Jeriah Horne has doubtless proved to be one of Colorado's most potent offensive weapons in his first year with the Buffaloes. The 6-foot-7 graduate transfer forward from Tulsa is CU's second-leading scorer behind only McKinley Wright IV and is the Buffs' best three-point and free throw shooter.

However, of late, he's been a bit off his mark on an offensive note.

As he's averaged over 11 points per game on the year and leads Colorado in rebounding per game (5.8), Horne's credentials as a regular producer on both sides of the ball are not in question.

That said, entering Monday evening's (5:45 p.m. MST) Round of 32 showdown with No. 4-seeded Florida State, Horne comes off his two worst statistical offensive performances in a row.

In the Pac-12 title game against Oregon State, the usually dependable Horne struggled, going an uncharacteristic 2-of-10 from the floor and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.

That offensive dry spell continued in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for the Tulsa transfer, as, in a complete offensive feast for Colorado, Horne was one of a small bunch of Buffs not to eat much.

He ended the game with two points, having gone 1-of-7 from the floor and 0-of-4 from long range.

Given what he has showcased to date this season, neither his head coach nor his teammates have reason to doubt a bounce back offensive performance is just under the surface for him.

“Number one, I’ve got tremendous confidence in Jeriah, as his teammates do," Tad Boyle said. "And Jeriah has confidence in himself. His shot hasn’t been going in here the last couple of games but that’s not going to happen for very long, no doubt."

Boyle made a point to let Horne know just that shortly after Colorado clobbered Georgetown Saturday, 96-73, a win in which Horne didn't exactly partake in all the offensive fun.

"He was getting off the bus (Saturday) and I just tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘hey man, you’re due. You’re going to break out here, hopefully (against FSU) is the day it happens,’" Boyle said.

What's more, Boyle cares about far more than strict offensive production. If that wasn't the case, Eli Parquet, a defensive specialist who contributes more dirty work on the perimeter than he does hand in lights out shooting displays, likely wouldn't be starting every night for the Buffs.

Even through his recent offensive dry spell, Horne has not seen a significant decrease in playing time, averaging about 22 minutes per game, which isn't too far off the mark from the roughly 25 per game he is averaging on the year.

The way Boyle sees it, there's a variety of other boxes aside from scoring that his players can check off in making a meaningful contribution towards a winning effort.

"It’s not all about his jump shot," Boyle said. "If the jump shot is not going in, then hey, find other ways to help your squad. He understands that and he’s been doing that, quite frankly. That’s why his minutes haven’t really been going down, it’s just his shots that haven’t been going in."

Horne's last two games agains the Beavers and Hoyas have seen him produce a total of eight points, his worst back-to-back numbers of the season.

Previously, 12 points in back-to-back games against Utah and Cal in mid-January had been the lowest two-game point total he'd produced.

But, as Boyle alluded to, Horne has managed to refrain from getting his head down despite lack of shots falling. While he's averaged 5.8 rebounds per game on the year, in the last two, he's contributed 4.5.

Saturday, it was a good sign for the Buffaloes that they put up 96 points with a negligible contribution from Horne, one of their most regular scorers.

A return to normalcy for Horne in terms of offensive output would doubtless bode well for Colorado in its quest to advance further in the NCAA Tournament than any Buffs team since 1955.

At the end of the day, Boyle would prefer Horne let the offense return to him while continuing to make sure his minutes are good ones regardless of points scored.

"It’s like, ‘hey, what are you doing to help this team win games when you’re not scoring the ball?’ Jeriah has the ability to do that and for him, it's rebounding the ball, which he’s done a good job of," Boyle said.

"He’s one of our best defensive rebounders. It’s getting us extra possessions with offensive rebounds. It’s spacing the floor, moving the ball, setting screens — there’s a lot of things you can do."

The Buffaloes and Seminoles tipoff tonight at 5:45 p.m. MST from Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The game will be televised nationally by TBS.