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No Josh Scott, 16 allowed offensive rebounds, and as many turnovers (18) as made baskets. *If you would've handed me those facts before Friday night's tilt with UCLA, I would've told you there was no chance that CU would win. *Instead, thanks to a series of intense efforts inside the paint (and a little luck), Colorado made the plays necessary to grab a crucial 62-56 win over the Bruins in the conference opener. A welcome change of pace.
So how, given the numerous second chances and turnovers afforded to the visitors, did the Buffs manage to come away with such a massive win? *It comes down to UCLA's three point shooting (abysmal), and CU's free throw rate (superb). *The Bruins were ice cold beyond the arc, only making 6-26 for the game. *It wasn't so much that Colorado's perimeter defense was that good (although Jaron Hopkins did a solid job on Bryce Alford - 0-9), the kids from Westwood were just blatantly missing open looks from the wing. *The performance struck me as more flukish than telling, but I'll certainly take it. *From the line, at least, it was all about Colorado getting their **** together, as crunch time attempt after crunch time attempt went down. *The Buffs were 21-25 on Friday, salting the game away to stave off frantic UCLA comeback attempts.
The lack of Scott was made known about a half hour before the game. *Colorado's prized power forward was sidelined with back spasms, leaving the still-developing grouping of Wes Gordon, Dustin Thomas, and Tory Miller to go toe-to-toe with one of the better forward corps in the West. *The thing is, forced to dig deep, the trio answered the bell with a ferocious defense of the rim that really helped CU cover up the loss of Jelly. *Keyed by a career performance for Gordon, who finished three blocks shy of a triple-double with an 11/14/7 line, the Buffs more than held their own in the paint. *More importantly, they got their counterparts embroiled in foul trouble to open up the lane, keeping options open for the offense.
The three young forwards were helped by the energetic presence of Xavier Johnson. *The fiery Californian played significant minutes in the four-slot, showing a tenacity down the stretch that UCLA had no chance of countering. *The lefty would finish with 14/6 and three steals, but his contagious exuberance in the final minutes ended all doubt of a CU win.
On the perimeter, the tandem of Askia Booker and Jaron Hopkins continued to develop, with both proving able to push the pace and break down the defense. *I'm really starting to like what I see from the pair, and the offense has a different timbre to it when both are on the court. *They combined for 27/9/5/4 against UCLA, and, while there were still mistakes, played well.
Overall, it wasn't a particularly pretty effort, but this program has made a lot of hay in recent years winning ugly. *As disappointing as the start to the year has been, if this is a sign of things to come, I'll happily take it. The conference campaign is all that matters now, and the team is off to a perfect 1-0 start. *So far, so good.
--
The focus now turns to the USC Trojans. *CU needs a win today to fully capitalize on Friday's victory over UCLA. Southern Cal is a youthful enigma, and should be beatable, especially at home, but I'm still not convinced that the Buffs are fully on the mend. *How they approach today's game will tell us all a lot.
Tip-off from the CEC (now with beer!) is set for high noon today. *For those not able to make it up to Boulder, coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Click below for the preview...
Read more »
No Josh Scott, 16 allowed offensive rebounds, and as many turnovers (18) as made baskets. *If you would've handed me those facts before Friday night's tilt with UCLA, I would've told you there was no chance that CU would win. *Instead, thanks to a series of intense efforts inside the paint (and a little luck), Colorado made the plays necessary to grab a crucial 62-56 win over the Bruins in the conference opener. A welcome change of pace.
So how, given the numerous second chances and turnovers afforded to the visitors, did the Buffs manage to come away with such a massive win? *It comes down to UCLA's three point shooting (abysmal), and CU's free throw rate (superb). *The Bruins were ice cold beyond the arc, only making 6-26 for the game. *It wasn't so much that Colorado's perimeter defense was that good (although Jaron Hopkins did a solid job on Bryce Alford - 0-9), the kids from Westwood were just blatantly missing open looks from the wing. *The performance struck me as more flukish than telling, but I'll certainly take it. *From the line, at least, it was all about Colorado getting their **** together, as crunch time attempt after crunch time attempt went down. *The Buffs were 21-25 on Friday, salting the game away to stave off frantic UCLA comeback attempts.
The lack of Scott was made known about a half hour before the game. *Colorado's prized power forward was sidelined with back spasms, leaving the still-developing grouping of Wes Gordon, Dustin Thomas, and Tory Miller to go toe-to-toe with one of the better forward corps in the West. *The thing is, forced to dig deep, the trio answered the bell with a ferocious defense of the rim that really helped CU cover up the loss of Jelly. *Keyed by a career performance for Gordon, who finished three blocks shy of a triple-double with an 11/14/7 line, the Buffs more than held their own in the paint. *More importantly, they got their counterparts embroiled in foul trouble to open up the lane, keeping options open for the offense.
