Colorado University Athletics
No. 25 MBB Travels to Texas A&M on Wednesday
CU vs. TEXAS A&M: Colorado (15-4, 5-3 Big 12) has dominated the series with Texas A&M holding a 9-2 advantage. Ten of those games are Big 12 Conference match ups (exception was a NCAA Tournament game in 1969) where CU has won three of four in College Station. The Aggies won in Boulder last season stopping a five-game CU win streak. A&M has defeated CU once in College Station (Feb. 12, 2000), while the Buffs margin of victory in their last two games at Reed Arena is 5.5 points. Television: Fox Sports Net with announcers Greg Lucas, Jim Haller. KKZN Radio 760-AM: Mark Johnson and Charles Johnson.
QUICK HITS ON THE AGGIES: Since Texas A&M (13-7, 3-6 Big 12) started the nonconference season with an 10-1 record, the Aggies are 3-7 against the Big 12. A&M has lost three of its last four, however are 12-2 at home (29-5 in two years) with a pair of losses to Oklahoma (45-44) and Kansas (83-73). One interesting fact about A&M, they defeated Iowa State in Ames back on Jan. 21 in overtime (86-81).
TOP 25 RANKINGS: Believe it not, Colorado is still ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the second straight week. The back-to-back weekly ranking is the first since the 1996-97 season. This week the Buffs received 45 votes, while in the AP poll, received 24 votes (33rd overall). Prior to last week, CU last made either poll in 1997 at No. 24 (Associated Press). The others were 1969 (#18), 1963 (#10), 1962 (#9) and 1955 (#15).
BUFF TIDBITS: Richard Roby ranks first in Big 12 scoring (21.0 ppg.). He has led CU in scoring five of six games (23.2 ppg.) and ranks 37th on the schoolGÇÖs all-time scoring list with 823 pts. (16.8 in 49 games)...Chris Copeland is first in Big 12-only blocked shots (1.9). HeGÇÖs ninth at CU all-time in that category (82)...Andy Osborn has made at least one 3-pointer in 16-straight games (2.1 a game)...Marcus Hall leads the team in assists (4.1 apg.), Big 12 assist-turnover ratio (all games, 2.33) and is fourth in conference-only games (2.07). Hall is averaging 13.3 points, 4.8 assists in his last four...Martane Freeman is averaging 11.5 pts., four rebounds, 2.5 assists in his last two starts...Roby and Copeland are the only two players who have started all 19 games...CU has not had a double-digit rebounder since Julius Ashby and Marcus King-Stockton performed the same feat against Baylor (Jan. 18)...Calvin Williams scored a career-best seven points at Iowa State...TEAM: Conference-only stats, CU ranks first in blocks (7.0), offensive rebounds (16.8) and 3-pointers made (9.9)...CU opened Big 12 play with five wins in its first eight games. ItGÇÖs CUGÇÖs best start in conference since beginning 7-1 back in 1996-97.The last time CU won five consecutive conference games was 1996-97 (Jan. 4-18, 1997)...Buffs last won three road Big 12 games was 2003-04...CU has not lost back-to-back Big 12 games since doing it twice last season.
SHOOTING THE THREE: CU has made the 3-pointer as their preferred offensive weapon of choice with 10 or more treys in five of their last six games (only eight vs. K-State). The Buffaloes are inching closer to last yearGÇÖs school record of 223. Entering tonight, CU is 170-of-447; last year at this time they were 130-of-365!
BIG 12 START: Colorado has opened Big 12 play with five wins in its first eight games. ItGÇÖs CUGÇÖs best start in conference since beginning 7-1 back in 1996-97. TonightGÇÖs 15-4 start also matches the 1996-97 team after 19 games (15-4 record).
BIG 12 ROAD WINS: Richard Roby scored 27 points, including the decisive basket in overtime as CU beat Oklahoma State 80-78 (Jan. 21). It was the BuffaloesGÇÖ second Big 12 Conference road win of the season. CU hadnGÇÖt won at Gallagher-Iba Arena since Jan. 12, 1980, a stretch of 20 games. The Buffs also hadnGÇÖt won at Missouri since the 1996-97 season and only the second time in Columbia since Jan. 15, 1973 (32 games). Roby scored a career-best 33 points and Chris Copeland hit the last of CUGÇÖs season-best 13 3-pointers with two-tenths of a second to go, giving the Buffaloes a 74-71 victory.
REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE: Five Buffs are averaging at least four rebounds per game in conference play: Richard Roby (4.9), Julius Ashby (4.9), Chris Copeland (4.9), Calvin Williams (4.7), and Martane Freeman (4.0).
FREE THROW WOES: Excluding Baylor, who has played only eight games overall, means the Buffs are shooting a staggering .619 from the free throw line (last in the Big 12) in all games AND in all Big 12 games (including Baylor), CU is last at .589. Richard Roby is the lone CU player ranked among the top-15 individuals in the conference (14th at .704).
RAINING THREEGÇÖS: After topping the 40 percent mark for three-pointers twice in non-conference play (.533 at Penn; .632 vs. Mercer), the Buffs have shot over the mark in four of their seven conference games. CU has reached double-digit totals in three-point field goals made five games of their last six conference games. CU performed a school-first with four straight games with 10 or more since the introduction of the three-point line in the 1986-87 season.
