Colorado
Notre Dame
Buffs Ready To Face Tough Legends Classic Field
November 20, 2016 | Men's Basketball
THE GAME: The University of Colorado travels to the Championship Rounds of the 2016 Legends Classic, November 21-22, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Buffaloes will play Notre Dame on Monday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. MST while the second game will feature Texas vs. Northwestern at 7:30 p.m.. The championship game is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday while the consolation will be played at 1:30.Â
WATCH/LISTEN:
TV (Monday): ESPN2 (Mike Couzens, Doris Burke)
TV (Tuesday): Consolation ESPNU/Championship ESPN2
Radio: DenverSports 760 AM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Watch Online: WatchESPN
Listen Online: CUBuffs.com, CU Gameday App
Live Statistics: CUBuffs.com
OPENING TIP: No Colorado player is averaging more than 26 minutes per game through three contests. Only twice has a Buff played 30 minutes in a game this season (Derrick White 33 & Wesley Gordon 30 vs. Seattle). Eleven players average between 14 and 26 minutes per game.
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is off to a 3-0 start averaging 82.0 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the floor. The Buffaloes' defense has held their opponents to just 59.3 points an outing and slightly under 34 percent shooting. Colorado is enjoying its best start since the 2012-13 squad won its first six games.
Depth and balance have been a key for Colorado the first two games. Ten Buffaloes are averaging between six and 12 points per game, six have at least four rebounds an outing and four have six or more assists. In the season-opening win over Sacramento State, 10 of 12 players who suited up scored. All 10 players scored between six and 12 points and seven different Buffaloes hit a 3-pointer.
Senior Derrick White is averaging 12.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while hitting a team-best 59.1 percent from the field. White had 12 points, four assists and three steals in the win over ULM, making 4-of-5 field goal attempts. He had a game-high 15 against Seattle U., hitting 6-of-12 from the field. White is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), 11th in field goal percentage 13th in assists and 14th in steals on the Pac-12 charts.Â
Guard Josh Fortune is leading Colorado in scoring at 12.3 points per game. He's had a great start from the foul line hitting 17-of-19 attempts, both team highs. Fortune was a perfect 10-of-10 from the line against ULM, the program's best performance without a miss since Askia Booker was 14-of-14 against DePaul on Dec. 22, 2014. Fortune also paces the Buffaloes in steals with five and tied for the team lead in both blocks (4) and 3-point field goals (4). He is fourth in steals, sixth in free throw percentage and 14th in blocks in the Pac-12.
Wesley Gordon tops Colorado and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 Conference in rebounding at 11.7 per game. He just missed his third straight game in double-figures on the boards after collecting nine rebounds against ULM. In that game he jumped from 11th to 8th place in career rebounding passing David Harrison (707, 2001-04), Larry Vaculik (709, 1974-78) and Hall of Famer Burdette Haldorson (711, 1951-55).
Gordon recorded his 11th career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds against Seattle U. He hit double-figures in rebounding for the 22nd time in his career and this marked the seventh time he has recorded two or more straight games with double-digits (includes two stretches of three straight).
Xavier Johnson is Colorado's third double-digit scorer at 11 points an outing. He's also fourth on the team in rebounds pulling down 5.3 per game. Johnson tied for game-high honors with 14 points in the win over ULM, including his first 3-point field goal since March 23, 2015, at Seattle U. He had 13 points in the win over Seattle U, tying a career-best with seven free throws made (on eight attempts). In that game he became the 33rd member of Colorado's 1,000-point club, banking in a short turn-around jumper five minutes into the contest.
George King is averaging 9.7 points per game while also grabbing 5.3 rebounds a contest. The reigning Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year, he was one of five Buffaloes to score in double-digits against ULM scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field.
Sophomore Thomas Akyazili leads the Buffaloes in assists with 13 while averaging 6.0 points. He's seventh in the Pac-12 at 4.3 assists per game and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3) with only four turnovers. Akyazili dished out a career-best six assists against Sacramento State.
