Saturday, February 18
Tucson, Ariz.
6:00 PM
Colorado
at
Arizona
KJ Simpson
Colorado Ready To Battle No. 8 Arizona Saturday
February 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball
THE SEASON: Colorado is 15-12 overall and tied for seventh place in the Pac-12 Conference at 7-9 after picking up a road win at Arizona State, 67-59, on Feb. 16.
The Buffaloes snapped a six-game road losing streak, it's longest since the 2018 calendar year (five games in 2017-18, one in 2018-19), and improved to 2-8 in true road games this year.
Colorado had entered the Arizona State game giving up 72.2 points on the road, but held the Sun Devils to 59 points, the lowest by a Buffaloes opponent on the road this season. It's the fewest allowed by Colorado in a Pac-12 road game since Stanford had 53 on Feb. 19, 2022. The Buffaloes are 20-3 in the Pac-12 era when holding their conference opponent under 60 points on their  home court and have won the last 12.
Colorado has made 39 of its last 42 free throws over the last three games. While still shooting a Pac-12 low 69.2 percent from the line overall, Colorado has improved its mark to 71.5 percent in conference games.
On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Colorado is second in steals (7.9) and offensive rebounds (11.5 orpg), third in rebounding margin (+4.4) and turnover margin (+0.7), fourth in scoring (70.7 ppg), rebounding (37.7 rpg), defensive boards (26.2 drpg) and scoring defense (65.7 ppg) and fifth in scoring margin (+5.1) and 3-point defense (.323).
Colorado has allowed just 62.9 points during conference play, ranking second 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 16.4 points per game on 51.5 percent shooting from the field while averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals an outing. He is the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12 since Jan. 1, averaging 19.4 points over that 12-game span.
Da Silva had a game-high 23 points at Arizona State, hitting 7 of 14 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. It was the 12th 20-point game of his career and third in a road contest. He has scored 20-points or more in six of the last seven games including five-straight, the first by a Buffalo since Josh Scott had five in a row from Dec. 2-19, 2015. He has 11 games of 20-plus points this season, the most since Derrick White had 15 in 2016-17.Â
On the Pac-12 charts, da Silva is sixth in scoring and 3-point percentage (.420), ninth in steals and 11th in overall shooting. He tops the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting during conference games at 44.3 percent (27-61).
Sophomore KJ Simpson leads Colorado in assists (97) and steals (36) and is second in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He had 12 points and six rebounds at Arizona State. Simpson averages 4.3 rebounds overall but has upped that to 6.0 per game over the last three.
Simpson made his only free throw attempt at ASU, extending his consecutive free throw made streak to a team season-best 18. 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 (.823), seventh in scoring, 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 (24) while ranking fourth in rebounding (4.5 rpg). He had four points and led the Buffaloes with eight rebounds against Stanford. Lovering has made 28 of 47 (.596) 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.
Luke O'Brien is averaging 5.2 points and is third on the team in rebounds at 4.8 rebounds per game. He leads Colorado in rebounding in Pac-12 play at 5.9 per game, which also ranks 13th on the league leaderboard.
O'Brien had nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists at Arizona State, leading Colorado in rebounding for the seventh time this season, including five of the last seven games. He logged his second career game with double-digit rebounds (11 vs. Oregon) and tied a season high with three assists.Â
O'Brien is averaging 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over the last four games. He got the starting call for the second time in his career (Tennessee in Nashville) and played a career high 36 minutes, nine more than his previous high (27 at Utah, 2/11/23 and vs. Washington, 1/19/23).
Javon Ruffin is averaging 5.7 points and is second on the team in 3-point percentage (.350) and third in 3-pointers made (21). Ruffin had 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds at Arizona State. He scored in double-digits for the fifth time. He made both his free throw attempts against the Sun Devils, extending his consecutive made streak to 16. Ruffin is 28 of 32 from the line for the season (28-32) and 17 of 18 in Pac-12 play (.944).
Nique Clifford is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while ranking second on the team in blocks (17), third in assists (42) and fourth in steals (21). He had seven points and five rebounds at Utah.
Graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon is averaging 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He made his sixth start of the season at Utah. Fellow graduate senior Ethan Wright tied a team season-high with three blocks at Arizona State.
Julian Hammond III is averaging 6.3 points and is second on the team in assists with 49. He had 11 points, including a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line, at Utah.
HADLEY OUT: Junior J'Vonne Hadley is expected to miss the remainder of the season with an injury to his right (shooting) hand. Â Hadley averaged 8.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He was Colorado's leading rebounder and ranked second on the team in field goal shooting and third in scoring and steals.
On the Pac-12 charts, he is sixth in offensive boards (2.4 orpg), 10th in shooting and 14th in overall rebounds.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: No. 8 (AP & Coaches) ranked Arizona is 23-4 overall and second in the Pac-12 at 12-4. The Wildcats are 14-1 at home this season after defeating Utah 88-62 on Feb. 16. Arizona is the top scoring and field goal shooting team in the Pac-12 at 83.4 points per game while hitting 49 percent from the field. The Wildcats also lead the Pac-12 in rebounding (40.5 rpg) and rebound margin (+7.3). Arizona ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense at 70.7 points per game.Â
National Player of the Year candidate Azuolas Tubelis leads the Pac-12 in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) while shooting 57.4 percent from the field. Center Oumar Ballo averages 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 65.6 percent. Kerr Krissa leads the  Wildcats in assists (152) and 3-pointers made (69) while averaging  10.8 points per game.  Courtney Ramey averages 10.8 points and is second in 3-point field goals made (66).
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 40th meeting between Colorado and Arizona with the Wildcats holding a 23-16 series lead. Arizona won two of three meetings last year. The teams split the regular season series, both winning at home. The Wildcats got the rubber match, 82-72, in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. The teams split the regular season series, both winning at home. Arizona holds a 13-3 all-time lead in Tucson. The Buffaloes last win at Arizona came on Dec. 20, 1965.
STEALING THE SHOW: Colorado tied a season-high with 13 steals in the home win over California, hitting that mark for the third time this year. It's the sixth time this season the Buffaloes have had 10 or more steals in a game. Colorado had only one game of double-digit steals in each of the previous two seasons (2021-22 & '20-21).
The Buffaloes rank second in the Pac-12 at 7.9 steals per game. Colorado has 212 steals on the season, its most since 2015-16 (254). The Buffaloes had 181 steals in 33 games last season (5.5 spg).
DA SILVA SHOOTING: Tristan da Silva had 27 points on 11 of 13 shooting against Washington State. He hit his first nine shots of the game, rebounding from an 8 for 21 showing against Washington. By making his last two attempts against Washington, he made 11 straight over two games, tying for the third-most consecutive field goals made by a Colorado player and most since Andre Roberson made 11-straight during the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament.
