A match-up of mass proportions for No. 20-ranked Colorado against the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks will happen in Allen Fieldhouse this Saturday at 5 p.m. MT (ESPN2). Colorado snagged a buzzer-beater the last time the two teams met up in 2013 when Asia Booker scored a deep three. Explosive energy from a crowd filling 5,000 more seats than The CU Events Center combined with a team looking for redemption presents a potent match-up to the now 7-0 Buffs.
The stats could speak for themselves. CU has a 37.8 opponent field goal percentage scoring 56.3 points at away games while KU holds up a staggering 83 PPG.
Starting guard for The Jayhawks, Devon Dotson, averages 19.7 points per game with 4.3 assists.
Both teams are returning several players who can shift the entire pace of the game. Colorado holds four starting veterans including Tyler Bey who put up double-digits in every game this season and McKinley Wright IV who was named to the preseason Naismith Award watch list in November. The two stand-out players do not go unnoticed, but coming off a week’s count Colorado winning streak is another player whose skill has intensified the Colorado offense. D’Shawn Schwartz tied to lead with Wright at 16 points against Loyola Marymount on Wednesday.
“We just need to come out with better energy than we had in the first half,” he said. “Had a little bit of a slow start. They were playing really well on the offensive end and we have to step it up.”
Colorado won at 76-64 after falling behind by four points during the first half against the now 3-5 LMU. With 18 turnovers and 41.5 FG%, Colorado sought to recover making 75.8 percent of their free-throws.
Coach Tad Boyle said, “We have to make the game simpler and easier, and the way you do that is by just making simple and easy plays. And right now some of our guys aren’t doing that.”
Previous Jayhawk Tad Boyle spent four years of his life at KU. “I played at Kansas and I’m proud that I did,” he said. “Some of my closest friends to this day are guys I played basketball with. It was a good experience — but I’m a Colorado guy.”
Boyle knows what to expect- his players don’t.
While ESPN’s matchup predictor favors KU at 81.7 percent, there’s something to be said for the inconsistency within NCAA preseason basketball.
Kansas started the season with a loss against Duke (68-66) who turned around to lose to a Southland Conference, Stephen F. Austin, by 12 points (69-57). To scrutinize each team and evaluate who looks good on paper, we all know who is going to win. But that’s the beauty of pre-season, leftovers can be warmed up.
Written by Christina Robben
