It’s extremely difficult to ascertain that a 14-3 team which holds wins over Harvard, Kansas and Oregon could essentially be finished when it comes time to talk about conference or national relevancy. But that is essentially the way I feel about this Colorado team in the wake of awful injury news.
Spencer Dinwiddie will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in the Buffaloes 71-54 loss on Sunday. Dinwiddie was injured in the first half and, while Colorado did hold a three point lead at halftime, and momentum they may have had evaporated during a 29-12 run to open the second half for Washington.
The Huskies have played better in recent weeks after a poor start. But, needless to say, the thrashing of Tad Boyle’s group was a shocker that probably never would have happened if not for the Dinwiddie situation.
Aside from having one of the cooler names in the country, Dinwiddie was a special talent. The Woodland Hills, CA native is a product of the famed Taft High School. While not an absurd standout at the high school level, Dinwiddie came into Boulder with a great all around skill set and was a major factor in this program being able to correct itself following some tough years.
Dinwiddie has been a three year starter for Boyle’s teams and a principal factor in their success. At 6’6, he is both long enough to be a factor on the defensive end and can also shoot over many typically smaller guards on offense.
Dinwiddie is also an excellent ball handler who is heady enough to move teammates around and create opportunities for others. He averaged over three assists per game to go along with 14.7 PPG. He was shooting roughly 47% from the field and 86% from the free throw line. It could be argued that he is perhaps the PAC-12’s most efficient scorer.
Injuries are difficult to overcome and one this big will take a while for the Buffaloes to heal from. The good news is that Dinwiddie still has one season left of eligibility, and so we will see his superb game once more at the collegiate level.
The immediate problem for Boyle and company is how they will bounce back from this. Jaron Hopkins is a nice young talent who, at 6’5, could develop into what Dinwiddie was over time. But, as of now, Hopkins is only averaging roughly 17 minutes per game and has been unable to provide consistent contributions for this team.
Xavier Talton is another guard capable of handling the ball and spelling Askia Booker from time to time, and he averages about 15 MPG himself. Boyle is an excellent coach who will find ways to get past this and be competitive, but it’s going to be tough early.
Major injuries create excellent fade opportunities, and the Buffaloes could be in position for such treatment moving forward. They have to bounce back from this loss on Thursday in a home date with the Bruins of UCLA before playing USC, @Arizona and @ Arizona St.
I’m not saying that this will completely derail their season, and you should;t write them off yet. They still have a nice roster with bruising forwards and a coach who understands what he is doing. Dinwiddie’s loss is bad for the game in general, but it will be extremely interesting to see how his team will do in the wake of his loss. Keep an eye on Colorado as they move forward, and look to take advantage of their unfortunate situation as you see fit.