Consecutive Field Goals Made
12—Shaun Vandiver vs. Illinois State in Boulder, Dec. 4, 1989.
12—Rodell "House" Guest vs. Central Connecticut State (5) & Eastern Michigan (7) in Boulder, Dec. 7-8, 1990.
11—Tristan da Silva vs. Washington (2) and Washington State (9) in Boulder, Jan. 19&22, 2023
11—Andre Roberson vs. Oregon (1), California (6) & Arizona (4) in Los Angeles, Mar. 8-10, 2012.
11—Jim Creighton vs. Iowa State in Boulder, Feb. 14, 1972.
Da Silva's 11 field goals made tied his career-high, hitting that mark for the third time this season. His 84.6 percentage from the field ties CU's second-best single-game performance with at least 10 field goals made since the 1996-97. Marcus Hall was 11 of 13 against Missouri on Jan. 26, 2008, in Boulder. The top performance is David Harrison's school record 10 for 10 against Baylor on Jan. 31, 2004. His percentage under those same parameters, is the second-best in the Pac-12 this season trailing Utah's Branden Carlson three days earlier against the same Washington State team (11 for 12, .917).
DEFENSE SHINES AGAINST OREGON SCHOOLS: Colorado hit some impressive defensive numbers in its home sweep of Oregon the Oregon schools at home, defeating Oregon 68-41 on Jan. 5 and following up with a 62-42 decision over Oregon State on Jan. 7.
Colorado's 83 points allowed in those two games is its fewest in back-to-back league outings since allowing 81 in back-to-back Big Seven Conference games during the 1948-49 season:
Jan. 24, 1949 at Iowa State, L 31-40
Jan. 29, 1949 vs. Kansas State, W 48-41
It was the fewest in back-to-back league home games since allowing 79 in the Mountain States era:
Jan. 11, 1946 vs. Utah, W, 47-40
Jan. 18, 1946 vs. Utah State W, 59-39
It's the fewest in any back-to-back games since allowing 67 in 2011-12:
Dec. 28, 2011 vs. New Orleans, W 92-34
Dec. 31, 2011 vs. Utah, W, 73-33
The 41 points against Oregon and 42 points against Oregon State represent the second and third lowest conference opponent totals in the Pac-12 era. Colorado also held Oregon to 26.9 percent from the field, the second fewest by a Buffaloes' conference opponent in the Pac-12 era.Â
SCORING IN BUNCHES: With Tristan da Silva's 30-point effort against Oregon, it marks the first time since 2014-15 the Buffaloes have two different players score at least 30 points in a game (along with KJ Simpson). Askia Booker had two 30-plus point games (30 vs. Arizona on Jan 15, 2015 and 43 at USC on Jan. 29, 2015) while Josh Scott had the other (32 vs. Washington State on March 7, 2015)
Da Silva and Simpson have combined for nine games of 25-plus points, the most since Derrick White (7) and Xavier Johnson (2) combined for nine in 2016-17.
SCORING IN BUNCHES II: Tristan da Silva recently scored 20-plus points in five-straight games and had a three-game streak to round out the nonconference schedule. He's the first CU player with five straight 20-point games since Josh Scott had five in a row in Dec. 2015.Â
In that first span, da Silva had two 25-plus point outings which hadn't happened since George King scored 25 in back-to-back games against Mercer and Air Force Nov. 19 & 26, 2017.
KJ Simpson matched both feats -- three-straight 20-point games and consecutive 25-point outings -- over the course of three games with 21 against Southern Utah, a career-high 31 at Stanford and 25 at California.
BOYLE MILESTONE: Head coach Tad Boyle, in his 13th season, has 269 wins at Colorado the most in program history.Â
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 269-167 at CU, his 61.7 winning percentage is second all-time just behind Forrest "Frosty" Cox at 62.3 from 1936-50.
Boyle has 117 Pac-12 regular season wins ranking 19th in conference history.Â
CELEBRATING SOX: As the baton is passed to Tad Boyle as the winningest coach in Colorado men's basketball history a look at Sox Walseth's historic  career.
Walseth was likely the first and one of just a few to have coached both the men's and women's program at the same NCAA school. Â
His time at CU spanned 38 years, starting as an athlete in the 1940s when he lettered in both basketball and baseball. Â He then worked as the head freshman coach for five years (three under his coach, Frosty Cox, and two under H.B. Lee); after two years as head coach at South Dakota State, he replaced Lee for the 1956-57 season and would proceed to coach 20 Buffalo teams. Â
Posting a 261-245 record, the Buffs won three Big Eight titles and advanced to  three NCAA Tournaments under his direction, in 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1968-69.  He was the Big Eight Conference coach of the year on five occasions, and his star players included Ken Charlton, Jim Davis, Cliff Meely and Scott Wedman. Â
He then coached the women's team between 1980-83, then known as the "Lady Buffs," compiling an impressive 77-21 record. Â That mark included an incredible 43-0 record at home, and once again, he earned coach of the year accolades. Â The basketball floor at the CU Events Center is named after him.
Walseth, who passed away on Jan. 28, 2004, at the age of 77, is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and the CU Athletic Hall of Fame.
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 118-37 (.761) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including a 71-20 mark (.780) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 88-7 (.926) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 6-1 mark in postseason action.
Colorado's 11 nonconference opponents have combined to win 63.6 percent of their games through Feb. 14. Add the Buffaloes' Â Pac-12 games Colorado has an average opponent NET rank of 122 - the 60th best mark in the nation.
CU Nonconference Opponents (through Feb. 16)
Opponent (CU's Result)Â Â Â W-L (Conf.)Â Â Â NET Rk
UC Riverside (W, 82-66)Â Â Â 17-10 (10-5/3rd Big West)Â Â Â 147
at Grambling State (L, 74-83)Â Â Â 17-8 (10-3/2nd SWAC)Â Â Â 203
vs. Tennessee (W, 78-66)Â Â Â 20-6 (9-4/3rd SEC)Â Â Â 3
vs. UMass (L, 63-66)Â Â Â 13-13 (4-10/14th A-10)Â Â Â 199
vs. Texas A&M (W, 103-75)Â Â Â 19-7 (11-2/2nd SEC)Â Â Â 31
vs. Boise State (L, 55-68)Â Â Â 20-6 (10-3/t-2nd MWC)Â Â Â 23
Yale (W, 65-62)Â Â Â 17-6 (7-3/t-1st Ivy)Â Â Â 69
Colorado State (W, 93-65)Â Â Â 11-15 (3-10/t-10th MWC)Â Â Â 123
North Alabama (W, 84-60)Â Â Â 17-11 (9-6/5th ASUN)Â Â Â 224
Northern Colorado (W, 88-77) Â Â Â 10-17 (5-10/8th Big Sky)Â Â Â 236
Southern Utah (W, 86-78)Â Â Â 17-9 (9-4/t-2nd WAC)Â Â Â 109
Total   178-102 (.636)
LEADERS OF THE PAC: Colorado is tied for the fourth-most wins (92) among Pac-12 teams since February 2019. Colorado was 12-4 over the final two months of the 2018-19 season, culminating in a spot in the NIT Quarterfinals. The Buffaloes were 21-11 in 2019-20, well in line for an NCAA Tournament bid before the season was shut down on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Colorado was 23-9 in 2020-21, tying for the third best win total in team history and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes were 21-12 in 2021-22, logging their fourth-straight 20-win season.