Junior Tory Miller is second on the team in rebounding at 6.7 per game while pitching in 7.7 per contest. Miller had a season-high 10 points against ULM, the ninth double-figure scoring game of his career. He also added his first career 3-pointer (in five attempts) against Sacramento State.
Dominique Collier had a team-high 12 points in the opener against Sacramento State, hitting 4-of-6 from 3-point range. He saw limited minutes in the game against Seattle U with a foot injury.
Freshmen Lucas Siewert and Deleon Brown had successful debuts against Sacramento State, both finishing with nine points. Siewert, a 6-10 forward, made all three of his shots from beyond the arc and had five rebounds. Brown, was 3-of-4 from the floor and dished out an assist. Bryce Peters, made is collegiate debut against ULM scoring his first career points on a dunk off a fast break. He finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds and a game-high 3 steals.
TICKETED FOR REDSHIRT: The Buffaloes are planning to redshirt two freshmen. Dallas Walton, a 7-0 forward and Alexander Strating a 6-7 forward. Walton earned All-Jefferson County Conference first team honors for Arvada (Colo.) West High School in 2015-16. Strating hails from the Netherlands and played for the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain last year. Those plans could change early in the season if needed, but not later.
Namon Wright, a 6-5 guard, will sit out the 2016-17 season after transferring from Missouri and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds and made 79 3-pointers in 61 games with the Tigers.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH: Notre Dame is 3-0 overall and like Colorado receiving votes in the latest Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. The Irish are averaging 88 points while shooting a solid 49 percent from the field. Notre Dame has done a great job taking care of the ball committing less than seven turnover games while on the defensive end, the Irish collect over 11 steals per game.
Senior forward VJ Beachem is Notre Dame's top scorer averaging 19.7 points per game. He leads the Irish with seven 3-pointers on the season and overall shoots 54 percent. Junior forward Bonzie Colson is right behind Beachem in scoring at 19.3 per game while leading the team in shooting at 63 percent and rebounding at 8.0 per game. Senior guard Steve Vasturia averages 12.7 points and 3.3 assists an outing.
ABOUT THE LONGHORNS: Texas heads to Brooklyn ranked No. 23 in the latest AP Poll while coming in at No. 21 in the Coaches Poll. The Longhorns are 3-0, most recently defeating Eastern Washington 85-52 on Nov. 17. UT is averaging 81 points on 47 percent shooting. The Longhorns are holding their opponents to 61.3 points and just 34 percent from the field.
Texas has six players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Tevin Mack who is averaging 16.5 points while shooting 50 percent. Kendal Yancy is contributing 13.7 points over three games while hitting 54 percent. Jarrett Allen tops Texas at 8.0 rebounds per game while pitching in 10 points per contest.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Northwestern is 2-1, coming off a 70-68 loss at Butler on Nov. 16. The Wildcats are the only one of the four teams heading to Brooklyn that have played away from home this year. Northwestern averages 82.7 points on 49 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line. Defensively, the Wildcats have allowed 68.3 points an allowed opponents to shoot 41 percent.
Forward Vic Law is the top scorer of all four teams coming to Brooklyn averaging 20.3 points per game and has started red-hot from the field, shooting 65 percent (20-of-31). Junior wing Scottie Lindsey tops the Wildcats in rebounding at 6.0 per game while pitching in 13 points a contest. Junior guard Bryant McIntosh leads Northwestern in assists at 5.3 per game and is second in scoring at 13.7 points per contest.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the first meeting between Colorado and Notre Dame. If Colorado meets up with Texas, it will be the 26th all-time meeting between the former Big 12 Conference rivals. Texas holds a 14-9 series lead and has won three of four neutral site contests. Colorado claimed a win in the last meeting, the Buffs' final year in the Big 12, a 91-89 decision on Feb. 26, 2011. Colorado and Northwestern would meet for the 10th time with the Buffaloes holding a 6-3 edge. Colorado has won the last two, claiming a home-and-home sweep during the 2003 and '04 nonconference schedules; the only two meetings between the two programs since 1968.
