Tad Boyle's CU Buffs squad proving to be a force early

Colorado men's basketball is on the rise prior to conference play in Boulder

Don’t look now but the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team are atop the Pac-12 conference. After a season-opening victory against Towson, the Buffs have continued their strong start winning their next two and putting them first with a 3-0 record. With all the hype surrounding Lady Buffs basketball, it’s easy to fly under the radar. Last season proved to be one many would like to forget as the Buffaloes missed the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

But this isn’t about last season, we’re on to bigger and better things. This season marks head coach Tad Boyle’s 14th year with the team. During his tenure at Colorado, he has made the NCAA tournament five times with one losing season. The team is returning its core group of players as the season is already underway. Guards KJ Simpson, Julian Hammond III, and RJ Smith will be the core frontcourt, while forward Tristan da Silva returns after testing the NBA waters. TCU transfer center Eddie Lampkin Jr. also returns as the anchor for that backcourt.

Simpson is averaging 19 points per  game so far this season on 64 percent shooting. Smith is developing into the rotation. He was a redshirt freshman a season ago and has now come into this season with a new agenda. In his first three games, Smith is averaging 5.7 points in 17 minutes per game. Hammond, who filled in for Simpson when he was injured last season, is averaging 11.7 points while dishing out 4.7 assists a game. While the guards are making eye-popping moves at the screen, the big men are holding down the fort and asserting their dominance.

Lampkin Jr has finished with double digit scoring efforts in his last two games, while dominating the glass by averaging eight rebounds per contest. In his last game, ELJ added a double-double to his resume with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a dominating effort against Milwaukee. The savvy veteran of the team, da Silva, is returning with a vengeance, averaging 17 points per game, which is a jump from his 15.9 points a season ago. The future NBA product has been a large bright spot, shooting 67.9 percent from the field.

The Buffs cracked the AP Top 25 rankings at No. 25 and it’s easy to see why. This team is loaded with star power from top to bottom and they've shown it with this impressive three game winning streak to start the season.

Colorado returns to the court Nov. 20 to take on Richmond. The second round of games in the Sunshine Slam at the Ocean Arena in Daytona Beach, Florida. The winner will advance to play either Florida State or UNLV on Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.