In Boulder, it’s that beautiful time of the year with 60-degree days, the trees a vibrant array of colors and Tad Boyle and his Buffs ramping up for another college basketball season.

Boyle begins his 13th year with Colorado developing a roster of new and familiar faces. Without the presence of Evan Battey, Jabari Walker, Keeshawn Barthelemy and Eli Parquet, Boyle has to build a fresh lineup and rotation while looking to mold a team that can push for a fifth-straight 20-win season and return to the NCAA tournament after settling for the NIT last year.

“We're obviously without Evan Battey, one of the best leaders that I've ever coached and a five-year guy for us,” Boyle said Wednesday. “He's gone, so guys like Tristan da Silva, Luke O'Brien, [Nique] Clifford, KJ [Simpson], Julian [Hammond] and all the returning guys gotta really step up with leadership aspects. I think that's the biggest question mark with this team as I look forward – where will the leadership come from when the waters get rough?”

Colorado’s lineup is composed of veteran transfers, many returners taking elevated roles and dynamic freshmen who will seek to carve out roles off the bench. Regardless of losing his top scorers, Boyle believes this team can be strong offensively.

“I think this team has a chance to be a good shooting team,“ Boyle said. “I really do. Ethan Wright can shoot the ball, and Jalen Gabbidon can shoot the ball. Tristan is a much-improved shooter, we talked about Julian, KJ, improving his jump shot. Quincy Allen can make shots, Luke is a great shooter, Nique. We've got multiple good shooters so I don't worry about losing our top three three-point shooters, but we did lose our top three scorers as well.”