Posts tagged Coors Events Center
#20 CU Buffs send the #10 Duck Nation packing
Jan 6th
BOULDER – Duck Dynasty might play well elsewhere, but not in Askia Booker’s and Spencer Dinwiddie’s house.
Colorado’s pair of junior guards took control Sunday afternoon, alternately pushing and pulling the No. 20 Buffs to a 100-91 Pac-12 Conference win over No. 10 Oregon at the raucous Coors Events Center. CU’s 13-2 record (2-0 Pac-12) matches the program’s best start since 1968-69 season.
Booker (career-high 27) and Dinwiddie (23) combined for 50 points as the Buffs overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and disposed of the previously unbeaten Ducks (13-1, 1-1). CU’s prized back-court duo was golden in nearly everything they touched: Booker hit 10-of-12 free throws, Dinwiddie sank 10-of-11 and they combined for 11 of CU’s 14 assists. Between them, they were four-of-seven from beyond the arc, with Dinwiddie going three-for-four.
“It’s pretty simple,” Dinwiddie said. “When ‘Ski ‘plays really well, we play really well. We kind of go as he goes . . . when he’s up, we are one good team.”
Booker called his and Dinwiddie’s combined productivity “wonderful” and said of his backcourt mate: “I think he’s probably the best point guard I’ve played with . . . it’s nice to have somebody like that on my side and know I can trust him.”
Their coach, Tad Boyle, said when his starting guards are dialed in on the same afternoon, the Buffs are not only hard to handle but fun to observe – especially when an opponent enters the CEC with up-and-down intentions: “I wish every team that came into Coors wanted to run . . . that’s the way we want to play. It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to play, it’s fun to coach. Yeah, it was fun today . . .
“That was a high-level basketball game, a treat for anybody in the building . . . it’s a special win because of the respect we have for (coach) Dana Altman and the Oregon program.”
The Buffs have now won five of six meetings and four straight against the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 and are unbeaten (5-0 all time, 3-0 Pac-12) against Oregon at the CEC, where Boyle is now an imposing 55-7.
Boyle said his team is marked “toughness, resiliency . . . and they obviously believe in each other” – and that was never more apparent than in the second half when the Buffs rallied from a 10-point deficit.
CU also got double-figure scoring from Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson, who contributed 15 points each. Scott also collected 12 of the Buffs’ 39 rebounds (Oregon had 33) for his fifth consecutive double-double and seventh this season.
The Buffs shot 56.4 percent from the field, a dramatic upgrade from their 38.2 percent on Thursday night against Oregon State. The Ducks came in as the nation’s highest scoring team (89.2 ppg) and shooting 50 percent from the field. They got their scoring average, but the Buffs held them to 42.3 percent shooting.
CU was perfect from the foul line (13-for-13) in the first half and finished 33-of-39.
Ironically, the first missed free throw was by Booker, who hit one of three after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with just under 6 minutes left. The Buffs committed 16 turnovers – costing them 20 points – to the Ducks’ nine, but outscored the visitors’ 40-34 in the paint and got 17 second-chance points to Oregon’s nine.
“Obviously, they shoot 56 percent and out-rebounded us,” Altman said. “We just didn’t ourselves a chance.”
That wasn’t entirely true. With 14:22 to play, the Ducks were up 10 points (58-48), forcing a timeout by Boyle. Following that, the Buffs ratcheted up their defensive intensity and went on a 16-4 run that produced a 64-62 CU advantage. Oregon never led again.
“Luckily, we had same situation when it was 21-12,” Dinwiddie said. “We fought back and took the lead. You never want to start (a second half) in a hole . . . but we knew we could come back.”
Added Altman: “It turned there and we just didn’t get any stops. They are a good defensive team. They play with tremendous confidence here.”
The Buffs led 44-42 at the break, but only 3:15 earlier they had enjoyed their largest advantage of the half – 39-31 – courtesy of a 9-0 run. It appeared that CU would carry at least a five-point lead to the locker room, but Oregon’s Jason Calliste, left open for a 3-pointer, drained it with a second showing on the clock.
