Defense was the focus all week for a Colorado men’s basketball team that played very little of it during the first two games of the season.

The scoreboard said the visitors put up 88 points on the Buffaloes in Boulder on Friday night. But the reality is, CU’s defense took a dramatic step forward in a 97-88 win against Providence. And that incremental improvement will be critical as the Buffs continue to try to flip the script from last year’s last-place finish in the Big 12.

After allowing the season’s first two opponents to shoot at least 51%, CU limited Providence to a .446 mark. That’s still not the 40%-or-below marker the Buffs have always set as their game goal under head coach Tad Boyle, but Boyle was pleased with his young squad’s improved grasp of the defensive scouting report. A

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