Pac-12 Overall Records Since Feb. 1, 2019 (through Feb. 16)
   W   L   Pct.
Arizona   97   35   .735
UCLAÂ Â Â 95Â Â Â 41Â Â Â .699
USCÂ Â Â 95Â Â Â 41Â Â Â .699
Oregon   92   45   .672
Colorado   92   48   .657
Arizona State   71   57   .555
Stanford   66   62   .516
Utah   63   63   .500
Washington State   66   68   .493
Washington   61   71   .462
Oregon State   56   76   .424
California   40   89   .310
RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
   - 11 of 13 in 2022-23 (11-2)
   - 28 of their last 36 (28-8)
   - 34 of their last 43 (34-9)
    - 47 of 59 (47-12)
   - 62 of 76 (62-14)
   - 74 of 91 (74-17)
   - 95 of 116 (95-21)
   - 105 of 127 (105-22)
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 175-36 at home (.829). The Buffaloes are 488-187 (.723) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 14 seasons.Â
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 2-1 against ranked teams in 2022-23. The Buffaloes had nonconference wins over No. 11 Tennessee, 78-66, on Nov. 13, and No. 24 Texas A&M, 103-75, on Nov. 18. In Pac-12 play, Colorado dropped a 68-54 decision at No. 7/6 UCLA on Jan. 14
Colorado's win over No. 24 Texas A&M gave the Buffaloes two wins over ranked teams away from home for the first time since 2012-13.It marked the first time since 2016-17 that the Buffaloes have won their first two games of a season against ranked opponents.Â
Colorado's win over the No. 11/11 ranked Vols is its first against a ranked opponent away from Boulder since the Buffaloes beat No. 13/12 Dayton, in Chicago, on Dec. 21, 2019. It's the highest ranked team the Buffaloes have defeated away from Boulder since the 92-88 overtime win over No. 6 Missouri in the quarterfinals of the 1990 Big Eight Tournament in Kansas City.
Colorado's 25 wins over ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 25-43, have accounted for 36 percent of wins over ranked opponents (69) since 1949-50.
GOLD STANDARD: Colorado is 84-6 in the Tad Boyle era when meeting the program's "Gold Standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less from the field and having a plus-8 rebounding edge. The Buffaloes are 4-1 in hitting those two numbers this season after holding Arizona State to 36.9 percent from the field and enjoying a plus-8 advantage on the boards (42-34) in the road win on Feb. 16.
Colorado had a rare hiccup against Arizona State while meeting the "Gold Standard" at home on Dec. 1. The Buffaloes fell 60-59 to ASU despite holding the Sun Devils to 39.3 percent shooting and enjoying a plus-13 edge on the boards (47-34).
Against Tennessee, Colorado held Tennessee to 25.4 percent shooting while outrebounding the Vols by nine (47-38).
Tennessee's 25.4 percent shooting was the lowest by a CU opponent since Utah shot just 22.6 percent against the Buffaloes on Dec. 31, 2011 – the program's first Pac-12 game.Â
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Colorado has earned three Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season. KJ Simpson has won twice (Nov. 14 & Jan. 2) with Tristan da Silva taking the third (Jan. 9). It's the second time the Buffaloes have two different players earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in the same season, joining Askia Booker and Andre Roberson in 2012-13.
In his most recent honor, Simpson averaged 28.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals during the Bay Area road split. He shot 48.8 percent from the field (21-43) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-12).
Simpson had a monster game at Stanford, scoring a career-high 31 points, hitting 11 of 23 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. He's the first Buffalo to have multiple 30-point games in a single season since Derrick White had four in 2016-17. His 31 points were the most by a Buffalo since White had 31 against Arizona in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament.Â
Against Cal, Simpson had 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting along with five assists and a pair of steals. He scored 16 of his points in the final 2:06 of the game, as the Buffaloes nearly erased a 21-point second half deficit.
Back in November, Simpson averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in Colorado's first three games. He shot 41 percent from the field (17-42) and 72 percent from the free throw line (13-18).
Simpson recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Tennessee on Nov. 13. Both figures were career highs for Simpson at the time as was his seven field goals made. Coming off the bench, he had 15 points, seven rebounds and hit 7 of 9 free throws in the second half alone.
Simpson also led the Buffaloes in the Grambling State game, on Nov. 11, with 16 points and a season-high four assists. He scored 14 points on 50 percent shooting (5-10), with three assists and two steals in the opener against UC Riverside on Nov. 7.
Da Silva earned his first Pac-12 Player of the Week honor after averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists during the home sweep of the Oregon schools. He shot 66.7 percent from the field (18-27), including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and 70 percent from the free throw line (7-10).
Da Silva scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Oregon, hitting 11 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. His field goals tied career-highs with 11 field goals as did his seven free throw attempts (5 of 7) and three steals. He had 17 points, on 7 of 10 shooting, five rebounds and a pair of steals against Oregon State.
EARLIEST TWO RANKED OPPONENTS IN 49 YEARS: With Colorado's matchup against No. 24 (AP) Texas A&M, the Buffaloes faced two ranked opponents within the first five games of the season for the first time since Dec. 3&5, 1973. Both of those contests happened in Boulder, with Colorado dropping a 91-76 decision to No. 15 Arizona in the second game of the season on Dec. 3, 1973 and then rebounding two days later with a 73-71 decision over No. 12 Long Beach State.
Colorado entered the Myrtle Beach Invitational coming off a 78-66 win over No. 11 (AP & Coaches) Tennessee in Nashville on Nov. 13.
One more recent season came close to that span. On Nov. 26-27, 1998, Colorado played No. 4 Kentucky (L, 52-64) and No. 10 Xavier (L, 64-74) in San Juan, P.R. in games No. 5 & 6 of that young season.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION VS A&M: Â Colorado's 103 points scored against Texas A&M set a Myrtle Beach Invitational single-game record. Overall for the Buffaloes, it's the most points, in regulation, since scoring 104 against Longwood on Dec. 19, 2010. CU had 112 points in a double-overtime win over South Dakota State on Dec. 15, 2017.
