Colorado University Athletics
MBB HOSTS IN-STATE RIVAL COLORADO STATE
BOULDER ? The University of Colorado men’s basketball team begins its holiday homestand with four consecutive games during an 11-day span beginning with in-state rival Colorado State, Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Coors Events Center. Tip-off is 7:07 p.m. and the game will be a Fox Sports Net broadcast.
After the Rams visit Boulder, CU will entertain UMKC (Dec. 21, 7 p.m., FSN), Radford (Dec. 23) and Gardner-Webb (Dec. 28) before closing out the non-conference season at 2003-04 NCAA Tournament participants Utah (Dec. 30, FSN) and Richmond (Jan. 4). The Big 12 Conference season will begin at Oklahoma on Jan. 8 (ESPN Plus).
There’s a little bit of history involved with the Rams every other visit to Boulder:
- CSU is 0-12 in their last 12 meetings (47 years) in Boulder;
- their last win was Dec. 2, 1957 (64-55);
- CU holds a commanding series lead (85-31); and a more impressive record at home (50-6).
Also, CU has won the last four in a row against CSU, the longest streak since the Buffaloes won five in a row from 1979-1983.
And more stat, CU head coach Ricardo Patton is 6-3 against the Rams since 1996-97 with a perfect 4-0 mark at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffaloes are 3-2 on the season and are coming off a 63-60 road win at California. CU is led in the scoring column by freshman guard Richard Roby with a 14.8 clip. Marcus Hall is second with 13.8 points per game, followed by Julius Ashby (11.2), Chris Copland (11.2) and Jayson Obazuaye (10.6).
Ashby also leads the team in rebounds (9.6) and blocked shots (2.4), while Hall averages 3.4 assists. Copeland leads from the 3-point arc (10) and Roby is second on the boards (6.6) and first in steals (2.4).
Colorado State is 5-3 with all three losses on the road (IUPUI, Auburn, Purdue), an average margin of only 4.7 points. Senior forward Matt Williams leads the team in scoring (14.1 ppg.) and rebounds (6.1 rpg.), while senior center Matt Nelson averages 11.9 points off the bench. Freshman forward Jason Smith rounds out the scoring in a reserve role averaging 10 points a game.
CU will also be without the play of junior forward Andy Osborn, who suffered a mid-foot sprain at a Dec. 2 practice. Osborn will miss his third straight game after tearing a ligament between the first and second metatarsal in his left foot. He is listed as day-to-day.