BOULDER— The Colorado Men’s Basketball team has a rough start this season, losing their first seven Pac-12 games wasn't ideal and was a big shock to everyone but now that they have won three straight conference games, I am going to give you my basketball superlatives for the season.
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MBB record 13-10 (3-7) (Next game Sunday, Feb 5th, against Cal at 2:30 MST)
Most Valuable Player
Derrick White
This is an easy give away to the team’s most valuable player. White has been the leading scorer since day one for Colorado. After transferring for UCCS, White has been a standout point guard for the Buffaloes and everyone notices it. White isn't afraid to charge toward the rim and take the contact, he also shows his ability to pull up from three and bank the shot in. It took White a little time to adjust and realize that he may have to take over games in order for the Buffaloes to be successful. White currently averages 16.4 points per game which puts him fifth in scoring in the Pac-12. Coach Tad Boyle has gone on record many times saying the only bad thing about White is he only gets him for one year and I cant disagree with that. White is taking full advantage of his one year in black and gold.
Most Underrated
Bryce Peters
Peters had a rough start for Colorado having to sit out the first two games of the season because of off the court issues but after that, the leashed was loosened a little for Peters. He has had some games where he doesn't score any points and then other games when he surpasses his previous career highs (9, 11, 15). Everyone knows Peters is freakishly athletic and although he is only a freshman, Peters is gaining his confidence and is showing he can play at the Division-I level if the coaches just give him a chance. In the last five games, Peters has played a combined 78 minutes including his first career start against Oregon State. Keep giving Peters minutes and he is going to be something special for this Colorado team. In my opinion, Peters will find his way into the starting lineup at shooting guard before the season ends.
Biggest Disappointment
George King
King who was the Pac-12 most improved player last season has been having a rough year. Coach Boyle has said many times that King isn't all there mentally and he doesn't know why. It may be the fact that King is having to play at the four spot which he didn't do last season? Or it could be because his shots aren't falling as easily as they did last year. Whatever it is, it has led to King being a disappointment this year. King has been on and off all season, there are some days where he will end the game with a double-double and then other games like against Stanford when King had zero points. The last time King had zero points was his freshman year against Pitt in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Biggest Team Strength
Offense
Although Colorado is only 13-10 (3-7) their offense this season hasn't been dismal by any means. They average 73.6 points per game, shooting 44.7% from the floor and 35.2% from beyond the arc. The difference maker this season with Colorado has been their defense because scoring 73 points a game is usually good enough to win but with Colorado’s defense other teams easily surpass them and they can never catch up. In the Pac-12 Colorado ranks seventh in offensive scoring with 1756 points this so far this season.
Biggest Team Weakness
Turnovers
This is a given for the Colorado Men’s Basketball team. They average 13.4 turnovers per game and during some games, it has cost them a win. This team does not take care of the ball as well as they need to. The Buffaloes have converted 304 turnovers so far this season compared to their opponents 264. If Colorado can take care of the basketball like they did Oregon every night the chances of them winning more games will increase, against Oregon they had 12 turnovers but only turned the ball over one time the whole second half. This may surprise some of you but White leads the team with 60 turnovers.
