Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Gear For Pac-12 Showdown With Ducks
February 04, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the day Josh Scott became a Colorado Buffalo, the Buffs have talked about competing for a championship.
Halfway through the Pac-12 season, the CU senior and his teammates are in position to do just that. Thursday night, the 17-5 Buffs (6-3 Pac-12) can take a big step toward the goal when they meet No. 16 Oregon (18-4, 7-2) in a 7 p.m. game at Matthew Knight Arena. A win would pull the Buffs into a tie with the Ducks atop the conference standings.
Fox Sports 1 will carry the telecast with the radio broadcast on KDSP (760 AM).
"We've talked about wanting to win a championship ever since I can remember, since I was a freshman," Scott said earlier this week. "We've put ourselves in position where we're going to go into a tough road environment and have the opportunity to get closer to that goal."
The Buffs are just one of four teams this season — and one of two conference teams — to defeat the Ducks. Colorado notched a 91-87 win over Oregon on Jan. 17 in Boulder.
But since then, Dana Altman's Ducks have reeled off four straight wins. The streak includes an 83-75 win at Arizona last week, which ended the Wildcats' 49-game homecourt win streak. That's been enough to vault them into the national polls, as well as earn them a No. 3 spot in the NCAA RPI.
"The one thing about Dana Altman's teams is they get better as the year goes on," Boyle said. "He's a heck of a coach. They've got good players. … They're tough-minded, they're very athletic and they're very aggressive offensively. They came into our building and scored 87 points."
Indeed, the Ducks have been an offensive juggernaut, particularly in recent weeks. After a slow conference start, Oregon has scored at least 83 points in each of its last five games with a blistering transition game.
"You have to take them out of transition as best you can," Boyle said. "If you take bad shots and if you turn the ball over, it fuels their fire. it's like throwing gasoline on the thing because they're so good in transition. If we score, they're still going to get it out quick and run it, so we've got to sprint back even after makes, but that slows them down a little bit. They're a terrific basketball team."
The Ducks are also a balanced team, with four players averaging double-figure scoring. Sophomore forward Dillon Brooks — who scored 21 for Oregon in their last meeting — leads UO, averaging 16.6 points per game. Guard Tyler Dorsey and forward Elgin Cooks are each averaging 13.5 per game and senior forward Chris Boucher is averaging 12.8 per game. Boucher, who leads the conference with 3.2 blocks per game in league play, is the Ducks' leading rebounder with 7.8 per game.
It is Brooks, though, who makes the Ducks tick. Along with leading Oregon in scoring, he's also second on the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and first in assists (3.0 apg).
"if I was voting for a player of the year, it would be Dylan Brooks, without a doubt," Boyle said. "He's playing at a high level for them, offensively and defensively, the whole nine yards."
In their first meeting, the Buffs carved out a win by posting a dominant rebounding edge (39-25), shooting 50 percent from the floor (29-for-58) and connecting on 25 of their 32 free throw attempts. The Buffs also displayed some balanced scoring in the win, getting 17 points from Josh Scott, 14 from Tre'Shaun Fletcher, 13 apiece from Xavier Talton and George King, and 12 from Tory Miller.
But while the Ducks have improved since their last meeting, Colorado has done the same. The Buffs have won three in a row and five of their last six, and they've also managed to craft a 2-2 record in Pac-12 road play thus far.
"I love where our team is offensively in terms of sharing the ball and moving the ball," Boyle said. "I think our guys really understand how important Josh Scott is. When he touches it, he demands a double team and it frees up everybody else. … I like our understanding of each other and what we're trying to get done right now. And defensively, we continue to improve."
BROADCAST: Aaron Goldsmith and Steve Lavin will call the game for Fox Sports 1 while Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke will provide play-by-play and color commentary for 760 AM.
THE SERIES: Thursday's game will be the 15th all-time meeting between the two programs. Colorado owns a 9-5 all-time edge, including a 6-3 mark in Pac-12 games. Oregon has won four of six in Eugene, including a 73-60 win last season. CU's Boyle is 6-4 against Oregon as a head coach, 6-3 with the Buffs. Oregon's Altman is 8-9 against Colorado; 3-6 with Oregon and 5-3 while Kansas State's head coach from 1990-94.
UP NEXT: The Buffs finish their Oregon trip with a 6:30 p.m. game Saturday at Oregon State (Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
