Buffs Continue Homestand With Milwaukee Friday
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 Conference, coming off a 60-57 squeaker against Eastern Washington on Dec. 8. The Buffaloes are 4-1 in games decided by five points or less (4-5 in 2020-21 in those instances). The Buffaloes snapped a two-game skid and get set to play their third of five-straight home games to end the nonconference schedule.
The Buffaloes opened the Pac-12 schedule with an 80-76 win over Stanford on Nov. 28 - the earliest conference game in the nation this season. Colorado resumes Pac-12 play at the end of the month.
Colorado will play its second game in three days, and have done well this season in that scenario. The Buffaloes are 3-0 this season on a quick turn-around; in games one or two days following the previous contest.
Colorado has won 30 of its last 42 games dating back to the beginning of the 2020-21 season. With the win over Eastern Washington, the Buffaloes bounced back from just their second two-game losing streak in the last two seasons.
Colorado is averaging 72.7 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 Conference, and rank in the Top 10 nationally, in free throws made and attempted. Colorado's 165 free throws made rank eighth in NCAA Division I while its 231 attempts are seventh.
The Buffaloes were 8 of 12 from the free throw line against EWU, both season lows, but the opponent hasn't been getting to the line either. Eastern Washington attempted only seven free throws and combined with Tennessee, CU's opponents are just 11 of 16 from the line the last two games.
Defensively, the Buffaloes have allowed 68.2 points per game while opponents have shot 43 percent. Colorado held Eastern Washington to 57 points. The Eagles had averaged 81.0 points in their previous eight games. Colorado held Eastern Washington to 40 percent shooting (22-55) and had a plus-12 advantage on the boards (40-28). Colorado is 75-5 in the Tad Boyle era when holding teams to 40 percent or less from the field and at least a plus-8 rebound advantage.
Sophomore forward Jabari Walker leads the Buffaloes at 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Eastern Washington, recording his sixth double-double of the season and fifth in the last six games.
Walker had a string of four-straight double-doubles earlier in the preseason, highlighted by a season-high 22 points and 11 rebounds at UCLA. Walker's four-straight double-doubles are the longest such streak by a Buffalo since Tyler Bey had five in a row in the final five games of the 2018-19 Pac-12 schedule. During that four-game span, he averaged 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds an outing.
On the Pac-12 charts, Walker is second in overall rebounds, third in defensive boards (6.6 drpg) and sixth in offensive rebounds (2.6 orpg) and scoring.
Senior forward Evan Battey is averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting a team-best 53.3 percent from the field. He had nine points and six rebounds against Eastern Washington. Battey is averaging 6.5 rebounds over the last two games.
Battey had a career-high 22 points, hitting all four 3-point attempts, in the conference opener against Stanford.
Battey was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team leading the Buffaloes at 15.3 points per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. He had a team-high 18 points against Duquesne along with a career-best three steals. Battey rounded out the Paradise Jam with a game-high 16 points and five rebounds against Brown.
On the Pac-12 charts, Battey is seventh in overall shooting and 17th in scoring.
Freshman guard Keeshawn Barthelemy leads Colorado in assists (28) and 3-point field goals made and attempted (12 of 33) while ranking third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game.
Barthelemy's 28 assists have come with just 15 turnovers (1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio). Over the last eight games he has dished out 20 assists while turning it over just six times (3.3 a-t). He has just one turnover with 13 assists over the last four (13.0 a-t).
On the Pac-12 charts, Barthelemy ranks ninth in free throw percentage (.794) and 14th in assists (2.8 apg).
Sophomore Tristan da Silva is averaging 8.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 48 percent. He has scored in double digits four times this season - all coming in the last seven games. Da Silva had 11 points, hitting a both of his 3-point attempts. He is 4 of 9 from 3-point range over the last four games after beginning the season 2 of 11.
Da Silva ranks 13th in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage.
Senior guard Elijah Parquet is averaging 7.3 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 44 percent overall. Parquet had 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting against UCLA.