After an 11-2 spurt that wiped out CU’s first lead (10-8), Oregon took its largest first-half margin – nine points at 21-12 – before the Buffs calmed themselves and rallied. They would have to do it again.
Only 7 seconds into the second half, Oregon pressured CU into a timeout, then got possession on a jump ball and tied the score at 44-44 on a layup by Richard Amardi. A minute later, Mike Moser (24 points) hit a baseline jumper and the Ducks retook the lead, 46-44.
A Scott put-back produced a 46-46 tie – and a back-and-forth second half appeared to be unfolding. Wrong. Getting eight points from Moser, Oregon outscored CU 10-0 and took its first double-digit – 58-48 – lead with 14:22 remaining.
But the Buffs weren’t rattled. Over the next 5 minutes, they outscored the Ducks 16-4 to go up 64-62 on a 3-pointer by freshman Jaron Hopkins.
Then, it was Dinwiddie do-it time, with Booker’s magic to follow.
After hitting back-to-back treys, the junior guard sank two free throws to push CU up 72-66 with 7:58 to play. Oregon pulled within two points twice (72-70) on a pair of Dominic Artis free throws and a layup by Elgin Cook, but CU opened an eight-point (80-72) advantage with 5:03 left.
Booker then scored seven of the Buffs’ next 11 points as they went ahead 91-80 with 2:23 left. Oregon capitalized on two CU turnovers to creep to within 92-86, then got to within five (94-89) on a Joseph Young 3-pointer from the right wing at the 1:22 mark.
After a Duck timeout, Oregon got the ball back when Dinwiddie was whistled for a pushing foul on the inbounds play. But the Ducks couldn’t score on that possession, and Xavier Talton hit one of two free throws when fouled at the other end (95-89).
The conclusion was fitting: When Dinwiddie and Booker sank five of six free throws in the last 40.4 seconds to get the Buffs to 100 for the first time in Pac-12 play, the CEC crowd began chanting “over-rated, over-rated.”
Asked what kind of statement Sunday’s win made to the Pac-12 and the nation, Dinwiddie said, “We thought we kind of made a statement against Kansas (a 75-72 win over the then-No. 6 Jayhawks). We go on the board. It shows we ain’t going to lose at home (but) like coach says, now it’s time to take our show on the road.”
The Buffs play Washington State on Wednesday in Spokane, then play at Washington on Sunday, Jan. 12.
GAME NOTES
TEAM
• CU improves to 8-3 all-time and 5-0 at home against Oregon.
• The Buffaloes have won four straight against Oregon, and five of the last six in the series since 2011-12 season.
• CU is now 13-2 to start the season matching the 1968-69 team after 15 games (that team with All-American Cliff Meely started 14-2 & won the Big Eight Championship).
• An 11-0 home record matches Coach Boyle’s first season (2010-11) for consecutive wins after the first 11 home games.
• CU is now an impressive 55-7 (.887) at home under the Boyle coaching staff.
• Today was the first time since Jan. 26, 1997 that CU was ranked at home against another ranked opponent (17 years). CU was No. 18 in the AP Poll vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (77-68).
• Second time in four years, the Buffs have defeated a pair of nationally ranked Top-10 opponents in same season (defeated No. 6 Kansas, Dec. 7). Back in 2010-11, Buffs defeated No. 9/8 Missouri, 89-76 (Jan. 8) and No. 5/5 Texas in the second greatest comeback in school history (trailed by 22 pts.), 91-89 (Feb. 26), both games played at the Coors Events Center.
• CU improves to 2-2 this season against nationally ranked opponents and under Boyle is now 11-11 against the nation’s Top-25 teams (5-6 vs. Top 10).
• Marks the 2nd time this season CU has been perfect from the line at the half, hitting 13-of-13 (12-of-12 vs Georgia Dec. 28 2013).
• First time this season both teams have been perfect from the line at the half (18-of-18 combined).
• 3rd highest FG percentage in the first half this season (55%).
• CU’s four blocks in the first half are the most this season.
• Oregon becomes the first opponent to score 80+ points this season (last time was at Arizona Jan. 13, 2013 92-83).
• The last time CU had two players score 20 points in a game (Askia Booker: 27, Spencer Dinwiddie: 23) was against Cal on March 18, 2011 (Alec Burks: 25, Cory Higgins: 22).
