Buffs brace for 3-point assault
BuffZone.com
BOULDER» The Colorado Buffaloes know they are about to be bombarded from all angles.
The CU men’s basketball team embarks on a finishing stretch that sees the Buffaloes (15-10, 7-6 Pac-12) playing three of their final five regular-season games on the road beginning Thursday night at Washington State (9-15, 1-11), the last-place team in the conference.
While the Cougars rank at or near the bottom of most offensive categories since the start of league play, one thing they do often is launch 3-pointers. And as the Buffs learned during an 82-73 home win against Washington State on Jan. 18, when the Cougars are connecting they can stay close with anyone.
“That’s what makes Washington State so potent. They’ve got multiple guys that can make multiple 3s,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “(Viont’e) Daniels probably wishes he could play against Colorado every game. You look at what he did at their place last year, what he did at our place this year. We bring out the best in that kid, and he’s a good player.
“We’ve got to all be ready, dialed in, ready to go.”
Daniels was a key figure in the Cougars’ 15-for-34 performance from 3-point range at the Coors Events Center last month, going 6-for-10 overall and 6-for-9 on 3pointers before finishing with a game-high 18 points. Daniels also went 4-for-5 on 3-pointers during Washington State’s over- time win at home against the Buffs last year, and he has gone 12-for-18 on 3-pointers in four games against CU since the beginning of last season.
Daniels’ strong showing last month in Boulder illustrated how tricky it can be to defend Washington State along the arc. The Buffs actually held the Cougars’ top two scorers, Robert Franks and Malachi Flynn, to a combined 2-for-10 mark on 3pointers. However, Daniels and Carter Skaggs (5-for-11 on 3pointers) more than picked up the slack by combining to go 11for-20.
“We’ve been working a lot on taking away the 3-point line,” freshman guard McKinley Wright said. “Against a team like Washington State, you know they have four guys who can light it up on any given night. And they’ve been shooting at a much higher percentage at home. We’ve just got to go in with the mind-set to run those guys off the 3-point line and make finish tough twos in the lane over our bigs.”
In Pac-12 games, no squad has attempted more 3-pointers than the 350 by the Cougars. However, Washington State ranks only seventh in 3-point percentage (36.6), while the Buffs’ recent strong defensive surge during three consecutive home wins moved them into a tie for third in defensive 3-point percentage (34.0). The Buffs also rank first in league games in overall defensive field-goal percentage (41.3).
In the Buffs’ home wins against Utah, Cal, and Stanford over the past two weeks they limited their opponents to a 35.8 field-goal percentage and a 19for-60 mark (31.7) on 3-pointers.
“These two games (in Washington) are huge for us, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time,” Wright said. “Washington State is the biggest game of the year so far. You have to go in with the mind-set of high energy, toughness, and effort, and we can win anywhere.”