Saturday, January 25
Tucson, Ariz.
1 p.m.
Colorado
at
Arizona
Buffs Return To Action Saturday At Arizona
January 24, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Game 19 - Arizona, Saturday, January 25, 2025
McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Tip: 1:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Pete Sousa, Corey Williams)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 390, SXM App 980
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/3PJYbXo
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-9 overall and 0-7 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to BYU, 83-67, on Jan. 21. The Buffaloes have dropped seven-straight and are 0-7 to begin conference play for the first time since 2016-17, when Colorado dropped its first seven Pac-12 games before rebounding to win eight of its last 11.
Colorado is averaging 73.3 points per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 72.2 points per game while opponents are shooting 42.8 percent.
The Buffaloes will be playing in their fourth true road game of the season and looking for their first win. Colorado is 1-5 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn.
The Buffaloes rank third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.763), sixth in rebounding defense (32.6 rpg), seventh in steals (7.9 spg) and defensive rebounds (26.0 drpg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.460).
HAMMOND TIME: Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 106th career game against BYU), leads Colorado at 13.7 points and 3.2 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals (32), is tied for the lead in steals (22) and is shooting 91.2 percent from the free throw line.
Hammond is second the Big 12 and ranks 13th the in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 52 of 57 on the season (.912) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond had 23 points against West Virginia, recording his fifth 20-point game of the season, second-straight and third in a five-game span. Â He shook off a scoreless outing at Arizona State, erupting for a career-high 26 points at UCF, hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line.
GRAND GRADS: As anticipated, Colorado's three graduate transfers, spanning all levels of collegiate basketball, have made immediate impacts for the Buffaloes.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.2 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (24) and is third in steals (19) and rebounding (4.4 rpg). He had 16 points at UCF, hitting 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. That performance pushed him over 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
Jakimovski averaged 11.3 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds at the Maui Invitational. He had Colorado's first double-double of the season, and the fifth of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. He also hit the eventual game-winning shot against the No. 2 ranked Huskies with under eight seconds remaining.
It was Jakimovski's eighth career double-figure rebounding game. One of his four previous double-doubles came against Colorado while he was at Washington State on Jan. 30, 2022.
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 60.6 percent (63-104) while averaging 9.6 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (12) and fourth in rebounding at 3.2 per game.
Malone had 15 points and a personal CU-high nine rebounds against South Dakota State. He hit 7 of 8 from the field, matching the team's best this season in terms of percentage (.875) with at least four field goals made.
Against Harvard, he went over the 2,000-point milestone for his collegiate career.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado and ranks 18th in the Big 12 in rebounding (5.9 rpg). He is tied for the team lead in steals (22) while ranking second in blocks (13) and overall shooting at 51.0 percent (53-104).
Baskin led Colorado at Arizona State with a personal CU-high 23 points on 9 of 14 from the field. He added a game-high 10 rebounds for his second CU double-double and 24th overall in his collegiate career. It was also his 24th collegiate 20-point scoring game.
Baskin flirted with a triple-double against Pacific, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. His seven assists were a team season-high and were an overall collegiate personal best (he had six in a game at New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 23, 2024).
SMITH FROM DEEP: Sophomore guard RJ Smith is averaging 6.5 points while shooting 47 percent from the field in his return to action after missing the final 30 games of 2023-24 with a leg injury.
Smith had a career-high 14 against Iowa State, on 5 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Against Bellarmine, Smith scored 11 points hitting 3 of 4 from 3-point range and led the Buffaloes in rebounding for the first time in his career, finishing with five. Against South Dakota State, he was 4 of 6 from the field including 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Smith, shooting a team-best 46.2 percent overall from long range (24-52), had a career-best eight rebounds at UCF.
In Maui, Smith averaged 5.3 points and was second on the team in assists with eight. He had eight points hitting a perfect 3 of 3 from the field against UConn.
DIOP A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sophomore forward Assane Diop registered his third career double-figure scoring game pitching in 13 points against West Virginia hitting 3 of 4 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. Diop is 11th in the Big 12 in free throw shooting during league-only games at 84.0 percent (21 of 25). He's 19 of 23 from the line in the last five games alone after having only 16 attempts over his first 13 games. Overall on the season he  has made 32 of 39 attempts from the line (.821).
Diop led Colorado in scoring for the first time with a career-best 15 points on 7 of 11 from the field in the win over Bellarmine. He ranks second on the team in rebounding at 4.6 per game.