RIGHT AT HOME: Colorado has won 11 straight in the friendly confines of the Coors Events Center and 21 of its last 22 overall.
The Buffaloes have won 13 straight at home against non-league opponents. When Pac-12 play begins, Colorado will bring an eight-game win streak against league opposition at home, tied for the 12th best run in team history.
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is a sparkling 91-15 at the Coors Events Center (.858). The Buffaloes are 404-166 (.709) all-time at the CEC, picking up win No. 400 in style as Colorado defeated No. 9/10 ranked Arizona 75-72 in front of the third-largest crowd in facility history (11,309) on Feb. 24, 2016.
GRAND ACHIEVEMENTS: Xavier Johnson became the 33rd player to score 1,000 points at Colorado on Nov. 14, but two other players are approaching unique milestones of their own.
Senior Derrick White is 52 points from reaching 2,000 for his collegiate career. White scored 1,912 points in three seasons at UCCS (2012-15). Senior Josh Fortune needs 131 points to reach 1,000 in his collegiate career. Fortune scored 481 points in two years at Providence College (2012-14) and has 388 in 37 games at Colorado.
4 OF A KIND: Colorado sports an unusual occurrence with four fifth-year seniors on its roster, each traveling a different path to get to this point.
Wesley Gordon has taken the most traditional five-year route. He took a redshirt season his true freshman year as Colorado was loaded in the front court led by Andre Roberson currently with Oklahoma City of the NBA. Gordon is among Colorado's all-time leaders in rebounds and blocked shots.
Xavier Johnson played his first three seasons (2012-15) before an Achilles injury derailed his 2015-16 season. Johnson has been a steady performer, averaging double-digits over his three years and joining the 1,000-point club on Nov. 14 against Seattle U.
Josh Fortune is the mid-career transfer. After two years at Providence College, helping the Friars to the 2014 Big East title, Fortune transferred to Colorado and sat out the 2014-15 season. He was a key contributor to Colorado's NCAA Tournament run as a junior ranking third on the team in scoring.
Derrick White will get his one-year shot in Boulder this year. White played his first three years at NCAA Division II UCCS, earning All-America honors. He practiced with the Buffaloes last year as a redshirt.
Additionally, the Buffaloes also have a fourth-year junior in George King, the reigning Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.
BOYLE MOVES INTO WINNING PERCENTAGE LEAD: Tad Boyle
has hovered right around the school's all-time winning percentage lead since the early portion of the 2015-16 season (minimum two seasons), reclaimed that top spot with CU's 89-70 win over ULM on Nov. 17. Boyle, who has won 62.4 percent of his games with Colorado (133-80), passed CU Athletic Hall of Fame coach Forrest "Frosty" Cox who was 147-89 (.623) in 13 seasons between 1936-50. Boyle is 189-146 in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach.
IN THE POLLS: Colorado received votes for the second straight week by both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Polls on Nov. 13. The Buffs have a little more with the coaches vote with 13 points compared to five in the AP Poll.
Six potential 2016-17 opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25 of either poll including Oregon, Arizona and Xavier who have each made a Top 10 appearance this year. UCLA and Texas have been ranked in both polls while California made its debut in the AP poll this week at No. 25.
Colorado was 1-5 against ranked teams in 2015-16. With its 75-72 win over No. 9/10 Arizona on Feb. 24, Colorado snapped an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents, dating back to a 100-91 win over No. 10/9 Oregon on Jan. 5, 2014. It's the highest Associated Press ranked opponent CU has beaten since defeating No. 6 Kansas, 75-72, on Dec. 7, 2013.
Colorado's 12 wins over ranked opponents in Boyle's six seasons is by far the best streak in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 12-24, have accounted for 21 percent of wins over ranked opponents (56) since 1949-50.