Colorado's 103 points are its most against a ranked opponent and the 28-point margin of victory is CU's highest against a ranked opponent. Â It's the largest margin of victory by any Pac-12 school over a ranked SEC opponent since the 1980-81 season.
Colorado's 16 3-point field goals tied for the third most in one game. It's the fourth time the Buffs have hit 16, last done against Arizona in the 2022 Pac-12 semifinals.
Colorado shot 57.6 percent from the field, its best mark since the Buffaloes hit 60.7 percent against Georgetown in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
ROAD RARITY: Colorado opened the 2021-22 season at the friendly confines of the CU Events Center with a win over UC Riverside on Nov. 7, but then ventured on a 12-day, 5-game road trip.
The last time the Buffaloes endured a string where five of the first six games in a season were played away from home, was in 1955-56. Coming off its second NCAA Final Four, Colorado played eight of its first nine away from home.Â
The Buffaloes opened with wins at future conference foes Oregon State and Oregon then returned home for a rematch of the 1955 NCAA Third Place game where the Buffaloes were victorious again with a 60-57 win over Iowa. Colorado then had back-to-back road games at BYU and another at Colorado State before finishing off with three games at the Big Seven Christmas Tournament in Kansas City. The Buffaloes were 4-5 during that nine-game stretch.
Colorado does have a recent string of five-straight away from home. During the 2020-21 COVID-19 scheduling shuffles, the Buffaloes played neutral games in Las Vegas against Washington and Grand Canyon (Dec. 20 & 22) and then briefly returned to Boulder before starting the Pac-12 season at Arizona, USC and UCLA (Dec. 28-Jan. 2) going 3-2 in that span.
PAC-12/SWAC LEGACY SERIES: The Colorado-Grambling State game was part of the Pac-12 Conference/Southwest Athletic Conference Legacy Series, an educational and basketball scheduling partnership between the two leagues.Â
The 2022 edition features six men's and six women's Pac-12 programs beginning a home-and-home series with SWAC institutions. The series began with the Oregon men hosting Florida A&M on Nov. 7, an 80-45 victory for the Ducks.
Colorado was the first to be a road opponent as the Buffaloes visited Grambling State and marked Tigers have hosted a Power 5 opponent in their history. Grambling will make a return visit to Boulder in 2023-24.
The morning of the game, Colorado will toured the Eddie G. Robinson museum near the Grambling campus. The museum is a landmark dedicated to recognizing the contributions of the school's legendary football coach as a source of education and inspiration.Â
For more information visit: pac12.me/Legacy-Series.
OPENERS: Colorado improved to 85-35 (.708) in all-time season openers and has won its last seven. The Buffaloes are 11-2 under head coach Tad Boyle and 38-5 in overall season openers since 1980-81.
The Buffaloes are 96-24 (.800) all-time in home openers, have won their last 15 and 21 of their last 22. Boyle's teams are 13-0 in home openers.Â
BUFFS SIGN ELITE TRIO: Cody Williams, Courtney Anderson and Assane Diop have signed National Letters of Intent continue their education and play basketball at Colorado. Williams and Anderson signed on Nov. 9, the first day of the NCAA Early Signing Period. Diop signed on Nov. 15.
Williams, a 6-foot, 8-inch, 180-point small forward from Gilbert, Ariz., is a five-star recruit, ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports. Anderson, a 6-5, 180-pound guard from Vallejo, Calif., is ranked as the 31st best shooting guard in the nation by that same service. Diop, a 6-10, 200-pound do-it-all forward is a consensus Top 100 pick and the second-ranked recruit in the state of Colorado.
Heading into his senior year at Perry High School, Williams is the highest ranked, and first five-star, recruit in the Boyle era. He is the Buffaloes' first five-star prospect, and highest rated, since McDonald's All-American David Harrison was listed as the 10th best player in the nation by Rivals in 2001.
Williams, the younger brother of Jalen Williams, the 12th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City, is No. 14 in ESPN's Top 100. He played for the Vegas Elite in the EYBL this summer, averaging 15 points and four rebounds on that circuit.
Anderson was a San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro pick and All-Bay Area as a junior at Dublin High School. The All-East Bay Athletic League pick averaged 20.1 points and nearly five rebounds a game, helping the Gaels to an 8-1 league record and a spot in the North Coast Section Open Division tournament.
Anderson is rated as a three-star guard by Rivals and the 18th best player in the state of California by ESPN. He is the son of former NFL tight end, Courtney Sr.
A native of Senegal, Diop has lived in Colorado the last three years, moving to the United States to pursue basketball and educational opportunities. He is currently preparing for his senior season at Accelerated Prep, a private basketball program associated with Accelerated Schools of Denver. Diop is rated No. 56 overall in the ESPN Top100 and 10th best at his position. He is ranked No. 91 in the nation according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and the 12th-best post player in the nation. Diop is in the No. 110 position according to Rivals.
Diop helped Wesminster's Belleview Christian to the Colorado Class 1A State Championship as a sophomore in 2020-21. Diop spent his junior season at Denver Prep Academy, playing on The Grind Session, a national-travel basketball circuit, averaging eight points and nearly nine rebounds per game.Â
At the time of Diop's signing, Colorado had the 15th best class in the nation according to 247Sports and the 19th best on Rivals' list.
PRESEASON AWARDS/POLLS: Junior forward Tristan da Silva was named to the 2022-23 men's basketball Preseason All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team, voted on by media members who cover the league on Oct. 24.
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In addition, sophomore guard KJ Simpson earned honorable mention, receiving at least eight media member votes.
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A 6-foot, 9-inch forward from Munich, Germany, da Silva is Colorado's leading returning scorer from a year ago at 9.4 points per game. He ranked second on the team in field goal shooting (.479) and free throw percentage (.797), third in assists (61) and fourth in scoring and rebounding (3.5 rpg). During conference games, da Silva ranked third in 3-point percentage (.477), sixth in free throw percentage (.822) and ninth in overall field goal shooting (.525) on the league leaderboard.
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Da Silva was one of five players on the Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team. There are 10 players on the first team.
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Simpson, a 6-2 guard from West Hills, Calif., was an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection in 2021-22 after averaging 7.4 points per game and leading the Buffaloes in assists (86) and steals (26). His 86 assists tied for the eighth most in a season by a CU freshman.
The Buffaloes, coming off their fourth-straight 20-win season, were picked to finish sixth in the annual Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll with 207 points. UCLA was the favorite with 386 points and 26 of 33 first place votes. Arizona was second (352) and Oregon was third (336) with those teams recording three first place votes each. USC was fourth (300) and Stanford was fifth (239) along with one first place vote.
