The two games that Eli Parquet strung together on this road trip served as a prime example of why he plays so many minutes and continues to start for Colorado despite his often negligible offensive output.

Parquet is invaluable to the Buffs in what he's able to do defensively.

He is frequently described by Tad Boyle as the team's best perimeter defender and when his time at Colorado is over, he may very well have become the best perimeter defender Boyle has ever coached in Boulder.

In Wednesday's loss at Washington and tonight, a 70-59 comeback win over Washington State, Parquet scored a combined four points, all of which came in Seattle against the Huskies.

While he didn't score a point against the Cougs, Parquet was very active on defense, registering an eyebrow-raising four blocks. He had a further three blocks at UW along with four steals.

That puts the 6-foot-3 junior guard at a team-high 16 on the year.

While Parquet and defensive specialists in general will often be criticized for what they may not bring to the table in terms of offense, the dirty work on defense makes a noticeable difference.

“He’s becoming a hell of a shot blocker on the ball–he’s so athletic," Boyle said of Parquet. "He took a big charge in the second half...Those defensive plays, they’re game-winning plays, quite frankly."

Parquet has shown flashes of developing into something of a regular offensive contributor for Colorado, as his 5.4 points per game to this point is by far the best such number of his college career to date.

At any rate, the defensive intensity he brings to the table game in and game out will always endear him to coaches and teammates alike.

“It’s a tough task because we ask Eli to guard the other team’s best perimeter guy every night," junior forward Evan Battey said. "He gets no off-nights and has to be dialed in every single night, every single second. He’s a big-time defender and a big-time player. If he’s not first-team all defense, me and Kin are going to have some words with the Pac-12.”

While Battey floated Parquet's deserving of a place on the Pac-12 first-team all-defensive unit, McKinley Wright IV went even further.

“I don’t think it’s a question of who’s Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12," he said. "In my eyes, it’s easy. It’s clear as broad daylight. What other guards in the country do you guys know that average almost two blocks a game? It’s crazy, the defense he plays on other teams’ best perimeter player.”