The Buffaloes have been back in the Big 12 for the last two seasons but haven’t quite acclimated to life in this conference. Tad Boyle has coached some great players and won important games over his 16 years in Boulder but turning this program back into a contender would be one of his finest achievements. The Buffaloes have settled for back-to-back trips to the College Basketball Crown and actually finished last in the Big 12 two years ago before notching 11th place this past season.
There’s some trouble with continuity, especially if the Buffaloes were hoping to build off that step in the right direction. Leading scorer Isaiah Johnson headed to Texas, Bangot Dak went to Vanderbilt, Sebastian Rancik landed at Florida State, and Alon Michaeli opted for Saint Louis. Losing four of their top five scorers wasn’t ideal, especially with only one senior on last year’s roster, though point guard Barrington Hargress is back alongside some of the depth further down the roster.
Replacing that lost talent isn’t easy and it’s fair to wonder if Boyle’s staff has accomplished that feat. There are a few interesting freshmen joining the fold alongside three notable transfers for the frontcourt. David Gomez had decent numbers at Charlotte last season and becomes a new depth piece while Noah Feddersen likely plugs in at the 5, averaging just below 10 points a game at North Dakota State last year.
A lot of the attention will be on how Justin Neely adjusts to Colorado and life in the Big 12. He’s a 6-5 forward from Miami whose collegiate journey actually started five years ago at Albany, though injuries caused him to miss nearly all of two straight seasons. He was Rookie of the Year and later became Sixth Man of the Year for some great work with the Great Danes, but his last season at UNC Greensboro is what clearly grabbed attention.
He exploded onto the scene last season in the Southern Conference, averaging 17.9 points and 11.5 rebounds a game as the most productive weapon for the Spartans. Neely finished second in the nation in rebounding and was the best in the land on the defensive boards. It’s all about how he transitions into the Big 12 because he’s going to be expected to be a major contributor for a Buffaloes team replacing basically all of its frontcourt depth.
Having Hargress at the point is excellent, while Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders are three rising sophomores who could each see a significant bump in their play this season. However, any success for Colorado is really going to depend on how Neely and others handle their business closer to the basket. If he can come close to that level of productivity on the boards then the Buffaloes might be in better shape than we expected.
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