Colorado’s win vs. Arizona was extra satisfying because of FBI probe, Tad Boyle admits

The Buffaloes’ head coach was honest about what it meant to beat Arizona

The Colorado Buffaloes have beaten the Arizona Wildcats in Boulder before, but Saturday’s upset was a little bit sweeter for CU head coach Tad Boyle.

Arizona basketball has been a sore subject around the college basketball world since September, when the UA was implicated in an FBI recruiting bribery and corruption probe in which it collected accusations of paying recruits among other things.

Some coaches who were uninvolved in the probe were upset to find out they were (allegedly) at a competitive disadvantage, and Boyle is evidently one of them.

When asked Saturday by reporters if the FBI probe made Colorado’s win over Arizona extra satisfying, he said, “absolutely. Absolutely. It’s ironic we’re playing Arizona. I’ve got great respect for Sean Miller and the type of coach he is. They recruit very, very well. USC has recruited very, very well. The two most talented teams in our league from top to bottom are USC and Arizona. So, hell yes there’s extra satisfaction.

“I’ve got great respect for Sean, helluva coach. I’ve got great respect for Andy Enfield. But to answer your question: hell yes.”

While Boyle is the first coach to say that after a win against Arizona this season, it is easy to believe other coaches feel the same way.

Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak, whose team fell short against Arizona on Thursday, said this about the recruiting bribery allegations in September (via the Salt Lake Tribune):

“Each of us have to make a decision how we’re going to live and how we’re going to go about our business. Unfortunately, with that sometimes comes second place, but we can always look in the mirror and know that we’re doing things the right way. It’s not to say we’re perfect. We make plenty of mistakes, but when it comes to this particular topic we’re not going to get involved in any of that.”

Arizona was already public enemy No. 1 in the Pac-12 before the allegations came to light, and now the other schools have another reason to dislike the Wildcats whether they admit it or not.

Boyle certainly didn’t hesitate to.

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Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire

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