BOULDER– Before the beginning of last season’s Pac-12 play, the commitments of ESPN’s No. 7 and No. 74 recruits in the class of 2023, Cody Williams and Assane Diop, brought high expectations for the 2023-2024 Colorado Buffaloes. Following a fun offseason, the goals have gotten loftier, and for good reason.
After finishing last season with an embarrassing 12-point loss to the Utah Valley Wolverines in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Tad Boyle put together arguably the best roster he has ever had heading into his 14th season as head coach of the black and gold.
With such a talented lineup, can Boyle and this talented Buffs squad live up to the hype? Or will they come crashing down with even more disappointment than last year?
Departing Buffs
Ahead of last season, the Colorado basketball program knew they would have four roster spots to fill. Graduate student guards Jalen Gabbidon and Ethan Wright were all set to graduate at the end of the season. Boyle also oversigned for the first time in his 13-year tenure as head coach, meaning at least one Buff would have to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.
Following an eighth-place finish in the Pac-12 and an abysmal end to the 2022-2023 season, the Buffs had seven spots to fill. Two starters, Nique Clifford and Lawson Lovering, entered the transfer portal. So did redshirt freshman wing player Quincy Allen.
Clifford, set to be a senior this season, transferred to Colorado State University after a disappointing junior year where his numbers dipped and lacked consistency. Allen, saw a lack of time in his redshirt freshman season, only playing more than 10 minutes once. With Williams and other forwards joining the team, the writing was on the wall.
Lovering, on the other hand, wasn't as expected. Neither was his decision to join a Pac-12 rival, the Utah Utes. After starting as the Buffs' only center last season, Lovering never found a consistent offensive game in Boyle's style and opted to test his luck in the portal.
Luckily, Boyle and his program's early commits and late additions not only fill the role of the departing players but should surpass them.
247sports’ No. 25 recruiting class in the nation
Given that Boyle knew he had at least four open roster spots ahead of last season, it allowed him to find talent early. With the commitment of Williams, the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with Colorado, as well as Courtney Anderson Jr. and Diop in November, the idea of a special recruiting class was certain.
Despite the early work, the number of unexpected transfers forced Boyle to get a transfer of his own in Eddie Lampkin Jr. while also adding another freshman forward in Bangot Dak to round out the recruiting class.
Williams fills the starting role of Clifford while Lampkin fills the Lovering-sized hole at the center position. Although, the duo looks to provide more.
Williams, despite being a similar height as Clifford, possesses longer arms and an even more impressive athletic ability that helps him on the glass and the defensive end. Offensively, the freshman forward has a great feel for the game and uses his physical traits to apply pressure on the rim. With a great finishing ability, he will pull the defense and look to get shooters involved. He won't necessarily light up the scoreboard with his scoring ability as he is still developing a consistent jumper, but his other qualities make him a special talent.
Lampkin will bring a more offensively-minded style of play than Lovering. Still, Lampkin will be fine on defense and use his size on the boards. The former Texas Christian University big man has a similar lack of shooting ability to Lovering but makes up for it with his hands and speed. Despite being over 260 pounds, Lampkin runs the floor well and can create offense on his own. As a more talented passer who knows how to use his size, Lampkin may be able to elevate Colorado's offense once he fully returns from his offseason back procedure.
Diop will enjoy a lesser role off the bench as an athletic defensive spark, but his great play throughout fall practice may bring the forward more minutes. Dak will have to fight to find minutes. However, an injury or two may force the newly collegiate players into a bigger role at some point in the season.
As a group, they bring the hard-nosed, selfless nature Boyle preaches in his program. With this general attitude combined with their size and athleticism, both sides of the floor elevate.
The experience
Despite a disappointing end to last season and the departure of two starters, Boyle made sure to return his best players– most notably his leading scorers Tristan da Silva (15.9 PPG) and KJ Simpson (15.9 PPG), who both received attention from other programs and the NBA.
After deciding to return to Boulder, both da Silva and Simpson will lead the Buffs this season. Da Silva, at 6-foot-9, is considered one of the best senior forwards in the country. With a smooth game that allows him to score from all three levels, da Silva brings an all-around game into his senior season. Simpson, entering his junior year, looks to bring a new and improved jump shot to the table while also limiting his number of turnovers after leading the team in turnovers last season. The athletic, 6-foot-2 guard also appears to have brought a new defensive nature to Colorado following his sophomore season.
As CU's dynamic duo, the two will enjoy the new additions of Williams and Lampkin on the offensive end. It wouldn't be too big of a surprise to see their offensive numbers jump across the board.
In addition, the Buffs also return a fully healthy J’Vonne Hadley, Luke O'Brien, and Julian Hammond III.
Hadley, a 2022 transfer from Indian Hills Community College, returns from a fractured finger on his right hand that he suffered towards the end of last season. The senior forward premiered as one of the Buffs' top scorers and top rebounder last season.
