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Preview of this evening's game -
Direct link -
https://cubuffs.com/news/2020/1/24/...against-washington-collect-weekend-sweep.aspx
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BOULDER — Saturday night, the Colorado Buffaloes will try to finish a weekend the way they started, something they have yet to accomplish in Pac-12 play this year.
To do that, they will have to beat a Washington team they haven't beaten since 2017, a string of five games — including three last season.
Tipoff between the 23rd-ranked Buffs (15-4 overall, 4-2 Pac-12) and the Huskies (12-8, 2-5) is set for 7 p.m. at the CU Events Center.
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"I told these guys if we want to compete for a Pac-12 championship, we have to win (Saturday)," Boyle said after Friday's practice. "That's the bottom line. I don't say that to put pressure on them. There's no pressure involved. It's, 'Do you want to do that or not?' If we do, we'll come out and play with the intensity and the toughness and the aggressiveness that we're going to need for 40 minutes."
The Huskies have clearly been a thorn in CU's side for the last couple of seasons, sweeping the regular season series both years, along with beating Colorado in the 2019 Pac-12 tournament semifinals.
This year, Mike Hopkins' Huskies are a talented but young team that still relies on the 2-3 zone defense Hopkins has made a staple of the program.
Washington opened the season with a 67-64 win over Baylor, a team now 15-1 and ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. But since then, UW has had some dramatic ups and downs that include a 72-40 thumping of Southern California and a win over Oregon State, as well as losses to Utah, UCLA, Cal and Oregon.
But the fact that Washington is talented is not in dispute. UW has a pair of 6-foot-9 freshmen — Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart — who have both been been projected as NBA first-round draft picks. The Huskies' biggest problem has been filling the vacancy created when point guard Quade Green, a transfer from Kentucky, was declared ineligible in early January. Since Green's departure, the Huskies are just 1-4, including a narrow 67-66 loss Thursday at Utah that saw UW let a seven-point lead slip away in the final minutes.
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"They're long and they're athletic, there's no doubt," Boyle said. "That's the M.O. with Coach Hopkins and his recruiting style. They are loaded in terms of athletes and length. But they're also very young and they're turnover prone and they have trouble scoring at times. But they've got very capable basketball players."
Indeed, it's no coincidence that more than a dozen NBA scouts are expected to be in attendance Saturday. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Stewart is averaging 18.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game while the 6-9, 200-pound McDaniels is averaging 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
The Huskies no doubt make their living on defense. They are the Pac-12's leading team in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on just 36.9 percent of their shots this year, including a league-leading 29.9 percent from 3-point range.
But Washington has also committed a league-high 295 turnovers, including 17 that led to 21 points for Utah in Thursday's game.
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TIPOFF: The game is set for 7 p.m. at the CU Events Center.
THE SERIES: Washington holds a 17-11 all-time edge in the series, including five straight wins. Colorado has an 8-4 advantage in Boulder, but the Huskies have won the last two at the Events Center.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by FS1 with Aaron Goldsmith and Casey Jacobsen on the call. The radio broadcast will be carried by 850 AM and 94.1 FM KOA, with Voice of the Buffs
Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: The Buffs hit the road next week for a pair of late games in Los Angeles, beginning with a Thursday game at UCLA (9 p.m.), followed by a Saturday tilt game at USC (8:30 p.m.).
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