• Four Buffs scored 15+ points (Josh Scott: 15, Xavier Johnson: 15, Spencer Dinwiddie: 23, Askia Booker: 27).
• Fourth time this season the Buffs have scored 90+ points.
• 1st time the Buffs have reached the century mark this season (last time was Dec. 19, 2010 against Longwood: 104).
• Most free throws made in a game with 33 since Oklahoma State Jan. 15, 2011 (34).
• CU’s 100 point total is the most in a PAC-12 game (scored 87 in a win against Washington Jan. 5, 2012).
Askia Booker
• Marks the 3rd time this season he has reached double figures in the first half this season.
• Moves up three spots on CU’s all-time scoring list to 34th with 931 points.
• Marks the 1st time this season he has scored 20+ points, 3rd in his career.
• Sets his career high in points with 27.
• Passes his season-high in rebounds with seven.
• 5th time he has led the team in scoring, 20th in his career.
Spencer Dinwiddie
• Moves to 24th on CU’s all-time scoring list with 1,102 points.
• Moves to 20th all-time on CU’s assist list with 224.
• 3rd time scoring 20+ points in a game this season, 11th in his career.
• Ties his career high in assists with 7, his 2nd time doing so this season.
• Led CU in assists for the 10th time this season, 37th in his career.
Josh Scott
• Ties his career-high in blocked shots with three in the first half alone.
• Ties his first half high of seven rebounds.
• Now has five consecutive double-double games, his 8th of the season and 10th in his career.
• Surpasses his career-high in blocks with 4.
• 11th time leading the team in rebounds this season, 16th in his career.
• 6th time this season he has led the team in blocks, 14th in his career.
Xavier Johnson
• 8th game this season scoring double-figures, 20th in his career.
• Tops his season high in points scored with 15.
• 1st time reaching 15 points this season, 7th in his career.
CU men surge to first Pac-12 victory
Jan 3rd
By B.G Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – The launch of Pac-12 Conference Thursday night at the Coors Events Center sprang very few surprises on Colorado coach Tad Boyle. The biggest might have been 6-10 Eric Moreland and his 11th hour reinstatement, but Boyle’s Buffs eventually adjusted to Moreland’s presence, as well as Oregon State’s 2-3 zone, and earned a difficult 64-58 win.
“Good win . . . welcome to Pac-12 Conference play,” a relieved Boyle said. “Nothing’s going to be easy. Anybody who saw the game saw the talent and skill Oregon State has (and) with Moreland back, they’re a different animal . . . they just keep coming at you with athletes off bench.”
That’s where Moreland, a junior, spent 12 non-conference games, suspended by coach Craig Robinson for a summer violation of team rules. Robinson initially levied a 14-game suspension, but late Wednesday night – on the eve of conference play – announced that Moreland had satisfied whatever was required to return to the court.
The Buffs (12-2, 1-0) had prepped for Moreland’s backup – 6-10 senior Angus Brandt – but CU post Josh Scott claimed Moreland’s unexpected return didn’t surprise him: “To be honest I was kind of expecting him to play . . . I don’t know why I figured it but I just did.”
In three games against CU last season, including a 64-58 win at the CEC that stands as the Buffs’ last home loss (Boyle is 54-7 at home), Moreland averaged 10.2 points and 10 rebounds. But his length and athleticism is typical for the Beavers. Said Boyle: “We’re not going to win a jumping contest with Oregon State.”
And in Thursday night’s first half, the Buffs didn’t win the rebound battle either. Moreland got eight first-half boards (10 total, with two points) as Oregon State (8-5, 0-1) out-boarded the Buffs 21-13, marking the first time this season CU has not had a first-half rebounding edge. But after a “come to Tad” halftime address, the Buffs regained their intensity and out-rebounded the Beavs 21-13 in the second half. That might have made Oregon State’s 37-34 edge for the night a little more palatable for Boyle.
His team held the visitors to 37.5 percent from the field – Oregon State arrived shooting 50 percent – and converted 17 OSU turnovers into 25 points. Those numbers, bolstered by the Buffs’ nine steals, helped them overcome a mediocre shooting night; CU finished 38.2 percent from the field (21-of-55) and hit only five of its 20 3-point attempts.
