Colorado’s Defensive Identity in Flux as Road Test Looms
If you’ve followed Colorado basketball under Tad Boyle, you know this much: the man believes in man-to-man defense like it’s gospel. So when the Buffaloes started sprinkling in some zone looks earlier this season, it wasn’t just a tactical wrinkle - it was a red flag that something wasn’t right.
Now, as Colorado gears up for a critical road swing against two ranked Big 12 opponents - starting Wednesday at No. 16 Texas Tech - the zone experiment appears to be shelved. But that doesn’t mean the Buffs have solved their defensive puzzle.
Statistically, the issues are still glaring. Colorado enters the week ranked ninth in the Big 12 in defensive field goal percentage (.466) and eighth in defending the three (.352).
And those numbers haven’t exactly trended in the right direction - CU’s last three road opponents have all shot north of 52% from the field. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that’s trying to stay afloat in one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball.
Texas Tech, for its part, brings the Big 12’s most efficient three-point attack into Wednesday’s matchup, hitting at a blistering .413 clip in conference play. That’s the kind of shooting that can shred a zone - or a shaky man defense - in a hurry.
Boyle hasn’t minced words about the defensive struggles or the decision to go zone. He made it clear the switch wasn’t by design - it was out of necessity.
“In the games when we did it, if you look at our statistics, zone versus man, our man was much better than our zone,” Boyle said. “Now, I went to our zone because our man defense was so frickin’ bad.”
That’s about as candid as it gets. But with mid-February here and postseason positioning starting to take shape, Boyle knows there are no secrets left.
“This is the time of year, the defenses are getting better. And your offenses are getting better,” he added.
“We’re not going to throw anything at (Texas Tech) they haven’t seen. You get into mid-February, everybody knows everybody.”
Frontcourt Rotation Still a Work in Progress
While the back end of Colorado’s defense is trying to find its footing, the frontcourt rotation is still very much in flux. Saturday’s win over Arizona State offered another glimpse into the ongoing game of musical chairs at the five.
Freshman Tacko Ifaola returned to a bench role, limited to just over eight minutes due to foul trouble. He didn’t attempt a shot and grabbed three rebounds in that short stint.
Boyle went with Bangot Dak as the starter, but he too found himself in foul trouble, forcing the Buffs to shuffle through Elijah Malone and Alon Michaeli - neither of whom found much rhythm. Michaeli, in particular, struggled with turnovers and missed both of his field goal attempts in eight minutes of action.
Things got so unstable that forward Seby Rancik, typically not a center by any stretch, saw time at the five down the stretch.
“It’s a little bit of musical chairs right now,” Boyle admitted. “We’ve got three guys.
And shoot, we played Seby a little at the five down the stretch, and he’s not a five-man. We’ve got to figure that out.
Some guys are practicing well but they’re not playing well in the games. We need more consistency at that spot, there’s no doubt about it.
Or we just gotta play smaller lineups.”
That last part might be the most telling. If Colorado can’t get stable production from its bigs, don’t be surprised to see the Buffs lean into smaller, more versatile lineups - especially against teams like Texas Tech that can stretch you out and make you defend in space.
Around the Big 12
The conference continues to be a pressure cooker. Kansas’ Flory Bidunga earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors, while BYU’s AJ Dybantsa took home Newcomer of the Week recognition.
Arizona maintained its grip on the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the ninth straight week, while the Big 12 made its presence felt in the top tier. Houston climbed five spots to No.
3, Iowa State jumped to No. 5, and Kansas landed at No. 9.
Colorado’s next two opponents - Texas Tech (No. 16) and BYU (No. 23) - round out the conference’s ranked squads.
For the Buffs, this week is about more than just wins and losses. It’s about identity.
Can they lock in defensively? Can they stabilize the frontcourt?
And can they prove they belong in the conversation as one of the Big 12’s top-tier teams?
We’re about to find out.