Tad Boyle addressed the source of Colorado's momentum after a Round of 64 win over Florida
Colorado was once a bubble team, if not a first four out squad, in the aftermath of a 64-60 loss to UCLA on February 15. Now, they are Round of 32-bound after a win over Florida in the Round of 64 that saw them nearly blow a six-point lead in the final minute but was saved by a KJ Simpson game-winner in the final seconds.
Tad Boyle talked about that UCLA loss after a 102-100 barn-burner against the Gators at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana and how it led to them ripping 10 of 11 wins since with two wins in the NCAA Tournament against Boise State in the First Four and now against UF; the lone less coming in the Pac-12 title game against Oregon.
"It's a long season, and the one thing as a coach, you know when you've done it for 30 years like I have as an assistant or a head coach, is especially sometimes at the level we play in the Pac-12, a Power Five conference, so much scrutiny is given to the November and December games," Boyle said (h/t Denver Sports' Jake Shapiro). "And that's just part of it. But you can't lose sight of the fact that you just have to keep concentrating on getting better and better and better.
"Sometimes you put so much pressure on those games, and maybe as a coach I put too much pressure on them. I don't know, but I do know this: We kept talking about, guys, we've got to keep getting better. And to these guys' credit, that's what we did. I've known in practice that we've had a very competitive group all year. I've seen it every single day. These guys are what I call everyday guys. They come to the gym to try and get better. Looking back, that UCLA game in Poly where we lost a really tough game was a heartbreaker. Those guys were down. They felt like their backs were against the wall, and they came out fighting two nights later against USC and won a double-overtime game on the road against a really talented team. That gave us some confidence, gave us a little spark, and we've just been on a roll ever since."
Can they keep it rolling in the Round of 32 against Marquette? Bet against the Buffs at your own risk.