Tag: colorado buffaloes basketball

Pac-12 Postseason Watch: Colorado, Utah both advance

Colorado and Utah won their postseason contests.

The Pac-12 Conference has a handful of teams playing in the postseason. Four teams made the NCAA Tournament and one made the NIT.

On Tuesday, the Utah Utes defeated UC Irvine in the first round of the NIT in an 84-75 victory. Branden Carlson led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds as Deivon Smith also recorded a double-double for the Utes.

Utah’s next game will come against Iowa in Utah on Sunday evening, so they have a few days off to rest and prepare for another tough matchup against a Big Ten team. The Hawkeyes defeated Kansas State to advance in the NIT.

Colorado faced Boise State on Wednesday in a First Four battle of 10-seeds, and the Buffs were simply too much for the Broncos, as they remain winless in NCAA Tournament history (0-10),

Colorado was arguably underseeded and shouldn’t have been a First Four team anyway and they beat Boise State 60-53.

Tristan da Silva had 20 points and TCU transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. had 13 points with six rebounds as the Buffs moved on.

Colorado next goes up against 7-seed Florida on Friday afternoon.

Buffs in the NBA: Chauncey Billups gives Jabari Walker game ball following career-high game

Jabari Walker had the best scoring game of his young NBA career on Friday night

Former Colorado men’s basketball star Jabari Walker is currently in his second season in the NBA, and he has earned more and more minutes this year for a young Portland Trail Blazers team.

On Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Walker shined bright with the best scoring game of his young career. Walker scored a career-high 25 points to go with nine rebounds in just under 30 minutes off the bench. The Blazers also got the 134-128 victory.

After the game, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, another all-time great Buff, gave the game ball to Walker in a special moment.

On the year, Walker is averaging 8.1 points per game with 5.4 rebounds and has seen his minutes increase recently. Three days before scoring 25, he finished with 17 on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

CU Buffs take down Northern Colorado in penultimate nonconference game

KJ Simpson and the Buffs improved to 8-2 with a Friday night win over Northern Colorado

The rock was moving with ease once again for the CU men’s basketball team in its 90-68 Friday evening win over in-state foe Northern Colorado.

Without star freshman Cody Williams for the second straight game, the Buffs still managed 23 assists and shot just under 50% from the field. Colorado, which upset ranked Miami on Sunday, is now 8-2.

All five Buffs starters scored in the double-figures and Julian Hammond III also chipped in 10 off the bench. KJ Simpson led the team with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

Eddie Lampkin Jr. also impressed with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. The TCU transfer tied J’Vonne Hadley for the team-high in assists (six), too.

Colorado began pulling away from the Bears late in the second half, finishing on a 13-3 run before the break.

Head coach Tad Boyle’s Buffs will stay in Boulder for their final nonconference game against Utah Tech next Thursday.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Tristan da Silva earns second career Pac-12 Player of the Week honors

Following his huge performance in Colorado’s win over Miami, Tristan da Silva was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week

Following his near triple-double in Colorado’s 90-63 win over then-No. 15 Miami, veteran forward Tristan da Silva was named the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday.

Da Silva put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in the Buffaloes’ blowout victory at the Barclays Center. The 10 rebounds and nine assists were both season-highs while the 22 points tied his season-best.

This marks the second time da Silva has earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in his college career. He won it last season on Jan. 9 following the Buffs’ home sweep of Oregon and Oregon State.

Nine games into his senior season, the German forward is shooting a career-best 55.6% from the field for a Colorado team with NCAA Tournament aspirations.

Da Silva and the Buffs will be back at the CU Events Center for a Friday evening game against Northern Colorado.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Colorado men’s basketball vs. No. 15 Miami: How to watch, listen and stream

Colorado has an opportunity to knock off a ranked opponent today at the Barclays Center

Colorado’s final opportunity to secure a key nonconference win will come on Sunday with a neutral-site matchup against Miami (Florida).

The Hurricanes, who reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four last season, are currently 7-1 and ranked No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s College Basketball Coaches Poll. Led by 53.7% 3-point shooter Wooga Poplar, Miami has beaten Georgia, Kansas State and Notre Dame, with its only loss coming to then-No. 12 Kentucky on Nov. 28.

The Buffs took care of Pepperdine in their last game on Sunday to improve to 6-2. Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva both scored over 20 points in the 91-66 win.

As part of the NABC Brooklyn Showcase, Colorado and Miami are set to meet at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.

Game time: Sunday, Dec. 10 at noon MT (2 p.m. ET)

Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

TV: ESPN2 (Kevin Brown, Cory Alexander)

Listen: Colorado Basketball Radio Network KHOW 630 AM (local)

Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Recap: CU Buffs overwhelmed by No. 20 Colorado State

The veteran CU Buffs are still learning how to win away from Boulder

While the CU Buffs fully expected the atmosphere they were given inside Moby Arena on Wednesday night, it was still too much for them to handle in an 88-83 loss to Colorado State.

Fueled by their home crowd, the Rams were the aggressor throughout, forcing turnovers and attacking every hole in Colorado’s offense. CSU jumped out to a 15-point lead at the half and although the Buffaloes’ offense made things interesting late, the No. 20 Rams closed out their first win over CU since 2017.

“Colorado State punched us in the mouth and we looked around like we weren’t expecting it for some reason,” CU men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle said after the game.

The 88 points scored by the Rams, who lost by 28 in Boulder just one year ago, mark the most they’ve ever managed in the 117-year history of the series.

Boyle’s Buffs are now 5-2 on the year while Colorado State remained undefeated at 7-0.

