CU’s list of top all-time freshman scorers with 348 points. With 13 points he would pass Matt Bullard (356) and Spencer Dinwiddie (360) for eighth-place. … TCU is coming off a 79-70 home loss against Houston. The Horned Frogs previously won consecutive games against Oklahoma State and Baylor. … The Buffs’ average of 9.9 turnovers per game is the second-lowest mark in the Big 12. … Hargress has recorded 16 assists with only two turnovers over the past four games. … CU returns to the road for its first game at Baylor since Jan. 29, 2011, on Wednesday (6 p.m. MT, Peacock).
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