CU Men’a Gameday Preview: Defensive Duel in Utah

[TheUpperDecker]

The Buffs picked up two crucial wins at home last week as they picked up a sweep against Cal and Stanford at the Events Center. Coming off a recent rough stretch, they desperately needed to regather and pick up these games. The key for the Buffs this past week was second half dominance. After a weak first half against Cal, they were losing 27-24 but suddenly resurged after the break. The Buffs outscored the Golden Bears by a total of 35-19 in the second half. Tristan da Silva led the surge as he scored 17 points in the second half. Da Silva’s points came at a crucial time as he scored 12 points in a momentum-shifting 13-0 CU run. The Buffs took the lead at 36-34 partway through the run and never gave it back. Colorado secured the win with a final score of 59-46. They played intense defense all game, forcing a total of 22 turnovers, but just needed the offense to wake up. The story was very similar against Stanford on Sunday. The Buffs used a massive second half run to take control of a tight game. They played a solid first half as they took a big lead early, as they took control 35-27 with five to play in the first half. Going into the half, the Buffs faltered and gave up a 12-4 run leaving the game tied at 39-39 at halftime. Stanford missed its first ten shots out of the break and CU took advantage with a 16-0 run. CU has been known for its elite defense paired with an inconsistent offense and that was the tale this past week. The Buffs were able to keep themselves in games through lockdown defense and find their offensive rhythm at their own pace. The Buffs outscred Stanford 45-23 in the second half to secure the victory by a score of 84-62.

Star Players:

vs. Cal
Tristan da Silva- 20 PTS | 7-for-13 Shooting | 3-for-6 3PT

vs. Stanford
Tristan da Silva- 25 PTS | 9-for-14 Shooting | 3-for-4 3PT
KJ Simpson- 21 PTS | 5-for-11 Shooting | 7 Rebounds
Lawson Lovering- 4 PTS | 8 Rebounds | 3 Steals | 2 Blocks

This young Buffs team has struggled to find success on the road but will look to string together some wins as they are faced with three road games in a row. Boasting an excellent 11-2 record at home, the Buffs have struggled away from Boulder and are 1-7 on the road. A defensive duel is brewing in Boulder tonight as the Buffs take on Utah. Both Utah and Colorado are known for having top defensive units and it should be a high energy, competitive matchup. Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson are looking to build off of recent success and the Buffs will need them at the top of their game.

Game Details:

Game Date: Saturday, February 11th
Game Time: 8:00 PM Mountain Time
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
TV Channel: FOX Sports Network

 

[Buffnik]

This game is huge tonight. All of the final 6 could be, but gotta win for them to continue to matter.

 

[cu3x]

A lot of teams like the 'blue collar', 'lunch box' image, but year in and year out, it seems like utah is the team that really grinds on us. Almost always a solid, hard-nosed, tough opponent.

 

[cu3x]

Stanford beat arizona

 

[Highlander]

The Buffs picked up two crucial wins at home last week as they picked up a sweep against Cal and Stanford at the Events Center. Coming off a recent rough stretch, they desperately needed to regather and pick up these games. The key for the Buffs this past week was second half dominance. After a weak first half against Cal, they were losing 27-24 but suddenly resurged after the break. The Buffs outscored the Golden Bears by a total of 35-19 in the second half. Tristan da Silva led the surge as he scored 17 points in the second half. Da Silva’s points came at a crucial time as he scored 12 points in a momentum-shifting 13-0 CU run. The Buffs took the lead at 36-34 partway through the run and never gave it back. Colorado secured the win with a final score of 59-46. They played intense defense all game, forcing a total of 22 turnovers, but just needed the offense to wake up. The story was very similar against Stanford on Sunday. The Buffs used a massive second half run to take control of a tight game. They played a solid first half as they took a big lead early, as they took control 35-27 with five to play in the first half. Going into the half, the Buffs faltered and gave up a 12-4 run leaving the game tied at 39-39 at halftime. Stanford missed its first ten shots out of the break and CU took advantage with a 16-0 run. CU has been known for its elite defense paired with an inconsistent offense and that was the tale this past week. The Buffs were able to keep themselves in games through lockdown defense and find their offensive rhythm at their own pace. The Buffs outscred Stanford 45-23 in the second half to secure the victory by a score of 84-62.

Star Players:

vs. Cal
Tristan da Silva- 20 PTS | 7-for-13 Shooting | 3-for-6 3PT

vs. Stanford
Tristan da Silva- 25 PTS | 9-for-14 Shooting | 3-for-4 3PT
KJ Simpson- 21 PTS | 5-for-11 Shooting | 7 Rebounds
Lawson Lovering- 4 PTS | 8 Rebounds | 3 Steals | 2 Blocks

This young Buffs team has struggled to find success on the road but will look to string together some wins as they are faced with three road games in a row. Boasting an excellent 11-2 record at home, the Buffs have struggled away from Boulder and are 1-7 on the road. A defensive duel is brewing in Boulder tonight as the Buffs take on Utah. Both Utah and Colorado are known for having top defensive units and it should be a high energy, competitive matchup. Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson are looking to build off of recent success and the Buffs will need them at the top of their game.

Game Details:

Game Date: Saturday, February 11th
Game Time: 8:00 PM Mountain Time
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
TV Channel: FOX Sports Network

Good content. Thank you, UpperDecker.

First paragraph looks like a wall of text which can cause someone to hesitate to engage.

I err on the other side where almost all of my posts look like bullet items without the bullets.

If we both strive for the middle ground, we will both be better.