BD's BIG DAY: Sophomore forward Bangot Dak had a career-night against Cincinnati with 19 points, eight blocks and eight rebounds. He recorded career highs in points, blocks, 3-point field goals (2) and overall field goal attempts (13) while matching personal bests in rebounds and field goals made (7).
His eight blocks are the third-most in a single game since the stat became official in 1977-78.
CU Single Game Blocks
11, David Harrison vs. Nebraska, March 8, 2003
10, David Harrison vs. Stetson, Nov. 24, 2002
8, Bangot Dak vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 15, 2025
7, eight times, last by Wesley Gordon vs. Nicholls, Dec. 18, 2015
Dak is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and is tied for fourth in league only games (2.0 bpg).
Dak had 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting with five rebounds at Oklahoma State. He led Colorado in scoring for the second-straight game. Recorded his fourth career double-figure scoring game, including two-straight and three in the last four contests. He is averaging 10.6 points while hitting 65.5 percent over the last five games (19 of 29)
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Arizona is 12-6 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 at 6-1. The Wildcats have won eight of their last nine overall and have an 8-1 record at home this season. Arizona averages 82.9 points shooting 48.3 percent from the field ranking second and third in the Big 12 respectively. The Wildcats allow 69.2 points while opponents shoot 40 percent from the floor. Arizona is the second-best rebounding team in the conference averaging 40.0 per game.
Guard Caleb Love leads Arizona at 15.6 points per game, ranking second on the team in assists (53) and steals (25). Jaden Bradley 11.7 points with a team-high 34 steals. KJ Lewis averages 10.0 points on 48.4 percent shooting.
Tommy Lloyd is in his fourth season as the head coach of Arizona with a record of 100-26.
THE SERIES: This will be the 43rd meeting between Colorado and Arizona with the Wildcats holding a 26-16 series lead. The Wildcats have won the last four in the series including a 99-79 decision in Boulder on Feb. 10, 2024. Arizona holds a 15-3 all-time lead in Tucson. The Buffaloes last win at Arizona came on Dec. 20, 1965.
In the Pac-12 era, the teams met 29 times with the Wildcats holding a 21-8 edge. Only 10 of those games were in Boulder, where CU has a 7-3 advantage. The teams met 12 times in Tucson during that span (Arizona 12-0) and seven times in a neutral setting at the Pac-12 Tournament (Arizona 6-1).
McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Tip: 1:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Pete Sousa, Corey Williams)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 390, SXM App 980
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/3PJYbXo
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-9 overall and 0-7 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to BYU, 83-67, on Jan. 21. The Buffaloes have dropped seven-straight and are 0-7 to begin conference play for the first time since 2016-17, when Colorado dropped its first seven Pac-12 games before rebounding to win eight of its last 11.
Colorado is averaging 73.3 points per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 72.2 points per game while opponents are shooting 42.8 percent.
The Buffaloes will be playing in their fourth true road game of the season and looking for their first win. Colorado is 1-5 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn.
The Buffaloes rank third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.763), sixth in rebounding defense (32.6 rpg), seventh in steals (7.9 spg) and defensive rebounds (26.0 drpg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.460).
HAMMOND TIME: Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 106th career game against BYU), leads Colorado at 13.7 points and 3.2 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals (32), is tied for the lead in steals (22) and is shooting 91.2 percent from the free throw line.
Hammond is second the Big 12 and ranks 13th the in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 52 of 57 on the season (.912) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond had 23 points against West Virginia, recording his fifth 20-point game of the season, second-straight and third in a five-game span. Â He shook off a scoreless outing at Arizona State, erupting for a career-high 26 points at UCF, hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line.
GRAND GRADS: As anticipated, Colorado's three graduate transfers, spanning all levels of collegiate basketball, have made immediate impacts for the Buffaloes.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.2 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (24) and is third in steals (19) and rebounding (4.4 rpg). He had 16 points at UCF, hitting 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. That performance pushed him over 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
Jakimovski averaged 11.3 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds at the Maui Invitational. He had Colorado's first double-double of the season, and the fifth of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. He also hit the eventual game-winning shot against the No. 2 ranked Huskies with under eight seconds remaining.
It was Jakimovski's eighth career double-figure rebounding game. One of his four previous double-doubles came against Colorado while he was at Washington State on Jan. 30, 2022.
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 60.6 percent (63-104) while averaging 9.6 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (12) and fourth in rebounding at 3.2 per game.
