Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes seek a conference rebound after narrowly falling to Texas Tech at home, missing a three-point shot at the buzzer as time expired.
Colorado faces a tough road challenge against Cincinnati, a top-ten KenPom defensive team according to his adjusted defensive efficiency statistic.
3 keys for Colorado to come out victorious over Cincinnati
Control the glass
Rebounding dominance is the key battleground where this young Buffs team needs to excel in order to take the next step.
Colorado faced an 11-rebound deficit against Texas Tech Saturday as JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts dominated the boards.
Cincinnati's lockdown defense means Colorado can't afford to waste a single opportunity. Every possession becomes important, and every loose ball can be a difference-maker.
Colorado will need to take quality looks
Like rebounding, Colorado must avoid wasting possessions on poor shot selection.
The Bearcats hold conference opponents to just 66 points per game, disrupting offensive rhythm and making it hard to consistently score.
Colorado's 83.6-point conference average means something must give Wednesday night.
Cincinnati stands 0-3 in conference play, with consecutive narrow defeats by one and two points respectively.
Keep an eye on Barrington Hargress and Sebastian Rancik. This game appears ideal for them to dominate the starting lineup with their playmaking and scoring abilities.
Colorado’s bench will need to provide help outside of Johnson
This likely grind-it-out type of matchup will require Colorado to find contributors beyond Isaiah Johnson.
Johnson tops the Buffs' scoring off the bench, averaging 15.9 points with 50.4/44.4/83.0 shooting splits.
Colorado will be without freshman guard Jalin Holland who is out with an undisclosed injury. Boyle mentioned he won’t suit up against Cincinnati, but it’s possible he could return this Saturday at West Virginia.
Colorado will now lean on Josiah Sanders and Alon Michaeli to step up. With Holland out, Boyle elected to roll with just eight players in the rotation against Texas Tech.