A member of the Pac-12 Conference's All-Defensive Team in 2020-21, Parquet had the game's biggest offensive moment against Montana State. Parquet's 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 80 and sent it to overtime. He finished with 17 points, hitting 5 of 11 from the field and 6 of 9 from the free throw line - all career highs.
Nique Clifford is averaging 5.4 points and is second on the team in rebounding 4.7 per game. He tied a personal best with nine rebounds against Brown, matching his effort in the season opener against Montana State.
K.J. Simpson is averaging 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game ranking second on the team in assists with 21 off the bench. He is Colorado's third leading scorer over the first two Pac-12 games, averaging 9.0 points while shooting 47 percent.
Simpson earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 29, averaging 9.5 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 55 percent off the bench in Colorado's two wins last week. He scored a career-high 12 points, hitting 5 of 8 from the field in the Buffaloes' conference opener against Stanford. Simpson had seven points, including a perfect 5 of 5 from the free throw line, and four assists against Brown on Nov. 22, in the Paradise Jam finale in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS: Milwaukee is 2-6 overall, snapping a six-game skid with a 77-69 win over Robert Morris in its last outing on Dec. 4. The Panthers are 1-1 in the Horizon League. Milwaukee is averaging 64.6 points while shooting 41 percent from the field. Defensively, the Panthers allow 71.1 points per game and hold the Horizon League's best field goal defense at 38.7 percent. Milwaukee also leads the Horizon and ranks 30th in the nation in blocked shots at 5.5 per game.
Freshman wing Patrick Baldwin, Jr., regarded as one of the Top 5 players in the Class of 2021, leads Milwaukee at 17.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from the floor. Baldwin went 6 for 6 from 3-point range in the Panthers' win over Robert Morris en route to a 26-point outing. Junior guard DeAndre Gholston is averaging 16.3 points per game, but missed the Robert Morris contest. Freshman guard Donovan Newby leads the Panthers in assists with 22 while averaging 10.4 points per game.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the fifth meeting between Colorado and Milwaukee with the Buffaloes winning all four previous meetings. It will be the first meeting in 20 years. The last game between the two teams was a 93-87 decision at the CU Events Center on Dec. 30, 2001. Three of the four games have been played at the CU Events Center. The Buffaloes took a 74-71 overtime win in Milwaukee on Dec. 30, 2000.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado fell to 0-2 against ranked teams in 2021-22 after dropping a 69-54 decision to No. 13/15 Tennessee on Dec. 4. Colorado was 3-3 against ranked teams in 2020-21; its most games against ranked opponents in three seasons.
Colorado's 22 wins over ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 22-38, have accounted for 33 percent of wins over ranked opponents (66) since 1949-50.
BATTEY MILESTONES: Senior forward Evan Battey, Colorado's active leader in scoring and rebounding, scored a career-high 22 points against Stanford to become the 38th member of the 1,000 point club.
He is the fourth member of the 2017 signing class to reach that milestone. McKinley Wright IV (2017-21) leads that group at sixth overall at 1,857. Tyler Bey (2017-20) is 29th at 1,113 while D'Shawn Schwartz (2017-21) is tied for 35th at 1,026.
Colorado Career Scoring:
Rk. Player Years Points
30. Jim Davis 1961-64 1,110
31. Larry Vaculik 1974-78 1,084
32. Austin Dufualt 2008-12 1,076
33. Jim Creighton 1969-72 1,032
34. Evan Battey 2018- 1,028
Battey is 27th in career rebounds at 560; 84 away from entering Colorado's career Top 20.
Colorado Career Rebounding:
Rk. Player Years Rebounds
20. McKinley Wright IV 2017-21 644
Donnie Boyce 1991-95 644
22. Brian Johnson 1977-81 628
23. Randy Downs 1982-86 622
24. Wilky Gilmore 1959-62 591
25. Alex Stivrins 1983-85 583
26. Scott Wilke 1984-88 576
27. Evan Battey 2018- 560
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 108-34 (.761) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including a 61-17 mark (.782) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 80-6 (.930) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a perfect 6-0 mark in postseason action.