Buffs Resume Pac-12 Schedule Monday At Oregon
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes are back in action for the first time in 16 days and will play just their second game in the last 23 days.
Colorado hasn't played since a 60-46 win over CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 18 at the CU Events Center. The Buffaloes saw their nonconference finale against No. 7 Kansas on Dec. 21 canceled and their scheduled Pac-12 games at Oregon (Dec. 30) and Oregon State (Jan. 1) postponed due to COVID-19 issues in the Colorado program.
The Buffaloes were able to reschedule their game at Oregon for Jan. 3 and will continue to work with Oregon State on finding a makeup date for the game in Corvallis.
Colorado's layoff is its longest without a game in the middle of a season since 2006-07, when a pair of late December home games were canceled due to weather, causing a 24-day layoff.
Colorado has won 32 of its last 44 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, and now have won their last three and six of eight overall.
The Buffaloes have fared well in tight contests. Eight of Colorado's 12 games have been within six points - or two possessions - with four minutes or less remaining in the game. The Buffaloes are 7-1 in those contests.
Colorado is averaging 71.0 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. Against CSU Bakersfield, Colorado had a season-high 16 assists and on just 19 made baskets. The 84.2 percentage of assists to made field goals is the best in the Boyle era, besting the 82.1 percent against Jackson State on Nov. 16, 2013 when the Buffaloes had 23 assists on 28 buckets.
Defensively, the Buffaloes have allowed 65.2 points per game while opponents have shot 41 percent. Colorado's defense has tightened the last three games, allowing just 52.3 points an outing.
CSU Bakersfield's 27.3 percent shooting was a season-low for a CU opponent and the lowest since the Buffaloes held California to the exact same numbers, 15 of 55, on March. 4, 2017 in a 54-46 Buffs win.
Colorado is 4-0 this year in one of the program's 'gold standards' of holding opponents to 40 percent of less from the field and least a plus-8 rebound advantage. Colorado improved to 76-5 in those games after holding Milwaukee to 36.4 percent and winning the rebounding battle by nine (39-30).
Sophomore forward Jabari Walker leads the Buffaloes at 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He was the only Buffalo to score in double-figures the first 11 games of the season.
Walker has a team-best six double-doubles, five of which have come in the last eight games. He 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 fourth in overall rebounds and defensive boards (5.8 drpg), 10th in offensive rebounds (2.3 orpg) and 14th in scoring.
Senior forward Evan Battey is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting a team-best 55.2 percent from the field. He had a game-high 15 points in the win over Milwaukee. Battey shot 6 of 8 from the field against the Panthers, breaking out of a mini shooting slump that saw him hit just 9 of 28 over the previous three games (.321).
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 sixth in overall shooting and 19th in scoring.
Sophomore guard Keeshawn Barthelemy leads Colorado in assists (32) and 3-point field goals made and attempted (14 of 40) while ranking third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game. He led the Buffaloes with 12 points in the win over CSU Bakersfield.
Barthelemy's 32 assists have come with just 18 turnovers (1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio). Over the last 10 games he has dished out 24 assists while turning it over just nine times (2.7 a-t). He has just four turnovers with 17 assists over the last six (4.3 a-t).
On the Pac-12 charts, Barthelemy ranks ninth in free throw percentage (.806). He has made his last 10 from the line.
Senior guard Elijah Parquet, who will play in his 100th career game Monday, is averaging 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 50 percent overall. Parquet had 10 points hitting 4 of 6 from the field against CSU Bakersfield. He has made 16 of his last 25 from the field (.640).
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.
Sophomore Tristan da Silva is averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 42 percent. He is third on the team in assists with 22.
Nique Clifford is averaging 5.7 points and is second on the team in rebounding 4.8 per game. Clifford had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win over CSU Bakersfield. He was 4 of 6 from the field, setting a personal-best for field goals made. Clifford also matched career highs in 3-pointers made and assists with three.
K.J. Simpson is averaging 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game ranking second on the team in assists with 29 off the bench. Simpson dished out four assists against CSU Bakersfield, matching a career-high, and leading the Buffaloes in that category for the sixth time this season. He is Colorado's third leading scorer over the first two Pac-12 games, averaging 9.0 points while shooting 47 percent.
Luke O'Brien had one of the best games of his young career in the win against Milwaukee, scoring a career-best nine points on 4 of 5 from the field. He is 6 of 8 from the field (.750) over the last four games.
ABOUT THE DUCKS: Oregon is 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the Pac-12 after claiming a 79-66 win over Utah on Jan. 1. The Ducks have won three of their last four, with the lone loss coming to No. 1 ranked Baylor. Oregon averages 71.2 points on 46.6 percent from the field. The Ducks rank third in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting at 34.9 percent. Defensively, Oregon allows 66.1 points while opponents shoot 43.7 percent from the floor.
Senior guard Will Richardson leads Oregon at 13.6 points and 3.6 assists per game. Richardson has a team-best 29 3-point field goals and shoots 45 percent from beyond the arc. Guard De'Vion Harmon is second on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game and second in steals (16). Jacob Young ranks third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in steals (19). N'Faly Dante averages 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the Pac-12 in shooting at 67.8 percent.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 24th meeting between Colorado and Oregon with the Buffaloes holding an 13-10 series lead. The teams split their season series in 2020-21, each holding serve at home. Colorado claimed the home win with a 79-72 decision on Jan. 7 in Boulder while the Ducks countered with a 60-56 win in Eugene on Feb. 18. That is the trend in this series as the home team has won the last 13 regular season games. The last road win was a 48-47 Colorado triumph in Eugene on Feb. 7, 2013. Oregon holds an 9-2 lead in Eugene.