Colorado’s leading scorer won’t play and one of its promising youngsters is moving on.
Just one year removed from a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the CU men’s basketball program has hit some turbulence, and judging by some of the fan reaction on social media, the ceiling is caving in a bit.
As his Buffaloes (15-17) prepare to face Gardner-Webb (20-14) in the first round of the third-tier College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday, however, Tad Boyle wholeheartedly believes in his team.
“No, no, no. Absolutely not,” Boyle said Monday when asked about some of the sky-is-falling feelings from fans. “I feel really good about where we are and where we’re headed. The sky is not falling. We’re going to be fine. We’re going to be better next year than we were this year.”
After falling well short of their NCAA Tournament goal, the Buffs elected to play in the CBI to gain some added experience for next year, in addition to trying to win a tournament title.
Senior Askia Booker wanted no part of that, telling Boyle on Sunday that he didn’t want to play. On Monday, the Buffs announced that sophomore guard/forward Dustin Thomas wanted out, too.
The 6-foot-7 Thomas will leave the team at the end of the season and look to transfer to another school.
“The biggest reason is probably playing time,” Boyle said. “I think he wants to play a little bit more on the perimeter than we were willing to play him.”
Thomas declined to talk to the media, but did practice with the team on Monday, and Boyle expects him to practice until the season concludes.
“He doesn’t leave here with any ill will towards us, and we certainly have no ill will towards him,” Boyle said. “He feels like he’s better suited to move on and we support him in that decision.”
A product of Texarkana, Texas, Thomas started 11 games and played in all 32 for the Buffs this season. He averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Thomas appeared in all 67 games for the Buffs the past two seasons, with 17 starts. He averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.
“The thing I respect about Dustin is what he brought to the practice floor every day: his attitude, his effort, his work ethic,” Boyle said.
Boyle knew that Thomas leaving was a possibility from conversations they’ve had recently. When it became official, both parties felt it was best for him to not play in the CBI, despite the fact that he’ll continue to practice.
“Part of that was for Dustin to move on, get his release, find out what schools are interested in him, what schools he’s interested in, because he’s going to basically go through the recruiting process all over again this spring,” Boyle said.
Boyle began individual player meetings on Sunday and will continue those throughout the week. He said he feels confident that the players who are participating in the CBI want to be here for the long haul.
“The guys that I’ve talked to up to this point have both feet in,” he said. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be playing in this tournament.”
With Booker and Thomas both moving on, the Buffs got back to work on Monday and had a spirited workout.
“Yeah, I thought we had a really good practice today,” junior Xavier Talton said. “We came out with a lot of energy and I think we really got after it today and got better. So, I would say we’re ready to play.”
Buffs to face Cyclones
On Monday, it was announced that CU has scheduled a neutral-site game against Iowa State for next season. The teams will square off in the season opener on Nov. 13 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
“It’s a hell of an opportunity to open up a season against (a team) that might be preseason top five next year,” Boyle said. “It was an opportunity for a neutral-site game in South Dakota at a nice venue, and I heard the arena there is very, very nice.”
CU and Iowa State were conference rivals from 1947-2011, when the Buffs left for the Pac-12. Iowa State leads the all-time series 77-70, including 13-4 in neutral-site games.
CBI costs
According to CU associate AD Cory Hilliard, the school is paying the CBI $35,000 for the right to host Wednesday’s game.
In addition to that fee, CU has operating costs (including police, parking, security, ticketing, etc.) estimated between $10,000 to $20,000.
Hilliard said the Buffs are hoping to get 2,500 to 4,500 fans to Wednesday’s game.
Should the Buffs win and host further rounds, the hosting fees increase to $50,000 for the quarterfinals, $75,000 for the semifinals and $75,000 for the championship series (possibly two home games).
Ultimately, the Buffs could host as many as five games, at a total cost of $310,000, plus operating expenses.
Contact staff writer Brian Howell at howellb@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/BrianHowell33.
