The Buffaloes are 12-4 (1-0) with a loss at Georgia. The Buffaloes return 4 starters from last season (a squad that posted a 15-16 overall record, including a 6-10 mark in the Big XII Conference). The Buffaloes are projected to finish 9th in the Big XII Conference.
The Buffaloes are lead by G Alec Burks, G Cory Higgins, F Marcus Relphorde and G Levi Knutson. Burks is averaging 20 points/game (leads the team), 5 rebounds/game and 2 assists/game. Burks was a lightly recruited kid from the Kansas City area who came out of nowhere to become the first Buffalo to win the Big 12 Freshman of the Year award. He was the first freshman in CU history to score 500 points in a season and the first to lead the team in rebounding since 1986.
Higgins is averaging 17 points/game, 4 rebounds/game and 3 assists/game (co leads the team). Higgins is a big guard (6'5") who averaged 19 points/game and 4 rebounds/game last season.
Relphorde is averaging 12 points/game, 4 rebounds/game and 3 assists/game (co leads the team). Relphorde has an interesting skill set. He is something in between a small forward and a power forward, smooth enough to face up and drive and just barely a good enough shooter to justify taking the occasional deep one. Ideally, he would be a face-up four man which doesn't have many other options on the block. But at 6'7", he might be a touch small for that role, especially on the defensive end.
Knutson is averaging 12 points/game, 3 rebounds/game and 1 assist/game. G Andre Roberson is the team's leading rebounder averaging 7 rebounds/game. Roberson is a 6'7" swingman who chose CU over Clemson, Penn State, UNLV and Tulsa.
This team's strength is their backcourt with Burks and Higgins. Relphorde can score it, too, although he's a little too short to be a night-in, night-out scoring threat on the block. Boyle wants rebounding and defense to be the program's calling cards, however, the Buffaloes are 10th in the conference in rebounding. Colorado is the kind of team that could win 18 games but they might only win 13 games because in their non conference games they had the two best players (Burks and Higgins) on the floor and that will be the case in some Big XII games (Nebraska, Texas Tech and Iowa State) as well.