Former Buff Nique Clifford enjoyed a 15-point revenge game and also pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

KJ Simpson led the Buffs with 30 points, a new season-high for the junior point guard After a scoreless first half, star freshman Cody Williams went off for 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the second half.

“For me, it was just if a lane was open and I had an opportunity to attack, I would do that and it worked out,” Williams said. “Our whole team was doing that attacking, which was why we were able to cut the lead down, but then we just couldn’t string together some stops.”

The Buffs are back at the CU Events Center on Sunday for a 3 p.m. MT game against Pepperdine.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Strong shooting leads Colorado past Iona

The shots were falling in Colorado’s 85-68 win over Iona

The shots were falling for just about everyone wearing a Colorado jersey on Sunday afternoon.

After struggling in the paint during Tuesday’s loss to Florida State, the No. 18 Buffs men’s basketball team went 60.8% from the field in an 85-68 home win over Iona.

Senior Tristan da Silva went 6-for-7 from the field and led the Buffs with 17 points, sending the German forward past 1,000 for his college career.  J’Vonne Hadley (12), KJ Simpson (15), Cody Williams (12) and Julian Hammond III (11) also scored in the double-figures.

The Buffs, who dealt with Iona’s full-court press throughout, led by only five at the break before pulling away early in the second half.

Colorado is now 5-1 heading into a huge Wednesday evening game at Colorado State, which moved to 6-0 after upsetting No. 8 Creighton on Thursday.

“We’re looking forward to it,” da Silva said of CU’s upcoming trip to Fort Collins. “They’re a good team, good program. We gotta make sure that we’re locked in the next couple of days and get ready. We have to have good practices and then go up there to handle business.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

No. 18 Colorado handed first loss of season in Sunshine Slam title game

Colorado suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday in the Sunshine Slam title game

The Colorado men’s basketball team began the season 4-0 and broke into the AP Top 25 at No. 18. On Tuesday afternoon, though, the Buffs were handed their first loss as Florida State defeated head coach Tad Boyle’s group in overtime, 77-71, in the Sunshine Slam title game.

The Buffs and Seminoles were tied at 60 at the end of regulation after both teams went scoreless in the final minute.

The Buffs were led by Cody Williams, who had 17 points and six rebounds. KJ Simpson was next with 15 points but struggled from the field, shooting 5-of-22. Williams and Simpson were the only two Colorado players to finish in double figures.

Florida State moved to 4-1 following its best win of the season. The Seminoles had four players finish with double-digit points; Jalen Warley (19) and Jamir Watkins (18) led the way.

Florida State also extended its impressive overtime winning streak to 14:

The Seminoles were crowned Sunshine Slam champions after beating UNLV on Monday to get to the title game. Colorado beat Richmond in its semifinal game.

After some time off, the Buffs will look to regroup with a home game against Iona on Sunday.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

CU basketball great Dominique Collier coaching at Accelerated Prep in Denver

CU basketball great Dominique Collier is coaching the next generation of hoopers at Accelerated Prep in Denver

One of the greatest in-state products to ever play college basketball at Colorado, Dominique Collier is now coaching the next generation of hoopers at Accelerated Prep.

The Denver-based private program competes in the Grind Session, a national high school circuit that has produced over 2,000 professional and college players in the past decade. Just last year, current CU freshman Assane Diop played for Accelerated Prep before signing with the Buffs.

Collier, a 2014 Denver East High School graduate who was named Mr. Colorado Basketball twice by The Denver Post, played four seasons with the Buffs (2014-18) before a brief professional career overseas.

I recently spoke with Collier about his latest coaching venture:

“(I want) to give back the knowledge that I know and help Colorado kids because I’m from here,” Collier told Buffs Wire. “I’m trying to help grow Colorado and have more recruits come in and make Colorado a known place.”

Over the past weekend, Accelerated Prep went 1-1 in a locally hosted event, losing to Utah Prep before beating DME Academy (Florida). Accelerated Prep, led by head coach Mike Haynes, next has games in California and Arizona scheduled for December.

Collier spoke highly of several Accelerated Prep players, including 6-foot-10 sophomore Aliou Dioum and senior guards Ryan Mpouli and Jacovey Campbell.

“I try to tell them (about) the grind that it’s like being a college athlete,” Collier said. “I went through four years of it. If they want to play at that level, (I’m) preaching to them every day the grind and that dedication that they have to have to reach that level.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Colorado gets past Richmond to set up Sunshine Slam title game against Florida State

After beating Richmond, Colorado is now set to face Florida State in the Sunshine Slam title game on Tuesday afternoon

Preseason tournament games are never easy to predict and few likely expected Richmond to give Colorado as much trouble as it did on Monday night.

Fortunately for the No. 18 Buffs, they pulled away late in a 64-59 win over the Spiders at the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 4-0 Colorado men’s basketball team is now set to face Florida State, which beat UNLV in its semifinal game, in the beach bracket championship game on Tuesday at 2 p.m. MT (CBS Sports).

The Buffs and Seminoles last faced each other in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, a second-round game that was won by Florida State.

Colorado got off to a quick start defensively against Richmond but soon fell victim to the excellent shooting of Jordan King, who led the Spiders with 23 points.

However, CU’s offensive duo of Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson proved stronger as the two upperclassmen scored 15 and 23 points, respectively. J’Vonne Hadley was the Buffs’ defensive star, racking up four steals and a block.

On the night, Richmond still outshot Colorado from the field, 45% to 43%.

Head coach Tad Boyle’s Buffs are now one win away from their first preseason tournament title since winning the 2019 MGM Main Event in Las Vegas.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.