Bangot Dak is making waves in the college basketball world and rightfully so. Colorado's big man was named the MVP of the Acrisure Holiday Classic Friday afternoon, recording 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks.
Three takeaways from Colorado's win over Washington.
This team is unselfish.
If you watched this game, or any game for that matter so far this season, you will notice just how unselfish this team really is. This can be attributed to the culture Tad Boyle has built at Colorado.
Colorado had 11 first half assists on 16 field goal attempts in the first half, while Washington had just two. They move the ball so well and always seem to find the open man.
22 of Colorado's 47 first half points were from the bench. Freshmen Isaiah Johnson and Alon Michaeli continue to make their presence known, finishing with 13 and 12 points respectively.
First half defense was impressive.
Only 30 points were scored by Washington in the first half, as they shot just 9-of-23 from the field, which was 28.1%.
11 of those 30 were from the charity stripe, which they went a perfect 11-for-11. Dak was a big contributor to Washington having so many fits on the offensive end due to his large wingspan. He had six rebounds and two blocks alone in the first half.
Overcame a rough start to the second half.
The start to the second half might have been the most frustrating so far this season.
Washington big man Franck Kepnang set the tone early and brought the Huskies back from the dead.
He grabbed two offensive rebounds on a possession early in the second half, leading to two free throws. On the very next possession for Washington, he would grab yet another offensive rebound that led to a kick-out three to start a 7-0 run.
Colorado only scored six points in the first six minutes as Washington went on a 19-4 run, putting the game within reach.
Washington even tied the game up at 52 apiece on a Jasir Rencher three-pointer, but Colorado answered back. Felix Kossaras and Michaeli made a pair of three's late to push Colorado back ahead.