The primary three weeks of the Pac-12 Convention schedule have been too erratic for a Colorado males’s basketball group nonetheless aiming to play a big position within the league race.
Oregon, very similar to the Buffaloes, limped into convention play whereas coping with accidents to key personnel. The Geese, although, have been the shock group of the early portion of league play. In the meantime, the Buffs, who handled key accidents for greater than a month, are hoping enjoying a second consecutive sport with the highest seven gamers of their rotation results in improved consistency as they try to re-set their convention trajectory on Thursday evening in a key matchup towards the Geese on the CU Occasions Middle.
At 5-0, Oregon is the one Pac-12 group with an unbeaten convention report. At 3-3, the Buffs have carried out under expectations up to now, however a return to well being mixed with a win on Saturday towards USC that snapped a three-game shedding streak has them eyeing what could be a vital win towards an Oregon program that has misplaced 11 of its 12 video games at CU.
“I’m glad everybody’s again. Everybody’s wholesome. So we’ve simply obtained to get in synch slightly bit,” CU wing Luke O’Brien mentioned. “I feel the primary half of USC we had been type of simply out of synch. We had been capable of flip that round within the second half. I feel the blokes that had been enjoying when individuals had been injured obtained higher, too. In order that’s all the time a plus. With the blokes that had been injured coming again, we had been out of synch slightly bit. However we’ll get that again for positive.”
CU goes into the matchup nonetheless main the Pac-12 in area objective proportion (.501), 3-point proportion (.390) and free throw proportion (.766), however it has gotten to the stage of the season by which a few of these numbers could be deceiving. The Buffs compiled the majority of these statistics towards overmatched competitors at residence throughout nonconference play, whereas the Geese are the group that has turned it on because the begin of the Pac-12 schedule.
Though it stays a solely a six-game sampling for the Buffs throughout the Pac-12, in convention video games CU started the week ranked solely sixth in area objective proportion (.452) and eighth in 3-point proportion (.352). Oregon, in the meantime, ranks sixth total with a .472 area objective proportion and fifth with a .367 3-point mark however, by way of their first 5 convention video games, the Geese ranked third in area objective proportion (.479) and second in 3-point proportion (.417).
The Geese even have shot simply .688 this season on the free throw line, rating tenth amongst Pac-12 groups. But in league video games Oregon has posted a Pac-12-best .750 mark.
The Geese have leaned closely on a pair of freshmen huge males in Kwame Evans Jr., who has assumed the first publish spot with N’Faly Dante sidelined by a knee harm for a lot of the season, and Jackson Shelstad, who has been one of the vital constant rookies within the convention up to now.
“I’ve simply seen progress,” CU head coach Tad Boyle mentioned. “They’ve been enjoying a number of freshmen. They’ve had accidents, like we’ve had accidents. You simply see a group that perhaps was actually younger, with Kwame Evans and Jackson Shelstad and a few newer gamers, who had been nonetheless making an attempt to regulate to varsity basketball as a result of they’re freshmen. Now they’re (16) video games in. They’re figuring it out. They’re beginning to play higher.
“They’re well-coached. They know what they do. They do what they do they usually do it properly.”
Oregon Geese at CU Buffs males’s basketball
TIPOFF: Thursday, 8:30 p.m., CU Occasions Middle.
TV/RADIO: Fox Sports activities 1/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Oregon 13-3, 5-0 Pac-12 Convention; Colorado 12-5, 3-3.
COACHES: Oregon — Dana Altman, 14th season (334-143, 744-386 total). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 14th season (284-177, 340-243 total).
KEY PLAYERS: Oregon — G Jackson Shelstad, 6-0, Fr. (14.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg, .438 3%); G Jermaine Couisnard, 6-4, Sr. (13.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 apg); G Kario Oquendo, 6-4, Sr. (10.4 ppg, .514 FG%, .405 3%); F Kwame Evans Jr, 6-9, Fr. (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg); G Brennan Rigsby, 6-3, Jr. (8.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .510 FG%, .462 3%). Colorado — G KJ Simpson, 6-2, Jr. (19.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, .514 FG%, .462 3%); F Tristan da Silva, 6-9, Sr. (15.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .520 FG%); G Cody Williams, 6-8, Fr. (14.1 ppg, 3.46 rpg, .560 FG%); F J’Vonne Hadley, 6-6, Sr. (10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, .567 FG%); C Eddie Lampkin Jr., 6-11, Sr. (10.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, .534 FG%); G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Jr. (8.7 ppg, .500 FG%, .438 3%); G/F Luke O’Brien, 6-8, Sr. (6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
NOTES: Oregon has received six consecutive video games and has gone 9-1 because the begin of December. … CU held Oregon to 41 factors in a house win towards the Geese final 12 months. It was the bottom scoring complete in Altman’s tenure at Oregon. … Da Silva went 11-for-17 in that sport with 30 factors, which stays a career-high. … Oregon has received all three of its true street video games this season, posting a street sweep towards the Washington colleges two weeks in the past and in addition successful at Florida A&M on Nov. 20. … The Geese welcomed again ahead N’Faly Dante throughout Saturday’s residence win towards California. A primary group All-Pac-12 choice final 12 months, Dante had been out because the season opener resulting from a knee harm. Towards Cal, Dante got here off the bench to go 3-for-8 with eight factors and two rebounds in 17 minutes. … Former Buffs guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, in his second season at Oregon, has averaged 7.7 factors and a couple of.6 assists with a .333 3-point proportion in 14 video games this 12 months. … Shelstad, an Oregon native, has averaged 16.8 factors by way of his first 5 convention video games whereas going 10-for-17 (.589) on 3-pointers. … CU concludes its three-game homestand on Saturday towards Oregon State (5 p.m., Pac-12 Community).