“The best thing is we won when we didn’t shoot the ball well,” Boyle said.
CU overtook Oregon State with a 13-3 run in the final 8 minutes, but sealed the win by hitting five of eight free throws in the last 1:49 after the Beavers rallied from a 12-point deficit and closed to within four points.
Three Buffs were in double figures – Jaron Hopkins, Askia Booker and Josh Scott, each 13 points. Scott also had 10 of the Buffs’ 34 rebounds. The Beavers got 23 points from Roberto Nelson, the Pac-12’s leading scorer with a 21-point average. Nelson got 16 of his total Thursday night in the second half and was three-of-five from 3-point range.
The Buffs led 28-23 at halftime, but getting that five-point advantage was a major struggle. The Beavers’ 2-3 zone, which reminded Boyle of Syracuse’s traditional defense, made almost everything the Buffs attempted a challenge, most notably shooting and rebounding. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 20 minutes, with Oregon State’s largest advantage being 10-5 on a pair of Nelson free throws at the 13:26 mark.
Moreland entered the game with 16:33 left before halftime and right away collected the first of his eight first-half rebounds. In 13 minutes, he also had an assist and a blocked shot – but his rustiness showed in committing four of Oregon State’s 12 first-half turnovers. Those led to 15 CU points and were largely responsible for the Buffs’ halftime advantage.
The Buffs opened the second half with a steal by Booker that led to an inside basket by Scott to take a 30-23 lead. And the Beavers were about to see more of Scott, who delivered a soft jump hook for the Buffs’ next basket.
After a Spencer Dinwiddie trey put CU up by seven (35-28), Wes Gordon hit one of two free throws and Scott added a put-back to push the Buffs to their first double-digit lead – 38-28 with 16:28 to play. But it wouldn’t last; Oregon State outscored CU 12-2 over the next 51/2 minutes to tie the score at 40-40 with 10:35 left.
The Buffs had an immediate answer in forwards Xavier Johnson and Gordon. “XJ” contributed a pair of tip dunks – the second following a Gordon block – and Gordon hit a short jumper to ignite a 13-3 run that restored the Buffs’ 10-point (53-43) lead.
“I mean, coach preaches defensive rebounding,” Johnson, who finished with nine points and nine rebounds, said of his tip-dunks. “I pretty much just followed Spencer and Wesley up on the shots and was able to get the tip dunks. They were good momentum swings for the team.”
Two minutes later, the Buffs would stretch their lead to 12 (58-46) on a three-point play by Johnson. But the Beavers were far from done. They closed to 60-56 on a 3-pointer from the right wing by freshman Malcolm Duvivier with 2:11 left, prompting a timeout by Boyle.
Dinwiddie hit one of two free throws (61-56) at the 1:49 mark, added two more (63-56) with 41.2 seconds to play and when Buffs guard Xavier Talton chased down a long rebound in the final 15 seconds, the Beavs were done. Johnson hit one of two foul shots for CU’s final point.
Boyle pointed to Talton’s late rebound and “XJ” outdueling OSU’s Devon Collier for a “50-50” ball as the plays of the game. Said Boyle: “Those were hustle plays, the 50-50 balls, the long rebounds, the loose balls that we had to come up with – and we did tonight.”
He’s hoping the intensity remains at a high level on Sunday afternoon. No. 10 Oregon, which remained unbeaten (13-0, 1-0) with an overtime win Thursday night at Utah, visits the CEC. “We need a sellout, we need this place rocking,” Boyle said. “We need a Kansas-type crowd effort on Sunday.”
Buffs, Booker end #6 KU’s 19-game win streak
Dec 8th
BOULDER – No way for Colorado to beat towering, talented Kansas without 6-9 forward Wes Gordon?
Way.
No way (except maybe at gunpoint) that CU coach Tad Boyle strays from man-to-man defense and utilizes a 2-3 zone?
Way.
No way Coors Events Center matinee idol Ben Mills contributes meaningful first-half minutes against a team like the Jayhawks?
Way.
