CU Buffs Tre'Shaun Fletcher: "We need to get these wins"

The 19-9 Colorado Buffaloes have not locked in their their NCAA Tournament spot yet, but they could lock in a spot and improve their resume with wins against Arizona and Arizona State this weekend. It’s no secret, though, that the No. 9 ranked Wildcats have recently posed quite the problem for the Buffs. Colorado is 0-6 versus Arizona since the Valentine’s Day Massacre in 2013, to be exact.

The first place Wildcats are riding into Boulder on a six-game win streak while the Buffs have lost two straight. CU is not only cold as of late, with less than impressive efforts the last three weekends, but a majority of their players have not even tasted victory against U of A.

“They came into this building last year and spanked us convincingly,” Tad Boyle told. “That’s something that can’t be acceptable to us… this game means a lot, it means a lot to them (Arizona) because they’re playing for a league championship and it means a lot to us, we’re playing for a quality win and seeding in the tournament.”

After a weekend where the team imploded in the closing minutes of one game and got blown out in another, and two weekends after the team struggled to win two home games, it’s fair to ask, can the Buffs pull out a win that would unquestionably be the biggest of their season?

Junior wing Tre’Shaun Fletcher explained to BSN Denver how they can.

“Yeah this will be a good week for me to play at a high level,” Fletcher told. “Everyone needs to be more consistent in what they’re doing. We just gotta get it together, we got to guarantee our spot, so we got some work to do, so we need to do that work to make the NCAA tournament.”

Not only would a win against Arizona be the Buffs first since Fletcher was in his final year of high school, but it would almost cement them on the right side of the bubble. It would also give the program a great opportunity to finish among the top four in the Pac-12.

“We’ve put ourself in a good position but we’re also in a position where we need some quality wins down the stretch,” head coach Tad Boyle explained on Monday. “You can’t ask for a more quality win than Arizona.”

“Yeah for sure, it would be good to get a win against a top 25 team,” the six-foot-seven, 210-pound forward Fletcher added. “Just shooting game shots on my own, just not letting missed shots get to me. Just shoot when I’m open because sometimes I hesitate and I don’t shoot when I’m open. I miss every shot I don’t take so I gotta be confident when I shoot.”

One of the reasons the Buffs have struggled as of late shooting is because of their lack of paint touches. In the about 40 possessions that CU didn’t reach the paint against UCLA, they only scored two baskets. Fletcher’s shot has especially been cold recently and he’s made it a point of emphasis to work the ball inside to create better shots.

“We have to make sure we get the ball inside to [Josh Scott],” Fletcher said. “Clean, crisp passes, turnovers have obviously been an issue for us so we just have to limit it. We just gotta make sure we get him touches. Good things happen when we get him and Wes [Gordon] the ball down low.

The forward who is only one year away himself from a senior weekend is looking to end both the team’s and his personal year out on a high note.

“We need to (get wins),” Fletch commanded. “Who wants to lose on senior week, in your last couple of games at home? It’s gonna be weird not having them around next year, I’ve had them around the whole time I’ve been here. We need to get these wins.”

The Buffs will get their first stab at one of those wins tonight at the Coors Events Center (7 PM, ESPN 2.)