Hammond's end to last season was much better as the guard notched multiple impressive performances and led the Buffs in scoring during the Pac-12 tournament while filling Simpson's starting role. In his role, Hammond may be one of the better backup guards in the Pac-12.
O'Brien, the longest-tenured Buff of the three, hopes to fit in where he can get in. While the senior has come off the bench for most of his college career, O'Brien's undeniable experience and improved shooting ability allow him to start. Assuming Lampkin starts once fully healthy, LOB will fill a sixth-man role. However, any injury should push O'Brien into the starting lineup.
Multiple redshirts from last year looking to make some noise too– most notably, RJ Smith. Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard won't necessarily light up the stat sheet. Although, he engulfs what it means to be a Colorado Buffalo. Smith's defense and hustle helped him work his way into a talented Buffs' backcourt and hopes to bring the redshirt freshman even more minutes.
Colorado also returned Javon Ruffin, although, he is going to miss the entire 2023-2024
season due to injury.
With the main focus on the Buffs' returning core, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
How it comes together
Repeatedly, Boyle has commented on how much he enjoys the combination of returning guys and new, young players. With six upperclassmen in big roles on the team to mentor a talented incoming freshmen group, Colorado has created one of the most ideal situations in college basketball.
Beyond their roster structure as far as age and experience is their undeniable depth and talent. Many believe this is the best roster Boyle has ever constructed in his time at Colorado.
But, what does this team do on the court that makes them so special? They play defense. Not only that, but their whole roster does.
Of the players receiving significant time, only Simpson, Hammond, Smith, and Hadley are 6-foot-6 or smaller. Still, Simpson and Hadley’s athleticism matched with the effort of all four players makes up for any lack of height.
For the rest of the roster, everyone besides Lampkin and Hurlburt can guard the perimeter while the long arms of Williams, da Silva, Dak, Diop, and O’Brien fill passing lanes. Although, that doesn’t mean Lampkin and Hurlburt won’t try. With some lineups, the Buffs will occasionally look to press or pick up full court in hopes of generating some quick turnovers and disrupting opposing offenses. With great instinct and a collective effort to shut down opposing offenses, this Buffaloes’ defense may be among the best in college basketball.
Last season, Colorado allowed Pac-12 opponents to only 64.5 points per game (second in the Pac-12) on 42.7% shooting (seventh in the Pac-12). With the improvements CU has made, they look to make a jump in their already impressive defensive numbers.
With their efforts, they also emphasize rebounding the basketball. Their aforementioned amount of height on the roster allows the ability to do so. Of the returning players, the Buffs returned their top three rebounders from last season in Hadley (5.9 RPG), O’Brien (5.6 RBG), and da Silva (4.8 RPG). As a team, they averaged 32.6 boards per contest during last season’s Pac-12 play (fourth in the Pac-12).
The additions of Lampkin, who averaged 5.9 rebounds per contest last season, and their tall, athletic freshmen class will make Colorado a force on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor.
Offensively, they might not shine as bright but they will be a lot more productive than last year.
Lampkin, a much more offensively talented big man, as well as the new luxury of playing positionless lineups, allow the Buffs to play a more five-out style of basketball. With five players on the floor who can dribble and pass, more open shots are generated.
However, their ability to create open shots doesn't just rely on their unselfish nature. With the Buffs returning their top five scorers from last year and adding Williams and Lampkin, the defensive attention will be scattered in an attempt to cover all the talented drivers.
Still, Colorado’s best offense will come in transition. The unselfish nature of such an athletic, defensive-minded group will lead to many fast breaks and many transition points (and many highlights!).
CU may not light up the three-point line (32.2% 3P% last season), but an offseason of practice hopes to elevate their collective three-point shooting. O’Brien, Simpson, and da Silva have all shot well through fall practice and Hadley looks to implement a three-point shot this season. Hadley only shot one three last year despite shooting 35.4% from deep on 65 attempts at Indian Hills Community College in the 2021-2022 season. With their ability to drive the ball and open passing lanes, the Buffs appear to have an easier time generating clean looks from deep in comparison to last year.
Colorado also looks to cut down their turnovers. They ranked second in the Pac-12 with only 13 turnovers per contest last season but Boyle decided that wasn’t good enough. Ahead of this season, Boyle and the team have stressed their focus on limiting turnovers. Simpson has looked to limit his giveaways in his junior year after averaging 2.6 turnovers per game in 31.8 minutes last season as the Buffs’ starting point guard.
Overall, this Colorado squad could be the best in the program’s recent history. Boyle’s deep roster of young talent and experienced players engulfs the culture he has created in the 13 years leading up to this season. While the Buffs look to dance in March, just a tournament birth probably won’t suffice for a team of this caliber. They look to leave the Pac-12 on a high note with a Pac-12 title despite the usual talent in the conference. A high seed accompanied by a couple of tournament wins wouldn’t hurt either, it may actually be expected heading into the 2023-2024 season.
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