Buffaloes Return Home To Host Yale Sunday

THE SEASON: Colorado is 3-3 overall, returning home for the first time in nearly three weeks. The Buffaloes are coming off a 12-day, three-state, five-game road trip. It's the first time Colorado has played five of its first six games of any season on the road since the 1955-56 season.

Colorado's trip was up and down to say the least. The Buffaloes were 2-3 during that span, but both of those wins came against ranked opponents. Colorado defeated then No. 11 (AP & Coaches) ranked Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Nov. 13. During the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Colorado blitzed then No. 24 (AP) ranked Texas A&M 103-75 on Nov. 18.

While Colorado is 2-0 against ranked SEC opponents, the Buffaloes find themselves at just 1-3 against the rest of their schedule. Colorado hasn't put back-to-back wins together since the final game of the 2021-22 regular season (Arizona) and quarterfinal of the Pac-12 Tournament (Oregon) - a span of eight contests.

Colorado is averaging 75.8 points per game, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes are shooting 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. Colorado is allowing 70.7 points per game, ranking second-to-last in the Pac-12. Opponents are shooting just below 40 percent. Colorado leads the Pac-12 in steals, recording nearly nine per contest.

Sophomore KJ Simpson leads Colorado at 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He paced the Buffaloes at the Myrtle Beach Invitational at 19.0 points with a team-best 19 rebounds (6.3 rpg).

Simpson logged career highs in points (30), field goals made (11) and steals (6) against Texas A&M. It was the first 30-point game for the Buffaloes since McKinley Wright IV had 30 against South Dakota State on Dec. 15, 2017. His six steals are the most by a Buff since Tyler Bey had six against UC Irvine, exactly three years ago on Nov. 18, 2019. The six steals set a Myrtle Beach Invitational single-game record.

Simpson is third in scoring in the Pac-12 and ranks second in steals and seventh in assists.

Junior forward Tristan da Silva is averaging 10.8 points while shooting 49 percent from the field. Da Silva led Colorado against UMass at the Myrtle Beach Invitational with season-highs in points (17) and field goals made and attempted (8-15). Da Silva's 15 field goal attempts also tied a career-best. He averaged 11.7 points and shot an even 50 percent (14-28) at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

Junior J'Vonne Hadley leads the Buffaloes in rebounding (8.8 rpg) while ranking third in scoring at just under 10 per game. He missed the final two games of the Myrtle Beach Invitational with a shoulder injury.

Graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon is averaging 8.8 points while ranking second on the team in steals with eight. Gabbidon made his first CU start at Tennessee finishing with eight points, three rebounds and a pair of steals. The Yale graduate transfer started two of the three Myrtle Beach Invitational games averaging 7.3 points and 2.3 rebounds at the tournament.

Sophomore Lawson Lovering leads Colorado in blocks (six) while ranking second in assists (12) and third in rebounding (4.5 rpg). Lovering averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the Myrtle Beach Invitational He dished out a career-best four assists against Texas A&M, one better than his previous-best three a day earlier against UMass. Lovering has made 5-of-6 from the field after making just 2-of-11 in his first three games.

Graduate senior Ethan Wright is averaging 6.3 points, hitting 53.8 percent from the field from 3-point range (7-13) and overall (14-26). Wright recorded CU highs with 15 points, hitting 5-of-6 from 3-point range against Texas A&M.

After a 3-for-8 start from downtown, Wright has made 7-of-11 from long range over the last four games. He hit at least five 3-pointers for the fourth time in his career. Wright has two games with seven 3-pointers made, both for Princeton during the 2021-22 season.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: A 6-0, Yale is off to its best start since the 1945-46 season when it won its first seven games. The Bulldogs are averaging 82.8 points per game while allowing only 51.7 a contest, ranking sixth in the nation in scoring defense.

Junior forward Matt Knowling leads Yale at 20.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting a whopping 71.1 percent from the field (54-76). Sophomore guard John Poulakidas averages 9.7 points and leads the Bulldogs with 13 3-point field goals.

THE SERIES: This will be the fourth meeting between Colorado and Yale with the Buffaloes holding a 2-1 series edge. It is the first meeting since a 70-59 Colorado win on Dec. 29, 2009, in Boulder. Yale's lone win in over the Buffaloes came on Dec. 27, 1952 in Kansas City. The Bulldogs were the eighth team in the 1952 edition of the Big Seven Christmas Tournament and defeated the Buffaloes 56-54 in a first round game.

IVY CONNECTION: Colorado graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon faces his former team in Yale. Gabbidon played in 78 games in three seasons, over five years, for Yale during his undergraduate career. A two-year team captain for the Bulldogs, he averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 45 percent from the field and 77 percent from the line. Helped Yale to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, '22) and two Ivy League regular season and tournament titles. He was the 2019-20 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.

Ethan Wright is also quite familiar with Yale, having played for Princeton from 2018-20 and 2021-22 (the Ivy League did not compete in 2020-21). Wright's Princeton teams were 1-7 against the Bullodgs in those three season.

NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 113-37 (.753) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including a 66-20 mark (.767) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.

Colorado is 83-7 (.922) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 6-1 mark in postseason action.

BOYLE COUNTDOWN: Head coach Tad Boyle, in his 13th season has 257 wins at Colorado, four behind Sox Walseth for the most in program history. Walseth was 261-245 in 20 seasons (1956-76).

Boyle-led teams own nine of the 13 20-win seasons in team history, the top five single-season win totals and six of the top seven. With a record of 257-157 at CU, his 61.9 winning percentage is second all-time just behind Forrest "Frosty" Cox at 62.3 from 1936-50.

Boyle has 110 Pac-12 regular season wins, tying California's Ben Braun (1997-08) for 19th in conference history.

RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
              - 1 of 1 in 2022-23 (1-0)
              - 18 of their last 24 (17-6)
              - 24 of their last 31 (24-7)
             - 37 of 47 (37-10)
              - 52 of 64 (52-12)
              - 64 of 79 (64-15)
              - 85 of 104 (85-19)
              - 95 of 115 (95-20)

In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 165-34 at home (.829). The Buffaloes are 478-185 (.721) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes, 12-6 at the CUEC in 2021-22, have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 13 seasons.

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Players Mentioned

Tristan da Silva

Jalen Gabbidon

J'Vonne Hadley

Lawson Lovering

KJ Simpson

Ethan Wright