Arizona State was picked seventh (193), followed by Washington State (185), Washington (158), Utah (102), California (69) and Oregon State (47).
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The Buffaloes snapped a six-game road losing streak, it's longest since the 2018 calendar year (five games in 2017-18, one in 2018-19), and improved to 2-8 in true road games this year.
Colorado had entered the Arizona State game giving up 72.2 points on the road, but held the Sun Devils to 59 points, the lowest by a Buffaloes opponent on the road this season. It's the fewest allowed by Colorado in a Pac-12 road game since Stanford had 53 on Feb. 19, 2022. The Buffaloes are 20-3 in the Pac-12 era when holding their conference opponent under 60 points on their  home court and have won the last 12.
Colorado has made 39 of its last 42 free throws over the last three games. While still shooting a Pac-12 low 69.2 percent from the line overall, Colorado has improved its mark to 71.5 percent in conference games.
On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Colorado is second in steals (7.9) and offensive rebounds (11.5 orpg), third in rebounding margin (+4.4) and turnover margin (+0.7), fourth in scoring (70.7 ppg), rebounding (37.7 rpg), defensive boards (26.2 drpg) and scoring defense (65.7 ppg) and fifth in scoring margin (+5.1) and 3-point defense (.323).
Colorado has allowed just 62.9 points during conference play, ranking second 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 16.4 points per game on 51.5 percent shooting from the field while averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals an outing. He is the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12 since Jan. 1, averaging 19.4 points over that 12-game span.
Da Silva had a game-high 23 points at Arizona State, hitting 7 of 14 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. It was the 12th 20-point game of his career and third in a road contest. He has scored 20-points or more in six of the last seven games including five-straight, the first by a Buffalo since Josh Scott had five in a row from Dec. 2-19, 2015. He has 11 games of 20-plus points this season, the most since Derrick White had 15 in 2016-17.Â
On the Pac-12 charts, da Silva is sixth in scoring and 3-point percentage (.420), ninth in steals and 11th in overall shooting. He tops the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting during conference games at 44.3 percent (27-61).
Sophomore KJ Simpson leads Colorado in assists (97) and steals (36) and is second in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He had 12 points and six rebounds at Arizona State. Simpson averages 4.3 rebounds overall but has upped that to 6.0 per game over the last three.
Simpson made his only free throw attempt at ASU, extending his consecutive free throw made streak to a team season-best 18. 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 (.823), seventh in scoring, 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 (24) while ranking fourth in rebounding (4.5 rpg). He had four points and led the Buffaloes with eight rebounds against Stanford. Lovering has made 28 of 47 (.596) 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.
Luke O'Brien is averaging 5.2 points and is third on the team in rebounds at 4.8 rebounds per game. He leads Colorado in rebounding in Pac-12 play at 5.9 per game, which also ranks 13th on the league leaderboard.
O'Brien had nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists at Arizona State, leading Colorado in rebounding for the seventh time this season, including five of the last seven games. He logged his second career game with double-digit rebounds (11 vs. Oregon) and tied a season high with three assists.Â
O'Brien is averaging 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over the last four games. He got the starting call for the second time in his career (Tennessee in Nashville) and played a career high 36 minutes, nine more than his previous high (27 at Utah, 2/11/23 and vs. Washington, 1/19/23).
Javon Ruffin is averaging 5.7 points and is second on the team in 3-point percentage (.350) and third in 3-pointers made (21). Ruffin had 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds at Arizona State. He scored in double-digits for the fifth time. He made both his free throw attempts against the Sun Devils, extending his consecutive made streak to 16. Ruffin is 28 of 32 from the line for the season (28-32) and 17 of 18 in Pac-12 play (.944).
Nique Clifford is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while ranking second on the team in blocks (17), third in assists (42) and fourth in steals (21). He had seven points and five rebounds at Utah.
Graduate senior Jalen Gabbidon is averaging 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He made his sixth start of the season at Utah. Fellow graduate senior Ethan Wright tied a team season-high with three blocks at Arizona State.
Julian Hammond III is averaging 6.3 points and is second on the team in assists with 49. He had 11 points, including a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line, at Utah.
HADLEY OUT: Junior J'Vonne Hadley is expected to miss the remainder of the season with an injury to his right (shooting) hand. Â Hadley averaged 8.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He was Colorado's leading rebounder and ranked second on the team in field goal shooting and third in scoring and steals.
On the Pac-12 charts, he is sixth in offensive boards (2.4 orpg), 10th in shooting and 14th in overall rebounds.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: No. 8 (AP & Coaches) ranked Arizona is 23-4 overall and second in the Pac-12 at 12-4. The Wildcats are 14-1 at home this season after defeating Utah 88-62 on Feb. 16. Arizona is the top scoring and field goal shooting team in the Pac-12 at 83.4 points per game while hitting 49 percent from the field. The Wildcats also lead the Pac-12 in rebounding (40.5 rpg) and rebound margin (+7.3). Arizona ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense at 70.7 points per game.Â
National Player of the Year candidate Azuolas Tubelis leads the Pac-12 in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) while shooting 57.4 percent from the field. Center Oumar Ballo averages 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 65.6 percent. Kerr Krissa leads the  Wildcats in assists (152) and 3-pointers made (69) while averaging  10.8 points per game.  Courtney Ramey averages 10.8 points and is second in 3-point field goals made (66).
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 40th meeting between Colorado and Arizona with the Wildcats holding a 23-16 series lead. Arizona won two of three meetings last year. The teams split the regular season series, both winning at home. The Wildcats got the rubber match, 82-72, in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. The teams split the regular season series, both winning at home. Arizona holds a 13-3 all-time lead in Tucson. The Buffaloes last win at Arizona came on Dec. 20, 1965.
STEALING THE SHOW: Colorado tied a season-high with 13 steals in the home win over California, hitting that mark for the third time this year. It's the sixth time this season the Buffaloes have had 10 or more steals in a game. Colorado had only one game of double-digit steals in each of the previous two seasons (2021-22 & '20-21).
The Buffaloes rank second in the Pac-12 at 7.9 steals per game. Colorado has 212 steals on the season, its most since 2015-16 (254). The Buffaloes had 181 steals in 33 games last season (5.5 spg).
DA SILVA SHOOTING: Tristan da Silva had 27 points on 11 of 13 shooting against Washington State. He hit his first nine shots of the game, rebounding from an 8 for 21 showing against Washington. By making his last two attempts against Washington, he made 11 straight over two games, tying for the third-most consecutive field goals made by a Colorado player and most since Andre Roberson made 11-straight during the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament.
Consecutive Field Goals Made
12—Shaun Vandiver vs. Illinois State in Boulder, Dec. 4, 1989.
