Pac-12: Colorado A Wildcard Heading Into 2014-15
By Bryce Olin
After losing their star, Spencer Dinwiddie, to a torn ACL last season, the Colorado Buffaloes went 9-9 over the last 18 games and were bounced from the NCAA tournament in blowout loss to the Pitt Panthers.
With everyone but Dinwiddie back this season, the Buffaloes have an experienced squad that should compete for a Pac-12 championship.
The key word in that statement is “should.” Nothing is ever certain in college basketball, and there’s always a chance it never comes together because of the age and maturity of the players.
Colorado has the talent to win the Pac-12, but do they have the patience and consistency to compete over the whole season? You know Arizona is going to be there at the end. Is Colorado the team to challenge them?
The Buffaloes have something other teams don’t have: a grace period.
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After Dinwiddie’s injury, Colorado had to do some soul searching, and it wasn’t always pretty when they took the court. The Buffaloes had the time over the last 18 games of last season to find what works and experiment with different lineups after Dinwiddie’s injury.
Arizona didn’t have the opportunity to play much without Aaron Gordon or Nick Johnson. UCLA has a very young roster that hasn’t played together in an actual game. Colorado has a distinct advantage in the playing together department.
While Colorado has had the time to play together for longer than a lot of Pac-12 teams, the team was fairly unsuccessful without Dinwiddie, and they never truly figured out how to play without him. So, is it that much of an advantage after all?
If Colorado has improved and learned how to play without Dinwiddie, there’s a good chance they’ll be one of the best teams in the Pac-12. If not, Colorado will be a middle of the pack team.
It might not be that apparent if Colorado has figured out how to play together and win very early in the season because of how poor their nonconference schedule is. Other than a game on the road at Georgia, Colorado is not going to be tested until conference play and could even be undefeated heading into conference play.
For Colorado to put it all together and truly be a good basketball team this season, two players have to play well, and it’s not exactly who you would expect.
For me, Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson are going to be locks to play well this season. They each could end up on the Pac-12 first team by the end of the season, and I don’t think that’s all that unlikely. Look at what they did last season:
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Josh Scott | 35 | 31.6 | 4.5 | 8.9 | .511 | .000 | 8.4 | 0.6 | 14.1 |
| 4 | Xavier Johnson | 33 | 30.1 | 4.1 | 8.9 | .464 | .363 | 5.9 | 0.8 | 12.0 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table
Generated 10/21/2014.
If they can improve at all, they’re locks to be first team selections.
Colorado’s success is going to come down to Askia Booker and Wesley Gordon.
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Askia Booker | 35 | 30.5 | 4.7 | 12.2 | .389 | .272 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 13.7 |
| 5 | Wesley Gordon | 31 | 25.1 | 2.2 | 4.5 | .475 | .364 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 5.9 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table
Generated 10/21/2014.
Last season, Booker was put in some compromising situations, like at the end of shot clocks, and forced to score without a lot of help. If anything, Dinwiddie’s offensive burden fell on Booker’s shoulders, and Booker struggled to create plays and score efficiently last season.
As a freshman, Gordon had a good season, but he looked lost and out of place at times. With another year under his belt, he should have a better feel for where he fits in the offense. He needs to be the fourth piece of the puzzle and be the utility guy for the Buffaloes to be successful.
If Booker and Gordon are legitimate threats offensively and can have a positive impact in every game, even when the scoring isn’t happening, the Buffaloes will be good next season.
Ultimately, I think Colorado’s experience is going to be the difference. They should head into conference play close to undefeated, which will most likely have them ranked in the top-25 and a lock for the NCAA tournament with a solid performance in the conference. There’s so much talent on this Colorado team, but you have to wonder if they can truly put it all together.
Last season, Colorado averaged 70.2 PPG but allowed 68.2 PPG. That winning margin is not indicative of a great team. It needs to be much wider if they’re going to win the Pac-12.
That’s why Colorado is the Pac-12 wildcard in 2014-15. It could truly go either way for them this season.