Colorado Hosts Stanford On Senior Night

Sunday, March 3

Boulder, Colo.

7:00 PM

Colorado

Stanford

Photo by: Joel Broida

March 02, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Colorado Notes Stanford Notes

By: Troy Andre, Associate Director/Athletic Communications

Game 29 - Stanford, Sunday, March 3, 2024

CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.

Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT

TV: FS1 (Drew Goodman, Eldridge Recasner)

Watch Online: Fox Sports App, FoxSports.com

Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)

Satellite: Sirius XM 373 & SXM App (Pac12)

Listen Online: CUBuffs.com

Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/483973

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 19-9 overall and in sole possession of fourth place in the Pac-12 Conference at 10-7, one game behind Oregon for the third spot. The Buffaloes have won three straight, coming off an 88-78 triumph over California on Feb. 28.

Colorado has clinched a .500 or better conference record for the 10th time in head coach Tad Boyle's 14 seasons. It's the ninth conference season in the Boyle era with double-figure wins.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE: Colorado controls its own destiny to finish in third place in the final Pac-12 standings. Three wins and CU would and be the No. 3 seed at the Pac-12 Tournament. While, as of Saturday, the Buffaloes could still mathematically catch Arizona and Washington State at the top of the league standings, they would lose any seeding scenario to those two teams.

One win would give Colorado its 14th 20-win campaign in 121 seasons, with 10 of those coming in the Tad Boyle era. A win on Sunday would give the Buffaloes 16 home wins and match the most in a regular season in team history joining the 2015-16 (16-1) and 2013-14 (16-2) teams and would be the second-most overall. The 2010-11 team won 18 games at the CU Events Center with three of those coming in the Postseason NIT.

Colorado has been spectacular at home, winning 15 of 16 contests. The Buffaloes have averaged 85.6 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Colorado has outscored the opposition by 16.5 points per game at the CU Events Center while enjoying a rebounding margin of plus-8.7.

Overall, Colorado is one of the top all-around shooting teams in the country, ranking in the top 10 nationally in all three percentage categories: overall field goal, 3-point and free throws. The Buffaloes are sixth in the nation in overall shooting (.496) and 3-point percentage (.395) and 10th from the free throw line (789).

Colorado is the only program in NCAA Division I in the nation's top 10 of all three categories (through games of Feb. 29). Colorado also sports top 50 marks nationally in rebound margin (+7.6, 17th), free throws made (17.0 mpg, 19th), scoring (80.9 ppg, 34th), defensive rebounds (27.5 drpg, 36th), assists (16.1, 37th) and fouls per game (15.2, 47th).

Colorado leads the Pac-12 in all three shooting categories as well as rebounding defense (29.9 rpg) while ranking second in rebound margin and scoring margin, third in scoring, overall rebounding (37.5 rpg) and defensive boards and fourth in assists and 3-point defense (.333).

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING: All-America candidate KJ Simpson tops Colorado at 19.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while ranking third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). He is Colorado's leader in all shooting made and attempted categories as well as defensive rebounds at 4.7 per game. Simpson is averaging 6.4 rebounds during Pac-12 play, ranking 10th on the conference charts.

Since being held to a season-low four points at UCLA, Simpson has been on a tear averaging 28.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists over the last three games. He is shooting 57.4 percent from the field (27-of-47) and 59.1 percent from 3-point range (13-of-22) in that span.

Simpson had 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the win over California. He has scored at least 27 points in three-straight games, the first Buffalo to do that in 30 years - since Donnie Boyce (29-28-46) from Feb. 26-March 5, 1994.

Simpson has 17 games with 20 or more points this season, the most by a Buffalo since Alec Burks had 24 20-point games in 2010-11. He has 555 points, tied with Chauncey Billups (1996-97) for 13th in single-season scoring at Colorado.

Simpson is one of two major conference players averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game joining Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr. He is one of five in all of NCAA Division I with those numbers.

Simpson leads all major conference players in rebounding during conference games (third for all games) for those listed at 6' 2" and under. He leads the Pac-12 in rebounding for all players listed at 6' 5" and under during conference play (second in overall games).