12—Rodell "House" Guest vs. Central Connecticut State (5) & Eastern Michigan (7) in Boulder, Dec. 7-8, 1990.
11—Tristan da Silva vs. Washington (2) and Washington State (9) in Boulder, Jan. 19&22, 2023
11—Andre Roberson vs. Oregon (1), California (6) & Arizona (4) in Los Angeles, Mar. 8-10, 2012.
11—Jim Creighton vs. Iowa State in Boulder, Feb. 14, 1972.
Da Silva's 11 field goals made tied his career-high, hitting that mark for the third time this season. His 84.6 percentage from the field ties CU's second-best single-game performance with at least 10 field goals made since the 1996-97. Marcus Hall was 11 of 13 against Missouri on Jan. 26, 2008, in Boulder. The top performance is David Harrison's school record 10 for 10 against Baylor on Jan. 31, 2004. His percentage under those same parameters, is the second-best in the Pac-12 this season trailing Utah's Branden Carlson three days earlier against the same Washington State team (11 for 12, .917).
DEFENSE SHINES AGAINST OREGON SCHOOLS: Colorado hit some impressive defensive numbers in its home sweep of Oregon the Oregon schools at home, defeating Oregon 68-41 on Jan. 5 and following up with a 62-42 decision over Oregon State on Jan. 7.
Colorado's 83 points allowed in those two games is its fewest in back-to-back league outings since allowing 81 in back-to-back Big Seven Conference games during the 1948-49 season:
Jan. 24, 1949 at Iowa State, L 31-40
Jan. 29, 1949 vs. Kansas State, W 48-41
It was the fewest in back-to-back league home games since allowing 79 in the Mountain States era:
Jan. 11, 1946 vs. Utah, W, 47-40
Jan. 18, 1946 vs. Utah State W, 59-39
It's the fewest in any back-to-back games since allowing 67 in 2011-12:
Dec. 28, 2011 vs. New Orleans, W 92-34
Dec. 31, 2011 vs. Utah, W, 73-33
The 41 points against Oregon and 42 points against Oregon State represent the second and third lowest conference opponent totals in the Pac-12 era. Colorado also held Oregon to 26.9 percent from the field, the second fewest by a Buffaloes' conference opponent in the Pac-12 era.Â
SCORING IN BUNCHES: With Tristan da Silva's 30-point effort against Oregon, it marks the first time since 2014-15 the Buffaloes have two different players score at least 30 points in a game (along with KJ Simpson). Askia Booker had two 30-plus point games (30 vs. Arizona on Jan 15, 2015 and 43 at USC on Jan. 29, 2015) while Josh Scott had the other (32 vs. Washington State on March 7, 2015)
Da Silva and Simpson have combined for nine games of 25-plus points, the most since Derrick White (7) and Xavier Johnson (2) combined for nine in 2016-17.
SCORING IN BUNCHES II: Tristan da Silva recently scored 20-plus points in five-straight games and had a three-game streak to round out the nonconference schedule. He's the first CU player with five straight 20-point games since Josh Scott had five in a row in Dec. 2015.Â
In that first span, da Silva had two 25-plus point outings which hadn't happened since George King scored 25 in back-to-back games against Mercer and Air Force Nov. 19 & 26, 2017.
KJ Simpson matched both feats -- three-straight 20-point games and consecutive 25-point outings -- over the course of three games with 21 against Southern Utah, a career-high 31 at Stanford and 25 at California.
BOYLE MILESTONE: Head coach Tad Boyle, in his 13th season, has 269 wins at Colorado the most in program history.Â
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 269-167 at CU, his 61.7 winning percentage is second all-time just behind Forrest "Frosty" Cox at 62.3 from 1936-50.
Boyle has 117 Pac-12 regular season wins ranking 19th in conference history.Â
CELEBRATING SOX: As the baton is passed to Tad Boyle as the winningest coach in Colorado men's basketball history a look at Sox Walseth's historic  career.
Walseth was likely the first and one of just a few to have coached both the men's and women's program at the same NCAA school. Â
His time at CU spanned 38 years, starting as an athlete in the 1940s when he lettered in both basketball and baseball. Â He then worked as the head freshman coach for five years (three under his coach, Frosty Cox, and two under H.B. Lee); after two years as head coach at South Dakota State, he replaced Lee for the 1956-57 season and would proceed to coach 20 Buffalo teams. Â
Posting a 261-245 record, the Buffs won three Big Eight titles and advanced to  three NCAA Tournaments under his direction, in 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1968-69.  He was the Big Eight Conference coach of the year on five occasions, and his star players included Ken Charlton, Jim Davis, Cliff Meely and Scott Wedman. Â
He then coached the women's team between 1980-83, then known as the "Lady Buffs," compiling an impressive 77-21 record. Â That mark included an incredible 43-0 record at home, and once again, he earned coach of the year accolades. Â The basketball floor at the CU Events Center is named after him.
Walseth, who passed away on Jan. 28, 2004, at the age of 77, is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and the CU Athletic Hall of Fame.
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 118-37 (.761) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including a 71-20 mark (.780) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 88-7 (.926) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 6-1 mark in postseason action.
Colorado's 11 nonconference opponents have combined to win 63.6 percent of their games through Feb. 14. Add the Buffaloes' Â Pac-12 games Colorado has an average opponent NET rank of 122 - the 60th best mark in the nation.
CU Nonconference Opponents (through Feb. 16)
Opponent (CU's Result)Â Â Â W-L (Conf.)Â Â Â NET Rk
UC Riverside (W, 82-66)Â Â Â 17-10 (10-5/3rd Big West)Â Â Â 147
at Grambling State (L, 74-83)Â Â Â 17-8 (10-3/2nd SWAC)Â Â Â 203
vs. Tennessee (W, 78-66)Â Â Â 20-6 (9-4/3rd SEC)Â Â Â 3
vs. UMass (L, 63-66)Â Â Â 13-13 (4-10/14th A-10)Â Â Â 199
vs. Texas A&M (W, 103-75)Â Â Â 19-7 (11-2/2nd SEC)Â Â Â 31
vs. Boise State (L, 55-68)Â Â Â 20-6 (10-3/t-2nd MWC)Â Â Â 23
Yale (W, 65-62)Â Â Â 17-6 (7-3/t-1st Ivy)Â Â Â 69
Colorado State (W, 93-65)Â Â Â 11-15 (3-10/t-10th MWC)Â Â Â 123
North Alabama (W, 84-60)Â Â Â 17-11 (9-6/5th ASUN)Â Â Â 224
Northern Colorado (W, 88-77) Â Â Â 10-17 (5-10/8th Big Sky)Â Â Â 236
Southern Utah (W, 86-78)Â Â Â 17-9 (9-4/t-2nd WAC)Â Â Â 109
Total   178-102 (.636)
LEADERS OF THE PAC: Colorado is tied for the fourth-most wins (92) among Pac-12 teams since February 2019. Colorado was 12-4 over the final two months of the 2018-19 season, culminating in a spot in the NIT Quarterfinals. The Buffaloes were 21-11 in 2019-20, well in line for an NCAA Tournament bid before the season was shut down on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Colorado was 23-9 in 2020-21, tying for the third best win total in team history and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes were 21-12 in 2021-22, logging their fourth-straight 20-win season.
