Pac-12 Hoops Preview Game 19: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Oregon Ducks

The Colorado Buffaloes head to Eugene, Oregon to take on the red-hot Oregon Ducks Tuesday night at Matthew Night Arena. Oregon opens up as 8-point favorites according to Caesars Sportsbook and the over/under sits at 137.5.

These two teams were originally supposed to play on Dec. 30 and then Jan.3 but COVID-19 protocols between both schools cancelled both dates. So now here we are on Jan. 25 finally getting a Pac-12 conference game between the Buffs and Ducks.

The last time these two teams met was on Feb. 18 last season in Eugene. Chris Duarte, who is now playing for the Indiana Pacers, and Will Richardson led the way scoring a combined 29 of Oregon’s 60 points in a four point victory over Colorado. Colorado shot just 34.4% from the field and still managed to hang around. It’s a head scratcher when you lose a basketball game to a team when you out rebound them 43 to 29.

Oregon is winners of six-straight with impressive wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 5 USC. The Ducks are coming off a 28-point win over the Washington Huskies on Jan. 23 where Richardson led the way with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

Colorado is trending in the wrong direction as they are losers of three of their last four games with tough losses to Arizona, UCLA, and USC — all of which are in the top tier of the Conference of Champions. Not to mention, two of the three games were within reach.

The Buffs are coming off a tough game against No. 9 UCLA in which they were trailing by 15 points at the half. After committing 14 first half turnovers, Colorado took care of the ball for the most part in the second half and even cut the lead to one with 1:55 remaining in the game. It was enough as the Bruins pulled away with a six-point victory, 71-65.

One thing is for sure, this Buffs team has been resilient and hasn’t shown any quit despite the odds they’ve faced early. Tad Boyle knows he has a very young and promising roster led by Jabari Walker, Keeshawn Barthelemy, and Tristian da Silva. Evan Battey and Eli Parquet are the lone seniors that play substantial minutes on this roster while 14 of the 18 are either freshmen or sophomores.

For Colorado to keep this game close and perhaps even snag a win on the road in a hostile environment, they will need to take care of the ball and limit turnovers. Battey and Lawson Lovering will need to limit offense rebounds and prevent second-chance points for Oregon and N’Faly Dante.