On the Pac-12 charts, Simpson is first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), second in 3-point percentage (.455), free throw shooting (.879) and assists, third in scoring and steals, ninth in minutes (33.9 mpg), 10th in defensive rebounds (4.7 drpg), 15th in overall shooting (.497), and 17th in overall rebounding.

Senior forward Tristan da Silva is second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg), field goals made (136), and 3-pointers (43) while ranking third in steals (27) and fourth in rebounding (5.4 rpg).

Da Silva matched a season-high 22 points against California while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists. It was his sixth 20-point game of the season and 18th of his career. Along with Simpson, it marked the sixth time this season the Buffaloes have had two players score at least 20 points in a game.

On the Pac-12 charts, da Silva ranks sixth in free throw percentage (.826), ninth in scoring, 12th in minutes (33.2 mpg), 15th in defensive rebounds (4.4 drpg), 19th in 3-point shooting (.368) and 20th in rebounds.

McDonald's All-American Cody Williams is third on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game while shooting a team-best 59.0 percent from the field. He had 18 points at UCLA leading the Buffaloes in scoring for the third time. Williams hit his first eight field goal attempts; finished 8-of-9 after missing a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer with the Bruins up by the final margin of four.

Williams had 14 points of 5 of 6 shooting at USC. Overall he has made 15 of 19 field goal attempts in his last three games (.789).

Senior J'Vonne Hadley averages 11.8 points per game while ranking second on the team in steals (31), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and shooting (.558).

Hadley just missed a second-straight double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds against Utah. He logged his second career NCAA Division I double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at USC. It was his fourth-career double-figure rebounding game.

Hadley saw a streak of 18 consecutive free throws made end at UCLA, but is still among in the elite in the Pac-12 in that category. He is third in the Pac-12 in conference games at 86.6 percent, hitting 58 of 67. Hadley made a career-best 8-for-8 against Arizona.

On the overall Pac-12 charts, he is seventh in free throw percentage (.835) and field goal shooting, 10th in minutes (33.3 mpg) and 13th in overall rebounding and in defensive boards (4.6 drpg).

Senior Eddie Lampkin, Jr., leads the Buffaloes and ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 7.0 per game. He had 12 points against California, hitting 6-of-11 from the field, and led the team in rebounding for the 15th time this season grabbing eight boards.

Lampkin has a team-best seventh double-doubles, 13 in his career adding his six at TCU. In all he has nine double-digit rebounding games for the Buffaloes.

On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Lampkin is also fourth in offensive rebounds (2.4 orpg), eighth in field goal percentage (.552) and 11th in defensive boards (4.6 drpg).

Junior Julian Hammond III is averaging 7.4 points and is fifth on the team in assists with 44. Hammond is ninth in the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage (.400). He has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

Senior Luke O'Brien is averaging 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He is third on the team in blocked shots with 11 and is fourth in steals (19) and fifth in rebounding. O'Brien had nine points and four rebounds at USC. His dunk with three seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime.

ABOUT THE CARDINAL: Stanford is 12-16 overall and in 10th place in the Pac-12 at 7-11. The Cardinal have lost their last five and seven of their last eight overall. Stanford averages 76.5 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. The Cardinal have the most 3-pointers in the Pac-12 at 9.1 made per game and rank second, behind Colorado, at 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, Stanford allows 76.9 points while opponents shoot 45.3 percent, ranking last in the Pac-12.

Junior forward Maxime Raynaud leads Stanford at 15.1 points per game and ranks third in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 9.6 per contest. Senior forward Brandon Angel is second on the team in both categories pitching in 13.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Graduate guard Michael Jones averages 10.9 points and has a team-best 53 3-point field goals. Fifth-year senior Spencer Jones, who missed the Utah game, averages 10.9 points and 4.0 rebounds with 45 3-point field goals.

SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 31st meeting between Colorado and Stanford with the Buffaloes holding a 19-11 advantage. Colorado has dominated the series in the Pac-12 era having won 16 of 20, including the last six. The Buffaloes have won 12 of 15 all-time meetings in Boulder, including the last eight.