The Colorado Buffaloes mens basketball team will conclude their three-game road trip Sunday night as they take on the Washington St. Cougars in Pullman, Washington.
This game will kind of tell us where the Buffs are at this point of the season and it’s been a bumpy ride to say the least. After capturing their first Quad 1 win of the season vs. Oregon at the start of this three-game stand, the team fell to the Washington Huskies just two nights after.
Colorado couldn’t figure out how to attack Washington’s 2-3 zone, giving them fits which resulted in 16 turnovers. The Buffs have to start taking care of the ball if they want any chance to play postseason basketball.
All nine players that suited up in Thursday night’s loss accounted for at least one turnover.
Tad Boyle wasn’t pleased.
Tad Boyle to the Colorado Buffaloes Radio Network following the loss to Washington: "Pathetic. Upsetting. Absolutely pathetic by the Colorado Buffaloes. This is all totally on us. Our team's not consistent enough. And we're not tough enough. We got bullied, we got punked."
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) January 28, 2022
How the Buffs respond is the key thing to watch Sunday night.
Washington St. is coming off a 71-54 win at home over the Utah Utes Jan. 26. Four players scored in double figures and they went 15-for-16 from the line as a team. What’s most impressive is the team shot just 36.9% from the field and 25.8% (8-for-31) from three.
Colorado and Washington State met earlier this season on Jan. 6 in Boulder. The Buffs came away with a five point win behind 20 points from senior forward Evan Battey. Three other Buffs scored in double figures as well, led by Keeshawn Barthelemy with 17, Jabari Walker with 16, and Tristan da Silva with 10.
Cougars junior guard Tyrell Roberts scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting, collecting 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a losing effort. The Cougs got production off their bench from 6’10” sophomore Efe Abogidi, netting 16 points and hauling down 10 rebounds, 4 of which were offensive.
In order to take care of business Sunday night, the Buffs must take care of the ball and limit second-chance points. It’s easier said than done, but these have been the two main reasons why Colorado is sitting at a 5-5 conference record.