Patton has Buffs Stampeding Toward Top

By Big12-Fans Writer Josh Cline

Trivia: Which three coaches have been at their schools since the Big 12’s birth? Well, the first one would be pretty easy. Just look for the oldest looking guy out there at his alma mater, and you’d guess correctly in Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State. The second one isn’t so easy, but when you think about it for a few moments, you’d probably guess the most successful coach in conference history — Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma. However, even the most diehard fans in the conference might not get the third. More people would probably guess Rick Barnes than the correct answer. That answer, of course, is Ricardo Patton, the great unknown in a conference with a legacy of solid coaching.

Patton is not well known among fans because his teams have not had the consistency that the KU’s and OU’s have had. It isn’t that Colorado hasn’t had success under Patton, it is more that the success has come sporadically. His first full season at coach (1996-97) featured a ranking in the polls and an NCAA Tournament bid on a team led by Chauncey Billups. It was not until the 2002-03 season that CU made the NCAA Tournament again, and he has not been there since. Flashes of brilliance from Patton-led teams are dispersed among seasons of mediocrity. While those flashes are enough to keep Patton in Boulder, they aren’t enough to make an impression on the public.

This year seems to be another of Patton’s flashes, as he has guided his no-name Buffs from No. 9 in the preseason conference poll to a Top-25 ranking (its first since Patton’s first season) and after Monday, a tie for second in the conference approaching the midway point of Big 12 season. The team is destined for the NCAA tournament and nobody saw it coming.

One thing is for sure: Colorado is not a fraud. While they suffered double-digit losses to Texas and Kansas, they have also defeated five opponents since, including two road wins in tough venues (Missouri and Oklahoma State). CU is certainly backing up their strong non-conference portion of the schedule with victories in conference action, and fans are starting to take notice as over 8,000 saw the Buffs defeat Kansas State and over 10,000 saw them drop a tough one to KU in Boulder.

Richard Roby, a 6-6 sophomore guard from Southern California is the difference maker for this year’s squad. He leads the team in scoring at 18.5 ppg and rebounding with 5.2 boards per contest. He also is second on the team in assists on the year. He has an outside game (shooting 45% behind the arc), but can also bring his game inside as well. He is certainly one of the better players in the conference and the team’s success goes through him.

Colorado has been the league’s shocker this year and they should continue to improve. Look for a top-four finish for the Buffaloes, meaning they will earn the all-important first round bye in the conference tournament. As long as Roby can continue dominate games, the Buffaloes will continue to win them.

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