Malone had 15 points and a personal CU-high nine rebounds against South Dakota State. He hit 7 of 8 from the field, matching the team's best this season in terms of percentage (.875) with at least four field goals made.
Against Harvard, he went over the 2,000-point milestone for his collegiate career.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado and ranks 18th in the Big 12 in rebounding (5.9 rpg). He is tied for the team lead in steals (22) while ranking second in blocks (13) and overall shooting at 51.0 percent (53-104).
Baskin led Colorado at Arizona State with a personal CU-high 23 points on 9 of 14 from the field. He added a game-high 10 rebounds for his second CU double-double and 24th overall in his collegiate career. It was also his 24th collegiate 20-point scoring game.
Baskin flirted with a triple-double against Pacific, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. His seven assists were a team season-high and were an overall collegiate personal best (he had six in a game at New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 23, 2024).
SMITH FROM DEEP: Sophomore guard RJ Smith is averaging 6.5 points while shooting 47 percent from the field in his return to action after missing the final 30 games of 2023-24 with a leg injury.
Smith had a career-high 14 against Iowa State, on 5 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Against Bellarmine, Smith scored 11 points hitting 3 of 4 from 3-point range and led the Buffaloes in rebounding for the first time in his career, finishing with five. Against South Dakota State, he was 4 of 6 from the field including 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Smith, shooting a team-best 46.2 percent overall from long range (24-52), had a career-best eight rebounds at UCF.
In Maui, Smith averaged 5.3 points and was second on the team in assists with eight. He had eight points hitting a perfect 3 of 3 from the field against UConn.
DIOP A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sophomore forward Assane Diop registered his third career double-figure scoring game pitching in 13 points against West Virginia hitting 3 of 4 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. Diop is 11th in the Big 12 in free throw shooting during league-only games at 84.0 percent (21 of 25). He's 19 of 23 from the line in the last five games alone after having only 16 attempts over his first 13 games. Overall on the season he  has made 32 of 39 attempts from the line (.821).
Diop led Colorado in scoring for the first time with a career-best 15 points on 7 of 11 from the field in the win over Bellarmine. He ranks second on the team in rebounding at 4.6 per game.
BD's BIG DAY: Sophomore forward Bangot Dak had a career-night against Cincinnati with 19 points, eight blocks and eight rebounds. He recorded career highs in points, blocks, 3-point field goals (2) and overall field goal attempts (13) while matching personal bests in rebounds and field goals made (7).
His eight blocks are the third-most in a single game since the stat became official in 1977-78.
CU Single Game Blocks
11, David Harrison vs. Nebraska, March 8, 2003
10, David Harrison vs. Stetson, Nov. 24, 2002
8, Bangot Dak vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 15, 2025
7, eight times, last by Wesley Gordon vs. Nicholls, Dec. 18, 2015
Dak is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and is tied for fourth in league only games (2.0 bpg).
Dak had 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting with five rebounds at Oklahoma State. He led Colorado in scoring for the second-straight game. Recorded his fourth career double-figure scoring game, including two-straight and three in the last four contests. He is averaging 10.6 points while hitting 65.5 percent over the last five games (19 of 29)
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Arizona is 12-6 overall and tied for second in the Big 12 at 6-1. The Wildcats have won eight of their last nine overall and have an 8-1 record at home this season. Arizona averages 82.9 points shooting 48.3 percent from the field ranking second and third in the Big 12 respectively. The Wildcats allow 69.2 points while opponents shoot 40 percent from the floor. Arizona is the second-best rebounding team in the conference averaging 40.0 per game.
Guard Caleb Love leads Arizona at 15.6 points per game, ranking second on the team in assists (53) and steals (25). Jaden Bradley 11.7 points with a team-high 34 steals. KJ Lewis averages 10.0 points on 48.4 percent shooting.
Tommy Lloyd is in his fourth season as the head coach of Arizona with a record of 100-26.
THE SERIES: This will be the 43rd meeting between Colorado and Arizona with the Wildcats holding a 26-16 series lead. The Wildcats have won the last four in the series including a 99-79 decision in Boulder on Feb. 10, 2024. Arizona holds a 15-3 all-time lead in Tucson. The Buffaloes last win at Arizona came on Dec. 20, 1965.
In the Pac-12 era, the teams met 29 times with the Wildcats holding a 21-8 edge. Only 10 of those games were in Boulder, where CU has a 7-3 advantage. The teams met 12 times in Tucson during that span (Arizona 12-0) and seven times in a neutral setting at the Pac-12 Tournament (Arizona 6-1).
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