Three questions heading into Colorado’s game against No. 17 Oregon

BOULDER — Almost one year ago, the Colorado Buffaloes picked up arguably their keynote victory of the season.

On January 2, 2020—before the year became what it was—the No. 4 Oregon Ducks came into Boulder. In a packed CU Events Center, fans stormed the court after the final buzzer sounded.

This season, things will look a bit different. There will not be fans to support Colorado, and both teams lost talent to the NBA Draft in the offseason. Still, both teams have national attention. Oregon is ranked No. 17 in the AP-Poll, and both teams find themselves in the top-20 of the NET Rankings.

Colorado was supposed to play Oregon State on Saturday but the Beavers canceled both of their games this weekend due to Covid.

With a lot on the line nationally and in Pac-12 rankings, here are a few questions heading into this week.

Can Walton’s return stimulate the frontcourt?

Dallas Walton has missed the last three games with a lower leg injury and was considered day-to-day all of last week. With that, there is a reason for hope that he returns.

Last week, Tad Boyle mentioned that Walton was simply not feeling 100% and could have played if needed, but the team was exercising caution. With another week of rest, fans should rejoice if he is warming up come Thursday night.

While his potential return sparks optimism, it may be out of desperation. Colorado simply cannot afford to miss his rim protection much longer.

In the three road games he missed to start conference play, Colorado was outscored in the paint a staggering 70-100.

The Buffs cannot have a 30-point margin and expect things to go better this week at home.

While Walton will boost the frontcourt, the remaining players need to step up.

Evan Battey has been great on the offensive end, but his foul trouble sorely hurt the Buffs late in their close loss to UCLA. The same can be said for Jabari Walker.

So, the Buffs’ bigs need to cut down on their fouls. But they also need to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

Can they regain their winning formula?

Make more free throws than the other team shoots.

According to Tad Boyle, it really is that easy.

In both losses last week to Arizona and UCLA, they failed to achieve this. They were fouling the other team and lacked their own aggression on offense.

If Colorado wants to go on a run against strong teams at home, they need to get back to the charity stripe more.

First, McKinley Wright needs to see the line more. Of course, his style tends to be floating in the paint and avoiding drawing content. However, he is one of the best finishers in the country under the basket. His free throws can slow the game and allow Colorado to gain confidence if facing a deficit.

Outside of Wright, it comes down to Battey and Horne drawing more fouls.

For Battey, he needs to sell contact better. Naturally, his size and stature will lead refs to allow more physical defense, so it comes to him selling fouls the same way he draws charges.

For Horne, his foul shots need to come off of shot-fakes, where he sells defenders into the air and drives around them. Horne has one of the best strokes on the team, so his time at the charity stripe always bears fruit. To this point, he has not missed a free throw attempt (knock on wood).

Win at the line, and the Buffs can win some tough games in Boulder this week.

Will Wright make history this week?

Nine assists. That is how many assists McKinley Wright needs to become the team’s all-time leader in assists.

While this question has less to do with the outcome, it is still an important question to watch. Last week, Wright became just the 11th player in program history to reach 1,500 points. While that point total continues to climb, gaining the assist record will cement his place as one of the best to ever play in Boulder.

What’s Next?

In week one of a two-week homestand, Colorado was scheduled to host the Oregon schools. The Buffs will take on the No. 17 Oregon Ducks play on Thursday, with tip-off scheduled for 9 p.m. MST and televised on Fox Sports 1.

Unfortunately, the game against Oregon State has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Beavers program. As of now, it is unlikely that the Buffs will be able to schedule a non-conference opponent in time.