Pac-12 Overall Records Since Feb. 1, 2019 (through Feb. 16)
   W   L   Pct.
Arizona   97   35   .735
UCLAÂ Â Â 95Â Â Â 41Â Â Â .699
USCÂ Â Â 95Â Â Â 41Â Â Â .699
Oregon   92   45   .672
Colorado   92   48   .657
Arizona State   71   57   .555
Stanford   66   62   .516
Utah   63   63   .500
Washington State   66   68   .493
Washington   61   71   .462
Oregon State   56   76   .424
California   40   89   .310
RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
   - 11 of 13 in 2022-23 (11-2)
   - 28 of their last 36 (28-8)
   - 34 of their last 43 (34-9)
    - 47 of 59 (47-12)
   - 62 of 76 (62-14)
   - 74 of 91 (74-17)
   - 95 of 116 (95-21)
   - 105 of 127 (105-22)
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 175-36 at home (.829). The Buffaloes are 488-187 (.723) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 14 seasons.Â
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 2-1 against ranked teams in 2022-23. The Buffaloes had nonconference wins over No. 11 Tennessee, 78-66, on Nov. 13, and No. 24 Texas A&M, 103-75, on Nov. 18. In Pac-12 play, Colorado dropped a 68-54 decision at No. 7/6 UCLA on Jan. 14
Colorado's win over No. 24 Texas A&M gave the Buffaloes two wins over ranked teams away from home for the first time since 2012-13.It marked the first time since 2016-17 that the Buffaloes have won their first two games of a season against ranked opponents.Â
Colorado's win over the No. 11/11 ranked Vols is its first against a ranked opponent away from Boulder since the Buffaloes beat No. 13/12 Dayton, in Chicago, on Dec. 21, 2019. It's the highest ranked team the Buffaloes have defeated away from Boulder since the 92-88 overtime win over No. 6 Missouri in the quarterfinals of the 1990 Big Eight Tournament in Kansas City.
Colorado's 25 wins over ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 25-43, have accounted for 36 percent of wins over ranked opponents (69) since 1949-50.
GOLD STANDARD: Colorado is 84-6 in the Tad Boyle era when meeting the program's "Gold Standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less from the field and having a plus-8 rebounding edge. The Buffaloes are 4-1 in hitting those two numbers this season after holding Arizona State to 36.9 percent from the field and enjoying a plus-8 advantage on the boards (42-34) in the road win on Feb. 16.
Colorado had a rare hiccup against Arizona State while meeting the "Gold Standard" at home on Dec. 1. The Buffaloes fell 60-59 to ASU despite holding the Sun Devils to 39.3 percent shooting and enjoying a plus-13 edge on the boards (47-34).
Against Tennessee, Colorado held Tennessee to 25.4 percent shooting while outrebounding the Vols by nine (47-38).
Tennessee's 25.4 percent shooting was the lowest by a CU opponent since Utah shot just 22.6 percent against the Buffaloes on Dec. 31, 2011 – the program's first Pac-12 game.Â
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Colorado has earned three Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season. KJ Simpson has won twice (Nov. 14 & Jan. 2) with Tristan da Silva taking the third (Jan. 9). It's the second time the Buffaloes have two different players earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in the same season, joining Askia Booker and Andre Roberson in 2012-13.
In his most recent honor, Simpson averaged 28.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals during the Bay Area road split. He shot 48.8 percent from the field (21-43) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-12).
Simpson had a monster game at Stanford, scoring a career-high 31 points, hitting 11 of 23 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. He's the first Buffalo to have multiple 30-point games in a single season since Derrick White had four in 2016-17. His 31 points were the most by a Buffalo since White had 31 against Arizona in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament.Â
Against Cal, Simpson had 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting along with five assists and a pair of steals. He scored 16 of his points in the final 2:06 of the game, as the Buffaloes nearly erased a 21-point second half deficit.
Back in November, Simpson averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in Colorado's first three games. He shot 41 percent from the field (17-42) and 72 percent from the free throw line (13-18).
Simpson recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Tennessee on Nov. 13. Both figures were career highs for Simpson at the time as was his seven field goals made. Coming off the bench, he had 15 points, seven rebounds and hit 7 of 9 free throws in the second half alone.
Simpson also led the Buffaloes in the Grambling State game, on Nov. 11, with 16 points and a season-high four assists. He scored 14 points on 50 percent shooting (5-10), with three assists and two steals in the opener against UC Riverside on Nov. 7.
Da Silva earned his first Pac-12 Player of the Week honor after averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists during the home sweep of the Oregon schools. He shot 66.7 percent from the field (18-27), including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and 70 percent from the free throw line (7-10).
Da Silva scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Oregon, hitting 11 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. His field goals tied career-highs with 11 field goals as did his seven free throw attempts (5 of 7) and three steals. He had 17 points, on 7 of 10 shooting, five rebounds and a pair of steals against Oregon State.
EARLIEST TWO RANKED OPPONENTS IN 49 YEARS: With Colorado's matchup against No. 24 (AP) Texas A&M, the Buffaloes faced two ranked opponents within the first five games of the season for the first time since Dec. 3&5, 1973. Both of those contests happened in Boulder, with Colorado dropping a 91-76 decision to No. 15 Arizona in the second game of the season on Dec. 3, 1973 and then rebounding two days later with a 73-71 decision over No. 12 Long Beach State.
Colorado entered the Myrtle Beach Invitational coming off a 78-66 win over No. 11 (AP & Coaches) Tennessee in Nashville on Nov. 13.
One more recent season came close to that span. On Nov. 26-27, 1998, Colorado played No. 4 Kentucky (L, 52-64) and No. 10 Xavier (L, 64-74) in San Juan, P.R. in games No. 5 & 6 of that young season.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION VS A&M: Â Colorado's 103 points scored against Texas A&M set a Myrtle Beach Invitational single-game record. Overall for the Buffaloes, it's the most points, in regulation, since scoring 104 against Longwood on Dec. 19, 2010. CU had 112 points in a double-overtime win over South Dakota State on Dec. 15, 2017.
