Colorado Hoping to Rebound from CSU Loss in Upcoming Pepperdine Game

The Colorado Buffaloes, with an undefeated 4-0 home court record, are set to face the 4-5 Pepperdine. Coming off a tough 88-83 loss against their in-state rival, #20 Colorado State, the Buffs are looking to bounce back. KJ Simpson, the starting point guard, looks to continue his efficient start to the season after scoring 30 points, shooting 9-13 from the floor.

Freshman and former McDonald's All-American Cody Williams also boosted the team, scoring all 21 of his points in the second half. However, the 51 points from this duo weren't enough for a comeback against the Rams, as turnovers and poor defensive rotations were issues for the Buffs throughout the game.

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle shared his thoughts on the team's defensive performance: “Disappointing,” Boyle said. “The second half we fought our tails off but we weren’t good enough defensively all night long. We never strung together stops and that puts a lot of pressure on your offense. Our offense was good enough in the second half but not in the first half because they were the aggressors. Colorado State is good but that was really disappointing because that was a winnable game. It was a great college basketball atmosphere and we didn’t do our part.”

Despite the loss, Colorado has maintained a team shooting average of 51.3%, even with a challenging night from the three-point arc against CSU, shooting just under 30%. On the other hand, Pepperdine, despite their losing record, has been shooting well, averaging 46.9%. Coming off a 77-62 win over Idaho State, which ended their four-game losing streak, Pepperdine's guard Michael Ajayi, who scored 25 points with 10 rebounds in the last game, is averaging 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, making him a key focus in Colorado's scouting report.

The game is scheduled for a 3 pm MTN tipoff and will be broadcast on the PAC-12 network.