Colorado Hosts North Alabama Thursday

THE SEASON: Colorado is 5-5 overall after defeating Colorado State 93-65 on Dec. 8 to begin a four-game home stand to finish off nonconference play. The Buffaloes began their Pac-12 Conference schedule, dropping consecutive games to Arizona State at home, 60-59 on Dec. 1, and at Washington, 73-63 on Dec. 4, to open 0-2 in league action for the first time in four years.

Colorado is averaging 73.5 points per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the field. The Buffaloes broke out of a four-game sub-70 point slump (60.5 ppg) with their 93-point effort against Colorado State. Colorado leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds at 12.5 per game and is fourth on the league charts in overall rebounding at 39.6 an outing and fifth in assists at 14.1 per game. Defensively, the Buffaloes have held their opponents to 68.4 points on 41.4 percent shooting. Colorado is tied for the Pac-12 lead in steals at 8.4 per game.

Sophomore KJ Simpson leads Colorado at 17.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He also tops the Buffaloes in field goals (62), 3-pointers (23) and free throws made (26).

Simpson had 27 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, to lead Colorado over Colorado State. It was his third career 20-point game - all coming this season. His five 3-pointers ties a team season-high as well (Ethan Wright vs. Texas A&M).

Simpson paced the Buffaloes at the Myrtle Beach Invitational at 19.0 points per game with a team-best total of 19 rebounds (6.3 rpg). He 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.

On the Pac-12 charts Simpson is sixth in scoring, seventh in steals, 10th in assists, 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), 15th in defensive rebounds (4.2 drpg) and 16th in 3-point shooting (.371).

Junior forward Tristan da Silva is averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field. He scored 15 points against Colorado State while tying career highs with three 3-pointers and two steals.

Over the last four games da Silva is averaging 14.5 points while shooting 49 percent (24-49). He averaged 6.0 rebounds in the two Pac-12 contests. Da Silva had a career-high eight rebounds and matched a personal-best two blocks, along with 10 points, against Arizona State.

Da Silva led Colorado against Yale with a season-high 20 points, the second 20-point game of his career. Da Silva averaged 11.7 points and shot an even 50 percent (14-28) at the Myrtle Beach Invitational. He is 20th in the Pac-12 in scoring.

Junior J'Vonne Hadley leads the Buffaloes and ranks fifth in Pac-12 in rebounding (7.5 rpg). Hadley tops CU in field goal shooting at 56.1 percent while averaging 10.4 points per game. Hadley just missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds vs. Colorado State.

He returned to the lineup against Yale after missing two games with a shoulder injury, coming off the bench to score 13 points. He has made 17 of 23 (.739) from the field since his return. Hadley led the Buffaloes at Washington with 15 points and a career-best seven field goals made.

Hadley leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds (3.4 orpg) while ranking 10th in field goal percentage and 12th in steals (1.3).

Graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon is averaging 6.7 points while tying for second on the team in steals with 11. The Yale graduate had two points against his former team, and they were huge. Yale had the ball down three with five seconds left, but Gabbidon stole the ball, was fouled, and clinched the game at the line.

Sophomore Lawson Lovering leads Colorado in blocks (nine) while ranking third in rebounding (4.2 rpg) and fourth in assists (13). Lovering recorded a career-high and matched a team season-best with three blocked shots against Yale. He had a block in each of the first seven games this season but it was his first time with multiple blocks in any one contest.

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 9-of-15 from the field after making just 2-of-11 in his first three games.

Nique Clifford is averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while ranking third on the team in assists with 16. Clifford had 13 points, hitting 6 of 9 from the field against Colorado State along with a pair of blocked shots.

Graduate senior Ethan Wright is averaging 5.1 points, ranking 14th in the Pac-12 by shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range (10-26). Wright recorded CU highs with 15 points, hitting 5-of-6 from 3-point range against Texas A&M. 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 LIONS: North Alabama is 6-4 overall and has won its last two. The Lions will be playing their seventh game away from home in the last eight contests. UNA averages 78.7 points while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. Defensively, the Lions allow 73.1 points while opponents shoot 45 percent.

Sophomore guard Daniel Ortiz leads North Alabama at 13.7 points per game hitting 45 percent from the field. He's even better beyond the arc, hitting 46.8 percent (29-62) a mark that ranks 21st in the nation. Junior forward Damian Forrest, a native of Fort Collins, Colo., leads the Lions in rebounding (6.7 rpg) while averaging 10.7 points on 55.4 percent from the floor. Junior guard KJ Johnson averages 10.0 points and 3.1 assists per game.

SERIES RECORDS: This will be the first meeting between Colorado and North Alabama. Colorado is 9-1 against teams that currently make up the ASUN Conference. The last meeting against an ASUN team was an 84-75 CU win over Lipscomb on Nov. 30, 2014. Colorado is North Alabama's first ever Pac-12 opponent.

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Players Mentioned

Nique Clifford

Tristan da Silva

Jalen Gabbidon

J'Vonne Hadley

Lawson Lovering

KJ Simpson

Ethan Wright