Colorado's 103 points are its most against a ranked opponent and the 28-point margin of victory is CU's highest against a ranked opponent. Â It's the largest margin of victory by any Pac-12 school over a ranked SEC opponent since the 1980-81 season.
Colorado's 16 3-point field goals tied for the third most in one game. It's the fourth time the Buffs have hit 16, last done against Arizona in the 2022 Pac-12 semifinals.
Colorado shot 57.6 percent from the field, its best mark since the Buffaloes hit 60.7 percent against Georgetown in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
ROAD RARITY: Colorado opened the 2021-22 season at the friendly confines of the CU Events Center with a win over UC Riverside on Nov. 7, but then ventured on a 12-day, 5-game road trip.
The last time the Buffaloes endured a string where five of the first six games in a season were played away from home, was in 1955-56. Coming off its second NCAA Final Four, Colorado played eight of its first nine away from home.Â
The Buffaloes opened with wins at future conference foes Oregon State and Oregon then returned home for a rematch of the 1955 NCAA Third Place game where the Buffaloes were victorious again with a 60-57 win over Iowa. Colorado then had back-to-back road games at BYU and another at Colorado State before finishing off with three games at the Big Seven Christmas Tournament in Kansas City. The Buffaloes were 4-5 during that nine-game stretch.
Colorado does have a recent string of five-straight away from home. During the 2020-21 COVID-19 scheduling shuffles, the Buffaloes played neutral games in Las Vegas against Washington and Grand Canyon (Dec. 20 & 22) and then briefly returned to Boulder before starting the Pac-12 season at Arizona, USC and UCLA (Dec. 28-Jan. 2) going 3-2 in that span.
PAC-12/SWAC LEGACY SERIES: The Colorado-Grambling State game was part of the Pac-12 Conference/Southwest Athletic Conference Legacy Series, an educational and basketball scheduling partnership between the two leagues.Â
The 2022 edition features six men's and six women's Pac-12 programs beginning a home-and-home series with SWAC institutions. The series began with the Oregon men hosting Florida A&M on Nov. 7, an 80-45 victory for the Ducks.
Colorado was the first to be a road opponent as the Buffaloes visited Grambling State and marked Tigers have hosted a Power 5 opponent in their history. Grambling will make a return visit to Boulder in 2023-24.
The morning of the game, Colorado will toured the Eddie G. Robinson museum near the Grambling campus. The museum is a landmark dedicated to recognizing the contributions of the school's legendary football coach as a source of education and inspiration.Â
For more information visit: pac12.me/Legacy-Series.
OPENERS: Colorado improved to 85-35 (.708) in all-time season openers and has won its last seven. The Buffaloes are 11-2 under head coach Tad Boyle and 38-5 in overall season openers since 1980-81.
The Buffaloes are 96-24 (.800) all-time in home openers, have won their last 15 and 21 of their last 22. Boyle's teams are 13-0 in home openers.Â
BUFFS SIGN ELITE TRIO: Cody Williams, Courtney Anderson and Assane Diop have signed National Letters of Intent continue their education and play basketball at Colorado. Williams and Anderson signed on Nov. 9, the first day of the NCAA Early Signing Period. Diop signed on Nov. 15.
Williams, a 6-foot, 8-inch, 180-point small forward from Gilbert, Ariz., is a five-star recruit, ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports. Anderson, a 6-5, 180-pound guard from Vallejo, Calif., is ranked as the 31st best shooting guard in the nation by that same service. Diop, a 6-10, 200-pound do-it-all forward is a consensus Top 100 pick and the second-ranked recruit in the state of Colorado.
Heading into his senior year at Perry High School, Williams is the highest ranked, and first five-star, recruit in the Boyle era. He is the Buffaloes' first five-star prospect, and highest rated, since McDonald's All-American David Harrison was listed as the 10th best player in the nation by Rivals in 2001.
Williams, the younger brother of Jalen Williams, the 12th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City, is No. 14 in ESPN's Top 100. He played for the Vegas Elite in the EYBL this summer, averaging 15 points and four rebounds on that circuit.
Anderson was a San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro pick and All-Bay Area as a junior at Dublin High School. The All-East Bay Athletic League pick averaged 20.1 points and nearly five rebounds a game, helping the Gaels to an 8-1 league record and a spot in the North Coast Section Open Division tournament.
Anderson is rated as a three-star guard by Rivals and the 18th best player in the state of California by ESPN. He is the son of former NFL tight end, Courtney Sr.
A native of Senegal, Diop has lived in Colorado the last three years, moving to the United States to pursue basketball and educational opportunities. He is currently preparing for his senior season at Accelerated Prep, a private basketball program associated with Accelerated Schools of Denver. Diop is rated No. 56 overall in the ESPN Top100 and 10th best at his position. He is ranked No. 91 in the nation according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and the 12th-best post player in the nation. Diop is in the No. 110 position according to Rivals.
Diop helped Wesminster's Belleview Christian to the Colorado Class 1A State Championship as a sophomore in 2020-21. Diop spent his junior season at Denver Prep Academy, playing on The Grind Session, a national-travel basketball circuit, averaging eight points and nearly nine rebounds per game.Â
At the time of Diop's signing, Colorado had the 15th best class in the nation according to 247Sports and the 19th best on Rivals' list.
PRESEASON AWARDS/POLLS: Junior forward Tristan da Silva was named to the 2022-23 men's basketball Preseason All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team, voted on by media members who cover the league on Oct. 24.
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In addition, sophomore guard KJ Simpson earned honorable mention, receiving at least eight media member votes.
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A 6-foot, 9-inch forward from Munich, Germany, da Silva is Colorado's leading returning scorer from a year ago at 9.4 points per game. He ranked second on the team in field goal shooting (.479) and free throw percentage (.797), third in assists (61) and fourth in scoring and rebounding (3.5 rpg). During conference games, da Silva ranked third in 3-point percentage (.477), sixth in free throw percentage (.822) and ninth in overall field goal shooting (.525) on the league leaderboard.
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Da Silva was one of five players on the Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team. There are 10 players on the first team.
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Simpson, a 6-2 guard from West Hills, Calif., was an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection in 2021-22 after averaging 7.4 points per game and leading the Buffaloes in assists (86) and steals (26). His 86 assists tied for the eighth most in a season by a CU freshman.
The Buffaloes, coming off their fourth-straight 20-win season, were picked to finish sixth in the annual Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll with 207 points. UCLA was the favorite with 386 points and 26 of 33 first place votes. Arizona was second (352) and Oregon was third (336) with those teams recording three first place votes each. USC was fourth (300) and Stanford was fifth (239) along with one first place vote.
Arizona State was picked seventh (193), followed by Washington State (185), Washington (158), Utah (102), California (69) and Oregon State (47).
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