Preseason tests coming fast for CU Buffs – Boulder Daily Camera

It was a passing grade for the Colorado men’s basketball team in its first big challenge of the preseason.

The Buffaloes hosted Texas in a closed scrimmage on Saturday, and while the details will likely remain secret, head coach Tad Boyle was pleased with how his club responded against a team that was picked third in the preseason coaches’ poll of the ultra-rugged Big 12 Conference.

“On the positive side, we’re a competitive group,” Boyle said. “I thought we really battled on the glass. We fought through adversity pretty darn well. It was really positive.”

CU got back to work on Monday, which marked the two-week warning ahead of the season opener at home against Towson on Nov. 6. Although Boyle was encouraged with what he saw over the weekend, the scrimmage nonetheless revealed a to-do list for the remainder of the preseason.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Boyle said. “Offensive rebounding, guarding the ball, playing without fouling. One of the game goals that we have as a team is we want to make more free throws than the opponent attempts. In order to do that you’ve got to get to the line, which we did a good job of, but you’ve got to play without fouling. Which we didn’t do a good job of. We’ve got to be really cognizant of that.”

CU’s next competitive test of the preseason arrives on Saturday, as the Buffs host Metro State in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. The CU women’s team will begin the split doubleheader with an exhibition against Adams State at 1 p.m.

Block/charge

The most significant rules change in college basketball for the 2023-24 season is an adjustment to the block/charge call.

The rules tweak will not make the play any less difficult to officiate, but it is designed to increase offense this season. Previously, the defender had to have his feet set before the offensive player jumped into his shot. Now, that defender must be set before the offensive player sets his plant foot ahead of taking off for the shot.

Essentially, the rule adjustment is meant to reduce charge calls and increase scoring. For CU and its defensive-minded head coach, the new rule has spurred a change of defensive focus this preseason.

“We’ve worked on verticality a lot, which means we’re not taking a charge. We’re protecting the rim by leaving our feet inside the charge circle and going straight up and down and making them finish through contact,” Boyle said. “We’ll probably do a lot more of that. We’ll try to take charges when we’re in the right position and we’re set. So it’s not like we’re going to stop taking charges. But we’re probably going to put a little more emphasis on going vertical at the rim and making them score over our bigs. Especially with our length.”

Notable

Former Buffs standout George King has been working out in Boulder ahead of reporting later this week to the Ontario Clippers, the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers. … Freshman Courtney Anderson returned to practice late last week after missing time while going through the concussion protocol. … Single-game tickets for CU men’s and women’s basketball went on sale on Friday. … Colorado State’s Isaiah Stevens was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in the nation. USC freshman Isaiah Collier was the only Pac-12 player on the 20-player list, which also included Miami’s Nijel Pack. CU visits Stevens and the CSU Rams on Nov. 29 and play No. 13 Miami in Brooklyn on Dec. 10.