The three young forwards were helped by the energetic presence of Xavier Johnson. *The fiery Californian played significant minutes in the four-slot, showing a tenacity down the stretch that UCLA had no chance of countering. *The lefty would finish with 14/6 and three steals, but his contagious exuberance in the final minutes ended all doubt of a CU win.
On the perimeter, the tandem of Askia Booker and Jaron Hopkins continued to develop, with both proving able to push the pace and break down the defense. *I'm really starting to like what I see from the pair, and the offense has a different timbre to it when both are on the court. *They combined for 27/9/5/4 against UCLA, and, while there were still mistakes, played well.
Overall, it wasn't a particularly pretty effort, but this program has made a lot of hay in recent years winning ugly. *As disappointing as the start to the year has been, if this is a sign of things to come, I'll happily take it. The conference campaign is all that matters now, and the team is off to a perfect 1-0 start. *So far, so good.
--
The focus now turns to the USC Trojans. *CU needs a win today to fully capitalize on Friday's victory over UCLA. Southern Cal is a youthful enigma, and should be beatable, especially at home, but I'm still not convinced that the Buffs are fully on the mend. *How they approach today's game will tell us all a lot.
Tip-off from the CEC (now with beer!) is set for high noon today. *For those not able to make it up to Boulder, coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Click below for the preview...
Read more »
Originally posted by The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo
Click here to view the article.
 |
| A deservingly happy group of Buffaloes. *From: the BDC. |
The lack of Scott was made known about a half hour before the game. *Colorado's prized power forward was sidelined with back spasms, leaving the still-developing grouping of Wes Gordon, Dustin Thomas, and Tory Miller to go toe-to-toe with one of the better forward corps in the West. *The thing is, forced to dig deep, the trio answered the bell with a ferocious defense of the rim that really helped CU cover up the loss of Jelly. *Keyed by a career performance for Gordon, who finished three blocks shy of a triple-double with an 11/14/7 line, the Buffs more than held their own in the paint. *More importantly, they got their counterparts embroiled in foul trouble to open up the lane, keeping options open for the offense.
 |
| Wes Gordon stepped up on defense in Scott's absence. *From: the BDC |
On the perimeter, the tandem of Askia Booker and Jaron Hopkins continued to develop, with both proving able to push the pace and break down the defense. *I'm really starting to like what I see from the pair, and the offense has a different timbre to it when both are on the court. *They combined for 27/9/5/4 against UCLA, and, while there were still mistakes, played well.
 |
| Great win, Coach, but are you sure about that color of shirt when playing UCLA? *From: the BDC |
--
The focus now turns to the USC Trojans. *CU needs a win today to fully capitalize on Friday's victory over UCLA. Southern Cal is a youthful enigma, and should be beatable, especially at home, but I'm still not convinced that the Buffs are fully on the mend. *How they approach today's game will tell us all a lot.
Tip-off from the CEC (now with beer!) is set for high noon today. *For those not able to make it up to Boulder, coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Click below for the preview...
Read more »
No Josh Scott, 16 allowed offensive rebounds, and as many turnovers (18) as made baskets. *If you would've handed me those facts before Friday night's tilt with UCLA, I would've told you there was no chance that CU would win. *Instead, thanks to a series of intense efforts inside the paint (and a little luck), Colorado made the plays necessary to grab a crucial 62-56 win over the Bruins in the conference opener. A welcome change of pace.
|
| A deservingly happy group of Buffaloes. *From: the BDC. |
The lack of Scott was made known about a half hour before the game. *Colorado's prized power forward was sidelined with back spasms, leaving the still-developing grouping of Wes Gordon, Dustin Thomas, and Tory Miller to go toe-to-toe with one of the better forward corps in the West. *The thing is, forced to dig deep, the trio answered the bell with a ferocious defense of the rim that really helped CU cover up the loss of Jelly. *Keyed by a career performance for Gordon, who finished three blocks shy of a triple-double with an 11/14/7 line, the Buffs more than held their own in the paint. *More importantly, they got their counterparts embroiled in foul trouble to open up the lane, keeping options open for the offense.
|
| Wes Gordon stepped up on defense in Scott's absence. *From: the BDC |
On the perimeter, the tandem of Askia Booker and Jaron Hopkins continued to develop, with both proving able to push the pace and break down the defense. *I'm really starting to like what I see from the pair, and the offense has a different timbre to it when both are on the court. *They combined for 27/9/5/4 against UCLA, and, while there were still mistakes, played well.
|
| Great win, Coach, but are you sure about that color of shirt when playing UCLA? *From: the BDC |
--
The focus now turns to the USC Trojans. *CU needs a win today to fully capitalize on Friday's victory over UCLA. Southern Cal is a youthful enigma, and should be beatable, especially at home, but I'm still not convinced that the Buffs are fully on the mend. *How they approach today's game will tell us all a lot.
Tip-off from the CEC (now with beer!) is set for high noon today. *For those not able to make it up to Boulder, coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.
Click below for the preview...
Read more »
Originally posted by The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo
Click here to view the article.