No way CU shoots nearly as frigid as the Boulder weather – 41.1 percent from the field and 59.5 percent from the foul line – and survives?
Way.
And no way the up, down, often kicked-around Askia Booker delivers the biggest shot of his life?
Way – and way, way past that.
It was CU 75, No. 6 KU 72 at the sold-out, geeked-out CEC on Saturday afternoon. The Buffs (9-1) won their ninth consecutive game for the first time since the 2005-06 season and slapped down a top 10 team for the first time since last Valentine’s Day when they beat No. 9 Arizona 71-58.
But that win won’t hold a holiday candle to this one. Christmas morning in the Rocky Mountains might not be able to match this – at least not for Boyle, his Buffs basketball program and an adoring CU fan base.
Booker hit three-pointers to close out each half, but it was his 30-footer at the final buzzer that he, his teammates and the crowd of 11,113 will remember for . . . maybe forever.
It had been a decade – or since the 2002-03 season – and 19 games, most of them in another conference, since CU defeated KU, and it was Boyle’s first win as a head coach in five tries against his alma mater. The Jayhawks still lead the series 123-40, but as for that 40th Buffs win . . .
“I’m not quite sure what to say after that one . . . it’s hard to put in historical perspective,” Boyle said about half an hour after CU students had cleared the CEC court and the building had stopped shuddering. “It was a hump game for our basketball program, considering what they did to us last year at Allen Field House and the amount of talent they have on their team.”
“Last year” was a 90-54 beat down in Lawrence, and if Booker and the Buffs said it didn’t motivate them, there will switches and ashes in their stockings in about three weeks.
CU’s list of Saturday heroes starts with the 6-1 junior guard from Los Angeles but goes upward to the 7-0 Mills, who means every bit as much to his teammates as the Buffs logo. Then add Spencer Dinwiddie (15 points, seven assists), Xavier Johnson (14 points, six rebounds, three steals), Josh Scott (14 points, four boards, two assists) and nearly every other CU player who suited up.
But it was Booker’s final trey that shot down the Jayhawks and shut down their fans. With 3 seconds to play and the score tied at 72-72 after KU had erased a nine-point CU lead, Booker got a pressurized inbounds pass from Johnson at the right sidecourt, went three dribbles past halfcourt and pulled up for more of a one-handed push shot than a jumper.
The ball found the net as time expired and Booker, who tied Dinwiddie with a team-best 15 points, found his place in CU hoops history. Was it the biggest shot of his career?
“Without a doubt . . . unless I win an NBA championship, that’s it,” he said. “I’m not sure I ever thought that would happen. At the same time, I think it’s a testament to Coach Boyle and how we go through our late clock plays in practice. The reason he does that is for nights like this.
“Thankfully, I came out and hit that shot. It felt great when it left my hand. I told the media after the game, I was actually in a straight line, which is great for a shooter. You don’t want to be fading away to the left or the right or backwards. I was going straight for the basket. My momentum held my form up and it went right in.”
Said Boyle: “When he let it go I knew it was in . . . it was money.”
Kansas (6-2) might have believed it would cash in inside with the absence of Gordon, who had missed practice since CU’s Tuesday night win at Colorado State due to illness/injury. The Jayhawks usually thrive inside with 7-0 Joel Embiid, 6-9 Tarik Black and 6-8 Perry Ellis, and they did outrebound the Buffs 33-32 and got 10 points each from Embiid and Ellis.
KU didn’t lose much of its power inside, outscoring CU 42-26 in the paint. The Jayhawks also got 22 bench points to the Buffs’ 14, but CU converted 14 KU turnovers into 24 points. The Buffs committed eight turnovers – a monstrous improvement from last season in Lawrence when CU had 12 by halftime and 18 by game’s end.
In the rematch, with Gordon watching from the bench in street clothes, Boyle knew a step up was needed from his frontcourt players such as the 6-7 Johnson, 6-10 Josh Scott and reserves such as Mills, who contributed eight of his 10 minutes and all of his four points in the first half. Mills also snatched three rebounds.
“It was so much fun,” Mills said. “This is something you dream of as a kid, a packed house at the Coors Events Center and the fans going nuts. To come in and play well in front of the fans and put on a show for them was great.”
