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Colorado Buffaloes (Last Year: 21-12, 10-8 in Pac-12)
2013-14 Projected Depth Chart:
C: Josh Scott (Soph)/Ben Mills (Sr)
F: Wesley Gordon (Fr)/Dustin Thomas (Fr)
SF: Xavier Johnson (Soph)/Tre’Shaun Fletcher (Fr)/Chris Jenkins (Fr)/George King (Fr)
G: Spencer Dinwiddie (Jr)/Eli Stalzer (Soph)/Jaron Hopkins (Fr)
PG: Askia Booker (Jr)/Xavier Talton (Soph)
Gone: F-Andre Roberson, SG-Sabatino Chen, C-Shane Harris-Tunks, SF-Jeremy Adams (transfer-Grand Canyon)
2013-14 Outlook:
The strength of this year’s Colorado team will be the junior backcourt of Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker. It might be the best guard tandem in the Pac-12. Both guys are capable of playing either guard spot and are at their best creating off the bounce. Neither shoots it exceptionally well from the outside, but each can lock down defensively.
The Buffaloes lose their top reserve guard in Sabatino Chen, which opens up minutes for Xavier Talton and Eli Stalzer, who were each spot guys last year as freshmen. Newcomer Jaron Hopkins will also try to earn some playing time but figures to be the odd-man-out of the rotation.
The biggest concern in the frontcourt is replacing double-double machine Andre Roberson, who chose to leave school a year early and enter the 2013 NBA Draft. Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson each put together productive freshman campaigns and suddenly become the veterans of a very young group of forwards. Scott is a productive low post scorer but needs to be more disruptive as a shot-blocker and rebounder. Johnson’s versatility makes him a dangerous threat since he is athletic, can shoot the three ball, and be a nuisance on the defensive end.
Expecting to take Roberson’s spot in the starting lineup is redshirt freshman Wesley Gordon. Gordon is a highly talented, athletic forward who appears more than ready to assist in the collective effort of filling in for Roberson. There is young talent coming off the bench at forward with redshirt freshman Chris Jenkins, top-100 recruit Tre’Shaun Fletcher, and fellow freshmen Dustin Thomas and George King. That should breed quality competition for minutes, though I’d expect Fletcher to be the biggest contributor of the group.
There is a lot of young talent on this Colorado Buffaloes team. Until the bench figures itself out though, Tad Boyle will lean heavily on his starting five in hopes of battling Arizona and UCLA on top of the Pac-12 standings.
Player to Watch: Spencer Dinwiddie, G
Due to his versatility and ability to do a little bit of everything on the floor, Dinwiddie has become an intriguing prospect for NBA scouts. He can play either guard spot and defend multiple positions, but for him to really take his game to the next level, the junior needs to improve his consistency from beyond the arc.
Key Non-Conference Games:
Predicted Pac-12 Finish: 2nd
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