Buffs Hoops Team Has Sights Set High After 4-0 Start

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - With the Buffaloes football season mercifully coming to an end this Friday, sports fans in Boulder could sure use something positive to focus on, and it looks like they've got it.

The men's basketball team made the NCAA Tournament last year, and this year they're picking up right where they left off.

Tad Boyle-coached Buffs team has already accomplished something last year's squad didn't: a fast start.

CU is undefeated through its first four games, and the Buffs have defeated some very good teams. The team is now ranked in the nation's AP Top 25, and all the excitement has the players thinking the sky's the limit.

"That puts the whole season ahead of us in a way that means we can really take advantage of everything. So if we lose to an Arizona or a UCLA which are highly ranked it won't prevent us from getting to the tournament," said guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Conference opponents Arizona is currently ranked 10th and UCLA is ranked 11th.

"As long as we handle our business we won't need to win the PAC-12 Tournament like we had to last year."

Boyle said he wasn't sure his team would be this good so soon in the season, and he's very happy with the way things turned out in the Charleston Classic tournament.

"When we were first going down there, I was just thinking 'I hope we can beat Dayton and find a way.' And then we do that and Baylor's up next and it's kind of like what we went through in the PAC-12 last year in Los Angeles," Boyle said.

"We beat three quality teams, and I think that will be reflective in the RPI numbers."

While the Buffs showing up in AP's rankings for the first time in about 15 years was certainly an exciting moment for boosters, Dinwiddie brought things down to earth a little with a Tweet:

Uhhhhhh #23 is low...nobody ever strived to be 23rd best

"As much as it is a blessing and we understand that Colorado basketball may not be used to, this is not where we plan on finishing," Dinwiddie told CBS4. "And by no means am I guaranteeing any world championships but, I mean, those are our goals, and that's where we want to be as a team."

The Buffaloes next game is against Air Force on Sunday in Boulder. Tipoff is 6 p.m. Then two days later they meet Texas Southern, a game that will also be played at the Coors Events Center.