Colorado Looks to Stay Undefeated at Home After Big Miami Win
The Colorado Buffaloes take on in state school University of Northern Colorado. The Buffs are coming off an impressive victory against a ranked Miami team that made the final four a season ago. The Buffs dominated that game, and there momentum increased throughout the game.
The Colorado Buffaloes are currently 7-2, with their losses coming against Florida State in the Sunshine Slam tournament and Colorado State, ranked nationally. The win against Miami was a huge booster for them and showed the entire country that the Buffaloes could make a deep run come March.
Tristan Da Silva, forward out of Munich, Germany, is looking to lead the Buffaloes tonight against the University of Northern Colorado Bears. Da Silva was just one assist shy of a triple-double against Miami. He wasn’t the only player to show up in big numbers. Guard KJ Simpson, a shining star this season, put up 22 points on eight shots and went 2-2 from the free throw line. Center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who transferred from TCU, has made his presence felt on the floor whenever he is on it. He had 11 points in the first half against Miami and is averaging 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Look for Lampkin to use his post skills against the Bears in this matchup.
MSM Photo/David Mashinsky - Eddie Lampkin Jr. (pictured left) preparing to box out during a free throw attempt
The University of Northern Colorado sits at 4-5 on the season. They just recently lost to Texas A&M Commerce in double overtime. Junior Dejour Reaves scored 30 points that game, going 11-17 from the field. Reaves is averaging 16.8 points and four rebounds per game thus far this season. Another junior, Saint Thomas, has also been lighting it up for the Bears. Thomas is averaging a double-double this season with 16.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The Thomas Reaves duo will be important for the Buffaloes to focus on as they have found their way to establish points. The Bears are letting up an average of 82 points per game this season and scoring 88 points per game. This matchup looks to be a high scoring game
Keys for the game. The Colorado Buffaloes have been letting up a lot of turnovers this season averaging around 14 a game. The buffs will need to take care of the ball as they play a team that can capitalize off the turnover. The Buffs love spreading the rock, which has been a massive factor in their victories. They had 28 assists against the Hurricanes and only 14 assists when they went against Florida State. Having the ball move around is the ket to success for the Buffs. Another key is the home court. The Buffs are currently undefeated at home. The fans have been backing them up all season long, and they hope that nothing changes with this game coming up.
Freshman Cody Williams has been a star for the Buffs this season, but he didn’t play against Miami due to a wrist injury. Long-time tenured Buff and fan favorite Luke O’Brien looks to take over. His three and D playstyle has been very beneficial for the Buffaloes. Freshman big Bangot has played few minutes this season but has been impactful on defense during the minutes that he has played.
MSM Photo/David Mashinsky - Bangot Dak (pictured right) waits to check in at the scorers table
Buffs vs. Bears is on Friday at 6 pm. The game will be played at the CU Events Center and aired on PAC 12 Networks and KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM.