Pac-12 Basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of each team for 2020-21 season
8. Colorado Buffaloes
Projected Starters:
G: McKinley Wright IV, 6’0 Sr. (14.4 pgg, 5.0 apg)
G: D’Shawn Schwartz, 6’7 Sr. (9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
F: Maddox Daniels, 6’6 Sr. (3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
F: Evan Battey, 6’8 Jr. (8.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
F: Jeriah Horne, 6’7 Sr. (11.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg) *at Tulsa
Tad Boyle will never know if his 21-11 Buffaloes from last year would have gone dancing. A thing that has eluded Colorado since 2016. Boyle has essentially brought the Colorado basketball program from the dead; showing seven 20-win seasons in ten years.
The program only has ten 20-win seasons in its entirety. However, there is a real danger of one of the program’s all-time greats, McKinley Wright IV, not making one single NCAA tournament. Colorado loses Tyler Bey and Lucas Siewert down low, but have picked up a key graduate transfer and a few solid recruits to ease those losses.
Strengths: Tad Boyle’s best-case scenario shows McKinley Wright delivering a Pritchard-esque performance in Boulder, and D’Shawn Schwartz becomes the next man up and fills in for the loss of Tyler Bey. This is all very possible, and the additions of Jabari Walker and Domonique Clifford should provide a solid rotation. Wright does it all, as he finished first in scoring (14.4 ppg), assists (5.0 apg), and third in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
Schwartz made 51 three’s a year ago, and shot it at 37%. Jeriah Horne is a terrific addition to the Buffaloes, as he’ll provide some toughness down low as well as some crafty ability to get to the bucket. Evan Battey is a scrapper that gets the job done, and he’ll only improve and become more confident in his junior year.
Weaknesses: McKinley Wright lost his go-to guy in Tyler Bey (13.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg). The points they’ll able to replace, the rebounds, however, will be harder. They had the second-best rebounding margin last season, which led to a lot of second-chance opportunities. Losing 13.1 rebounds per game between Bey and Siewert cannot be understated.
The slot alongside Schwartz and Wright is a little up-for-grabs right now. Let’s hope it’s because there are too many choices, and not because there aren’t any good ones. Whether it be Maddox Daniels, Eli Parquet, or Walker, that spot will have to be productive.
The Call: Wright IV will put an exclamation point on the end of one of the best careers CU has ever seen. They’ll lose their impressive margin on the glass from last season, and will shoot a similarly mediocre percentage from the field. The Buffs will find themselves ever-so-slightly on the outside looking in towards the NCAA tournament.