Buffaloes Host Waves Sunday

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 5-2 after falling in its first true road contest of the season, 88-83, to No. 20 (AP)/No. 21 (Coaches) ranked Colorado State on Nov. 29.

The Buffaloes return home where they are a perfect 4-0 this season and have put up some impressive numbers. Colorado is averaging 90.3 points while shooting 56.8 percent overall from the field an 48.1 percent from 3-point range. The Buffaloes are dishing out an average of 22.8 assists per game at home and hold a plus-10.3 rebounding margin on their home court.

Colorado owns a scoring margin of plus-23.5 points while holding opponents to 38.2 percent from the field.

In the last home game against Iona, Colorado shot 60.8 percent from the field (31-51), its best mark since shooting 63.3 percent (31-59) vs. Northern Colorado on Dec. 13, 2014. The Buffaloes have won nine straight when hitting 60 percent or better – which dates back to 2008 – and 17 of 18 since the 1996-97 season.

Overall, Colorado is averaging 82.7 points per game, ranking second in the Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes are hitting 50.9 percent from the field including a 40.5 percent mark from 3-point range which leads the Pac-12 and ranks ninth in the nation. Colorado also leads the Pac-12 in free throw accuracy at 78.7 percent.

Against Colorado State, Colorado shot 54.5 percent for the field, marking just the eighth time in 106 games (98-8) in the Tad Boyle era the Buffaloes have dropped a game when shooting 50 percent or better. It was Colorado's highest field goal percentage in a loss since shooting 55.8 percent (29 of 52) at No. 11 Arizona on Jan. 25, 2018.

Colorado's 54.5 percent shooting was its best in a true road game since shooting 58.6 percent in a win at Air Force on Nov. 24, 2018.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING: Junior KJ Simpson tops Colorado at
20.2 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while ranking fourth in rebounding (4.7 rpg). Simpson scored a team season-high 30 points against Colorado State, hitting 9 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and a perfect 9 of 9 from the charity stripe.

It was Simpson's second career 30-point game, just one point short of this 31-point performance at Stanford last season. He has made 65 percent from the field (13-20) over the last two games.

Simpson has made 40 of 44 from the line (.909) leading the Buffaloes in all three categories. His free throws made ranks 24th in the country as of Nov. 30.

Simpson was named to the Sunshine Slam All-Tournament Team, averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games in Daytona Beach. He led the Buffaloes with 23 points against Richmond and added 15 points and a season-best nine rebounds against Florida State.

On the Pac-12 charts, Simpson is third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.4), fourth in scoring and free throw percentage, sixth in assists, tied for 10th in steals and 13th in 3-point percentage (.414).

Senior Tristan da Silva is averaging 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while hitting 53 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. He had 17 points hitting all three 3-point attempts in the win over Iona. In that game he also surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career (1,003) becoming the 39th Buffalo to reach that milestone.

Da Silva has been especially effective at the CU Events Center. In four games his is averaging 17.0 points while hitting 71.4 percent from the field (25-35), including a 68.4 percent mark from downtown (13-19).

On the Pac-12 charts, da Silva ranks 12th in 3-point accuracy, 13th in defensive rebounds (4.1 drpg) and 14th in scoring.

Freshman Cody Williams is third on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field, the latter mark leading the Buffaloes and ranking third in the Pac-12. Williams had a career-best 21 points against Colorado State - all in the second half.

Over the last three games Williams is averaging 16.7 points while shooting 67.9 percent from the field (19-28).

Williams earned Sunshine Slam All-Tournament Team honors averaging 11.5 points in the two games in Daytona Beach. He registered the first of his three-straight double-figure scoring games with a team-high 17 points against Florida State.

Junior Julian Hammond III is averaging 9.9 points and is second on the team in assists with 16. He had nine points, on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, along with a season-high four rebounds at Colorado State.

Hammond is second in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting at 50 percent and 12th in overall shooting at 55.8 percent.

Senior J'Vonne Hadley averages 9.7 points per game while ranking second on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), shooting (.585), free throws made and attempted (20-24, .833) and steals (8).

On the Pac-12 charts, Hadley is seventh in field goal shooting, ninth in free throw percentage, 12th in rebounding, 13th in offensive boards (2.0 orpg) and 15th in defensive rebounds (4.0 drpg).

Senior Eddie Lampkin, Jr., leads the Buffaloes and ranks sixth in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 7.3 per game. He had a game-high 11 rebounds along with eight points and four assists in the Sunshine Slam championship game against Florida State.

The 11 rebounds against FSU marked Lampkin's second double-figure rebounding game of the season. He had his first double-double in a Colorado uniform with 14 points and a team season-high 12 rebounds against Milwaukee. It was the seventh overall double-double for Lampkin who had six with TCU.

Lampkin is sixth in the Pac-12 in both offensive rebounds (2.4 orpg) and defensive boards (4.9 drpg).

ABOUT THE WAVES: Pepperdine is 4-5 overall, snapping a four-game skid with a 77-62 home win over Idaho State on Nov. 28. The Waves will be playing in just their second true road game of the year, the other a 79-78 setback at UC Davis on Nov. 9.

Pepperdine averages 75.1 points per game while shooting 46.7 from the field. The Waves are the West Coast Conference's top 3-point shooting team at 38.5 percent. Defensively, Pepperdine allows 72.1 points while opponents are shooting 48.8 percent from the floor.

Junior wing Michael Ajayi averages 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds and enters the weekend as the nation's top rebounder by number (98) and eighth by average. Ajayi also has six double-doubles, which leads NCAA Division I through Nov. 30. Houston Mallette averages 18.4 points and leads the Waves with 24 3-point field goals. Malik Moore averages 10.0 points and 2.6 assists per game.

THE SERIES: This will be the eighth meeting between Colorado and Pepperdine with the Waves holding a 4-3 series lead. Pepperdine has won the last two, including the last meeting in Boulder, 78-72, on Dec. 4, 2006. Colorado's last win over Pepperdine was a 65-61 decision at the CU Events Center in the 1999 NIT.

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Players Mentioned

Tristan da Silva

J'Vonne Hadley

Julian Hammond III

KJ Simpson

Cody Williams