Trailing by as many nine twice in the first 20 minutes, the Buffs finally caught the Jayhawks with a 14-4 run and took their first lead (26-25) on a layup from the left side by Mills with 4:21 left before intermission. It was Mills’ second straight basket, following a pump fake that got Embiid in the air and resulted in a soft, short jumper.
The CEC crowd roared with both of Mills’ baskets – and more of the blissful noise for the Buffs was coming.
Said Booker of Mills: “This guy comes to practice every day and works his butt off. Although he may not play as much as he wants or as much as he should, when his number was called, he was ready. Without him, we wouldn’t have won the game.”
And Boyle said the game wouldn’t have been won if he hadn’t “swallowed my pride,” pulled the Buffs out of his favored man-to-man and stationed them in a 2-3 zone. Given Gordon’s day-to-day status and KU’s inside power, Boyle said he had no choice: “If they would have made some shots against it in the first half early I probably would have gotten out of it, because I’m not committed to it. But, they didn’t, they struggled with it, and so we stayed with it. Second half we tried to flash it and keep them off balance a little bit. It’s hard sometimes man to man once they get in a rhythm to stop them, and I think the zone helped keep them off balance.”
Also, the Jayhawks came to Boulder shooting 30.7 percent from three-point range, and part of Boyle’s strategy was to make them jump shooters rather than layup and put-back artists. KU finished at 52.9 percent from the field (25 percent from beyond the arc) and Boyle conceded on first glance at the stat sheet, “I wonder how we won . . . but our guys’ resiliency and guts won out. I’m just glad we had the ball at the end; they were scoring pretty quick, pretty easily at the end.”
The Buffs endured their worst free-throw shooting of the season in the first half, hitting only 11 of 19 and finishing 22-for-37. In the final 1:49, Dinwiddie hit five of six and Booker one of two – his make coming with 12.8 seconds to play. KU called timeout with 11 seconds left to reset, and Ellis tied it at 72-72 with a layup.
The Jayhawks had rallied from nine down after the Buffs went up 53-44 on one of two free throws by Tre’Shaun Fletcher and a steal and stuff by the freshman on the next KU possession. But over the next 2 minutes, a 7-0 Jayhawks run cut their deficit to 53-51 and it was Boyle’s turn to call a timeout with just over 9 minutes to play. When the Buffs didn’t score, super KU freshman Andrew Wiggins (22 points) sent KU’s run to 9-0, tying the game at 53-53 with a layup at the 8:38 mark.
CU led by as many as six points twice in the final 3:36, the first six-point lead (63-57) coming on a Booker trey from the right corner. That shot, said Booker, “was great for me, but at the same time that play was initially for Spencer. I think they expected that so they left me open . . . it let me make the play.”
But the Jayhawks weren’t waving a white towel. They roared back behind a trey and two-pointer by Naadir Tharpe, a Wiggins layup and an Ellis tip to close to 70-68. With 12.8 seconds showing, Dinwiddie caught Wiggins’ elbow on a three-point attempt, and Wiggins hit two of three free throws to pull KU to within 71-70.
Dinwiddie made one of two foul shots – he finished eight-for-10 from the line – to increase the Buffs’ lead to 72-70. But Ellis’ layup tied the score and set the stage for Booker’s buzzer beater and the CU students storming the court.
Boyle said Booker, who was just five of 24 from three-point range in the first nine games but three-for-six Saturday, “is important to us, he’s our emotional leader. He can’t let his play affect his leadership on the court and it’s hard, it’s hard when you’re a shooter and you’re not shooting it well . . . (but) the capability’s there. If I didn’t see it in practice and he’s shooting that percentage (20.8 percent on three’s through nine games), then I’m the dumbest coach in America to be playing him.”
Turns out Boyle isn’t close to dumb or dumber. “Ski” Booker chiseled out his place in Buffs history and KU fans left the CEC without chanting “Rock Chalk Jayhawk.”
Said Boyle: “’Ski’ made an unbelievable play and we’re going to take it and not look back. Our crowd was great; to me it was a great day for college basketball in the state of Colorado and I’m really proud of our guys.”