CU Buffs sharing the wealth in season’s early stages – Boulder Daily…

During the preseason, Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle mentioned the possibility of the Buffaloes being a high-assist squad.

Through two games, indeed they have been.

The Buffs are sharing the ball at a sizzling pace so far. And while it’s certainly a lofty pace unlikely to be maintained throughout the course of 31 regular season games, it is one of the most encouraging trends for a team that has enjoyed balanced production through its 2-0 start.

“Those are good numbers,” Boyle said after the Buffs opened with 21 assists against Towson before recording 28 during Friday’s home win against Grambling State. “Obviously you’ve got to make shots to get assists, and we’ve made enough shots these last two games.

“We were 10-for-23 from 3 (against Grambling) and we talked about last year we had shooting woes. But some of our guys have gotten better. Tristan da Silva’s jump shot, every time he takes it I expect it to go in. Luke (O’Brien) has been making some. J’Vonne Hadley has gotten better. We’ve got guys that can make shots. We just move the ball and make plays for each other, we’ve got a chance to be hard to guard.”

The Buffs posted more than 16 assists just once last season, recording 22 in a 103-75 win against Texas A&M in the fifth game of the season. CU has posted back-to-back 20-assist games for the first time since early in the 2010-11 season, Boyle’s first at Colorado, when the Buffs tallied 23 in consecutive wins against The Citadel and Longwood. That effort was part of a run of four 20-assist marks in five games for a high-scoring CU team.

The Buffs had five players record at least three assists in the opening win against Towson and had six hit that mark against Grambling State. CU’s 28 assists against Grambling State was the team’s highest total since recording 29 against Mercer 18 years ago.

KJ Simpson recorded a career-high eight assists against Grambling, while backcourt mate Julian Hammond III matched his career-high with six. Hadley tied his career-high with four assists against Grambling, while da Silva’s four assists against Towson was one shy of matching his career-high. It marked just the fourth time in 92 career games that da Silva has posted at least three assists in consecutive games.

The Buffs were off on Saturday and will resume practice on Sunday ahead of a Tuesday home date against Milwaukee (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Colorado will encounter someone familiar with gaudy assist totals in Milwaukee assistant Jose Winston, a former CU guard.

Winston, in his second season with the Panthers, started for three years at CU before transferring to Milwaukee (then known as Wisconsin-Milwaukee). Winston remains the CU program’s all-time leader in assists in a game (15 against Coppin State on Jan. 2, 2001), total assists in a season (194 in 2000-01) and season assist average (6.5, also 2000-01). Despite playing just three seasons at CU, Winston still ranks fourth in career assists with 440.

CU has recorded 49 assists over two games for the first time since Winston led the Buffs to 49 in wins against Southern (28 assists) and, ironically, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (21) early in the 2001-02 season.

“Team-wise, that’s how you win,” said Eddie Lampkin Jr., who averaged less than one assist per game as a starter the past two seasons at TCU but has collected five in his first two games at CU. “You can’t win being selfish.”