The 7-3 Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team has certainly been testing its fans’ patience this season with five of their 10 contests this season being decided by a margin of fewer than five points. Their most recent game against the Eastern Washington Eagles was no different.
The Buffs managed to turn a 6-0 deficit to start the game into a 15-point lead with 6:29 left in the first half. They couldn’t hold it for long, though, and the rest of the game was a close battle with the Eagles taking a 53-51 lead with five minutes left to play in the game, which they increased to 55-51.
Despite Jabari Walker missing three of four free throws in the closing seconds, the Buffs hung on and snagged a 60-57 victory.
home win No. 5 ✅
🎥 highlights vs. Eastern Washington
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) December 9, 2021
Colorado will face its next test in the form of the 2-6 Milwaukee Panthers on Friday night. While all signs point to victory for the Buffs, that doesn’t mean they should breeze through this game without making some improvements of their own.
The Buffs’ biggest issues this season have resulted from team struggles on offense. They’re averaging 12.9 turnovers per game and as head coach Tad Boyle pointed out, their lack of production has hurt the team’s overall intensity.
Tad Boyle: "Our ineffectiveness on offense really bled into our energy level and that cannot happen."
— Jack Carlough (@Jack_Carlough) December 9, 2021
Despite these struggles, Colorado has managed to notch seven victories and suffered just three losses this season.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, hasn’t been so lucky in the win column. Its victory over the 0-7 Robert Morris Colonials last weekend was just the Panthers’ second of the season, finally snapping a six-game losing streak.
The Panthers’ offense has been led by junior guard DeAndre Gholston, who is averaging 16.3 points. Milwaukee, like Colorado, has struggled with turnovers. Pat Baldwin’s squad is averaging 13.3 turnovers compared to CU’s 12.9.
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On paper, this seems like an easy win for Colorado. But despite the talent on the Panthers’ roster, Colorado’s youth and inexperience have shown so far this season. The Buffs need to work out the kinks in their game while they have the chance against opponents like Milwaukee and CSU Bakersfield, which comes on Dec. 18.
The Buffs’ schedule won’t be getting any easier after that, as they will take on the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks on Dec. 21, just before beginning Pac-12 play at Oregon on Dec. 30. Colorado’s winning record could quickly take a turn for the worse if it isn’t able to find its identity as a team and start putting together some more inspiring victories.
Tipoff against Milwaukee is set for 7:30 p.m. MT at the CU Events Center.
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