TURNOVER BATTLE: The Buffs have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in six of eight conference games this season (the exceptions: CU 18, Iowa State 13; CU 12, Baylor 11. In 16 conference games last season?not including the tournament?the Buffs had fewer turnovers exactly half of the time. Surprisingly, CU was only 2-6 when turning the ball over less than the opponent.
ROBY?RHYMES WITH KOBE: Two-time Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Richard Roby had an impressive three-game stretch of his career (Jan. 18-25). His 81 points (27.0 ppg) is easily his best scoring output of his career over a three-game span. Just for kicks, hereGÇÖs how RobyGÇÖs numbers over the last three games stack up against Kobe BryantGÇÖs historic 81-point effort against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
MIN FG-A 3FG-A PTS R A S B
Kobe 42 28-46 7-13 81 6 2 3 1
Roby 99 31-62 11-23 81 17 6 8 5
HALL BALL: Junior Marcus Hall had perhaps his best game of the season against Oklahoma State (Jan. 21). His 16 points marked his third-highest total of the season (17 at TCU, 16 at Iowa State) and dished out six assists. Against Kansas State, Hall started with 12 points and season-best seven assists. Entering today, heGÇÖs 12th on CUGÇÖs all-time assist list (248).
THE STEAL CURTAIN: With a conference high 10 steals against the Cornhuskers, CUGÇÖs season total stands at 181. The single-season record is 285 by the 1994-95 Buffs, led by Keith Higgins (72) and Donnie Boyce (66). This season, the Buffs are on pace for 280, led by Roby (41) who has registered at least one steal in every game this season, capped by his six-steal performance against Oklahoma State. If he continues his 2.2 steals-per-game average, he will finish the season tied for seventh in single-season steals (66) and tied for fifth in steals per game.
"LS" INITIALS: If you notice the "LS" initials on each of the CU player uniforms thatGÇÖs in memory of senior walk-on Scott SengerGÇÖs mother, Linda died of cancer last July. Scott played at nearby Monarch High School where set the school record for 3-pointers made in a season and most points scored.
MAKING A RUN at TREY HISTORY: Most likely the CU menGÇÖs team will break the school record in treys made in a season. What about the Big 12 Conference record? HereGÇÖs a look at each year to see how far the Buffs need to go (i know itGÇÖs a little early to speculate):
2005-06: Colorado 170 (2nd in Big 12)
2004-05: Texas 243
2003-04: Texas 227
2002-03: Baylor 254
2001-02: Nebraska 267
2000-01: Missouri 279
1999-00: Missouri 291
1998-99: Oklahoma 274
1997-98: Baylor 217
1996-97: Baylor 227
CLEANING THE GLASS: Marcus King-Stockton (career-best 11) and Julius Ashby (season-high 10) performed a CU first this season and the first since last year at Iowa State (Jan. 22, 2005), two players with 10 or more rebounds. Against the Cyclones, Ashby grabbed 13 and Glean Eddy had 11 in CUGÇÖs 54-52 overtime win in Ames. A CU win in Ames since Feb. 19, 1991.
MORE BUFF Tidbits: Richard Roby has scored double figures in 21 of his 23 career conference games (the other two were nine points) ... Roby holds the top five of CUGÇÖs top scoring games this season (33, 30, 29, 27, 22) ... CU has played with a different starting line up five times (see page 5) ... Chris Copeland has 369 (41st) and Glean Eddy 366 career rebounds, 42nd all-time at CU ... Roby has led CU from the 3-point arc nine times this season (three shared) ... The Buffaloes have made 10 or more treys in nine games this season, including the last five of six games ... CU went 18+ minutes without committing a turnover in the second half against Kansas State (just had one in the second half), nine for the game, a Big 12 Conference low this season ... CUGÇÖs nine-game winning streak Nov. 26-Jan. 3) was the longest in school history since the 1961-62 season when the Buffaloes won 12-straight ... CU has made a 3-pointer in 124-straight games (last time CU they didnGÇÖt was Jan. 16, 2002, Iowa State, W, 63-61) ... Of the nine national categories kept by the NCAA, Roby leads CU in seven of them. The only exceptions are blocked shots (Copeland) and assists (Hall) ... Against OSU, Roby tied a CU record with six steals in a half (1st); his six steals also tied a CU conference high, a first for a CU player in the Big 12; And his six steals, tied five others as a sophomore best ... Roby collected his third career double-double versus Utah (19 pts., 10 rebs.) ... Andy Osborn recorded his second career double-double at CU, 17 pts., 10 rebounds against Cal Poly (four at Loyola Marymount) ... Roby failed to make a 3-pointer against SSU, ending his streak of 30 games going back to last season ... On page 9, a handful of CU players are moving upward on career school lists ... Seniors Chris Copeland, Glean Eddy, Antoine McGee, and Jayson Obazuaye close out their final year in 2005-06. ItGÇÖs also the first senior class under Head Coach Ricardo Patton that four players will have played their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years at CU.