As the Tad Boyle Era stretches into territory shared by only a small handful of coaches in the 118-year history of the Colorado men's basketball program, it is easy to break his previous eight seasons into two distinct halves.
There are the first four years, a run that opened with a stirring run to the NIT Final Four and continued with an unprecedented three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Interest in Buffaloes basketball, as judged by attendance at the CU Events Center, had never been higher.
Then there are the past four years, a rollercoaster ride that, while including another NCAA tourney berth, also has been punctuated by dwindling attendance and the two most underachieving seasons (2014-15 and 2016-17) of Boyle's tenure.