Buffs Set For Final Regular Season Road Swing

THE SEASON: Colorado is 14-12 overall and tied for seventh place in the Pac-12 Conference at 6-9 after falling 73-62 at Utah on Feb. 11, in its lone game last week.

Colorado dropped its sixth-straight on the road and is 1-8 in true road contests this season. The six-straight road losses are the Buffaloes most since 2018, spanning the final five games of the 2017-18 season and the first road game at San Diego in 2018-19. It's the first six-game road losing streak during the course of the same season since 2014-15.

Colorado is averaging 64.9 points per game on the road compared to 73.8 at home. The Buffaloes are shooting 40.0 percent on the road compared to 47.1 percent at home. Colorado has allowed 72.2 points on the road while the hosts are shooting 46.1 percent. At home, the Buffaloes have held opponents to 60.7 points on 40.7 percent shooting.

Colorado committed a season-low six turnovers at Utah and its fewest since having six against Stanford on Nov. 28, 2021. It's CU's fewest on the road since committing just five at Washington on Jan. 20, 2021.

Colorado has made 29 of its last 31 free throws over the last two games. The Buffaloes made their first 11 at Utah before finishing 12 of 13. While still shooting a Pac-12 low 68.7 percent from the line overall, Colorado has improved its mark to 70.6 percent in conference games.

On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Colorado is second in steals (8.0) and offensive rebounds (11.6 orpg), third in turnover margin (+1.0), fourth in scoring defense (65.9 ppg), scoring margin (+5.0), rebounding (37.5 rpg) and rebound margin (+4.3) and fifth in scoring (70.9 ppg) and defensive rebounds (25.9 drpg).

Colorado has allowed just 63.2 points during conference play, ranking third on the league charts. Colorado held California to 46 points, tying for the fourth-fewest by the Buffaloes against a conference opponent in the Pac-12 era. The Buffs have held five conference opponents to 46 or fewer in the Pac-12 era, three have come this season.
46 Points Or Fewer Allowed In Pac-12 Games
Date - Opponent, Result
12/31/2011 – vs. Utah, W 73-33
3/4/2017 – vs. California, W, 54-46
1/5/2023 – vs. Oregon, W 68-41
1/7/2023 – vs. Oregon State, W, 62-42
2/2/2023 – vs. California, W, 59-46

Junior forward Tristan da Silva leads Colorado at 16.1 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the field while averaging 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals an outing. He is the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12 since Jan. 1, averaging 19.1 points over that 11-game span.

Da Silva was held to six points at Utah, his fewest in the Pac-12 this season and tying for his fewest overall (six at Grambling State). Prior to the Utah game, he had scored 20-plus in five-straight games, the first by a Buffalo since Josh Scott had five in a row from Dec. 2-19, 2015. He has 10 games of 20-plus points this season, the most since Derrick White had 15 in 2016-17.

On the Pac-12 charts, da Silva is fifth in 3-point percentage (.419), seventh in scoring, ninth in steals and 11th in overall shooting. He tops the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting during conference games at 44.4 percent (24-54).

Sophomore KJ Simpson leads Colorado in scoring average (16.2 ppg), assists (94) and steals (36). He led the Buffaloes at Utah with 14 points and five assists.

Simpson was 3 for 3 at the line at Utah, extending his consecutive free throw made streak to a team season-best 17. Against Stanford, Simpson hit all 11 free throw attempts, a career-high and the best by any Pac-12 player this season. It's the best performance by a Buffalo since McKinley Wright IV went 11 for 11 against Washington State on Jan. 27, 2021.

On the Pac-12 charts Simpson is fifth in free throw percentage (.821), sixth in scoring, seventh in assists and steals and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio. He is the only player in the Pac-12 to rank in the Top 10 in all five of those categories.

Sophomore Lawson Lovering leads Colorado in blocks (23) while ranking third in rebounding (4.6 rpg). He had four points and led the Buffaloes with eight rebounds against Stanford. Lovering has made 27 of 46 (.587) from the field during conference play.

Lovering recorded his first double-double with a career-high 13 points and a team season-high 14 rebounds at USC. He is 12th in blocked shots (0.9 bpg) in the Pac-12.

Nique Clifford is averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while ranking second on the team in blocks (17), third in assists (39) and fourth in steals (21). He had seven points and five rebounds at Utah.

Graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon is averaging 5.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He made his sixth start of the season at Utah. Fellow graduate senior Ethan Wright scored seven points against Stanford, his most in a Pac-12 game.

Julian Hammond III is averaging 6.3 points and is second on the team in assists with 48. He had 11 points, including a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line, at Utah.

Luke O'Brien is averaging 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He leads Colorado in rebounding in Pac-12 play at 5.6 per game, which also ranks 17th on the league leaderboard. He had a game-high six rebounds at Utah and has led the Buffaloes in that category in four of the last six games. O'Brien had 10 points and matched a season-high three assists at Utah.

Javon Ruffin is averaging 5.5 points and is second on the team in 3-point percentage (.339) and third in 3-pointers made (19). He returned to the lineup against California, after missing the previous four games with a knee injury.

ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS: Arizona State is 18-8 overall and tied with Oregon for fifth place in the Pac-12 standings at 9-6. The Sun Devils have won three of their last four including a road sweep in the Bay Area last week. Arizona State averages 71.2 points while shooting 41.9 percent from the field. Defensively, the Sun Devils are holding opponents to 66.7 points per game and has the second-best field goal percentage defense in the Pac-12 at 38.8 percent.

Senior guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr., leads ASU at 13.7 points and 1.5 steals per game. Sophomore guard Frankie Collins averages 11.2 points and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 at 4.6 assists per game. Senior forward Warren Washington averages 8.6 points and leads the Sun Devils in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg) while shooting 57.4 percent from the field.

SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 26th meeting between Colorado and Arizona State with the Buffaloes holding a 14-11 series lead. Arizona State won the season's first meeting, a 60-59 decision on Dec. 1 in Boulder. ASU has won the last two meetings, but the Buffaloes have still had the advantage in seven of the last 11. The Sun Devils hold an 8-3 advantage in Tempe, but Colorado has its last two appearances at Desert Financial Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Nique Clifford

Tristan da Silva

Jalen Gabbidon

Julian Hammond III

Lawson Lovering

Luke O'Brien

Javon Ruffin

KJ Simpson

Ethan Wright