Colorado got worked off the boards in Boulder
Ignoring the final score, the Colorado Buffaloes had a night to forget at the CU Event Center.
Perhaps it was due to the jetlag from Maui. Maybe they were just tired from all the Hawaiian sunbathing and beach shenanigans. They may have just had an off night. One thing is for certain though; the Buffaloes played a sloppy, undeciplined game against the Pacific Tigers.
Colorado managed to beat the Tigers by a final score of 75-66, but don’t let that fool you. Poor finishing at the rim and bad rebounding put the Buffaloes in a deep first-half hole that they’d have to dig themselves out of.
In the first frame, the Buffs allowed Pacific to snag 22 rebounds alone, five of which came off the offensive boards. For a team that prides itself in dominating off the boards and playing physical, fundamentally sound basketball, getting outrebounded by in a half of basketball by a Big West team is unacceptable, according to coach Tad Boyle.
“Pacific was averaging 11.7 offensive rebounds per game going into tonight,” said Boyle. [Tonight] they had 14. That means they were better than their average, which is a reflection on us as a group, and it’s unacceptable. It’s badly embarrassing.”
Offensively, Colorado didn’t fare much better in the first half either. Colorado finished the half shooting only 10-31 from the field, making only one of their 11 layup attempts. The Buffaloes looked completely lost on the offensive floor, unable to find an answer for their poor finishing around the rim.
The combination of bad rebounding and shooting led the Buffaloes to fall behind Pacific by a margin of around 10 points, which they’d maintain going into halftime. Headed into the locker rooms for the break, Colorado trailed the Pacific Tigers 38-29.
The Buffs started the second half much like the first, allowing the Tigers to get good looks and work off the boards. Just when it looked like CU had lost their juice from Maui and would sleepwalk their way into a Q4 loss, they finally got thrown a lifeline.
Bangot Dak got up and swatted a shot from a Pacific player, which landed right in the hands of RJ Smith. Smith chucked the ball up the court to walk-on Harrison Carrington, who finished on a beautiful two-handed slam. The CU Event Center exploded with cheer, giving the Buffs all the momentum in the building.
That momentum proved to be just enough to push Colorado passed the finish line, as they shot the ball rebounded just well enough to squeak by Pacific with a 9-point victory.
Offensively, Andrej Jakivoski’s three-ball was Colorado’s only consistent scoring method against the Tigers. Jakimoski hit four of his seven three-pointers, finishing the game with 17 points.
On the defensive floor, some big players by CU’s front court carried the effort. Bangot Dak finished the contest with four total blocks, including two of the crazier ones we’ve seen from the Buffs this season. Trevor Baskins finished with three blocks of his own, along with 13 points and 10 total rebounds.
Sophomore RJ Smith deserves some kudos for being the player to pull Colorado out of the hole they dug themselves, hitting two three-pointers in major moments and finishing the game with 8 points. While his numbers don’t pop off the stat sheet, Smith has emerged as CU’s most clutch three-point threat over the last three games.
Now, Colorado will need to rebound when hated rival to the north Colorado State makes the trip to The Keg for a Rocky Mountain Showdown matchup in Boulder. The Buffs want revenge for what happened in Fort Collins last fall and will get their crack at the Rammies this weekend.
Tipoff will be at 6:00 on December 7th in Boulder. The theme for the game is a white-out for those attending, so be sure to dress accordingly. Fans at home can tune in on ESPN+.