FOR STARTERS: CU enters today’s game 0-3 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when they started 0-4.
CU vs. iowa state: CU (4-9, 0-3 Big 12) and Iowa State have split their last 10 meetings since 2002, including a 4-1 record by the Buffaloes in Boulder. Coach Patton teams are 10-13 (.435) against the Cyclones and are 8-3 (.727) at home. CU escaped with an 84-82 winner last year with 24 points from Richard Roby. ISU last won at the Events Center on March 5, 2005 (78-73). In two home games against ISU, Richard Roby is averaging 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 blocks. He’s also 10-for-29 from the field (.345) and 11-for-12 FT (.917).
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES: Iowa State comes to Boulder with an 11-6 record and a 2-1 mark in the Big 12. ISU edged Missouri (66-65, Jan. 6) on the road, defeated Nebraska (71-62, Jan. 10) at home and lost in overtime at home to Kansas, 68-64 on Saturday. The Cyclones are 2-3 on the road and average 11 points in their six losses. The Cyclones are led by Mike Taylor (16.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 4.4 apg.), who averaged 21.5 points as Iowa State split two games last week. The junior guard poured in 22 points behind a 6-for-10 effort from 3-point range as the Cyclones defeated Nebraska, 71-62. He followed with 21 points against No. 6 Kansas. He connected on 10 shots from 3-point range in the two games, with nine assists and three steals. He also had eight rebounds for the week. The two scoring outputs were his fifth and sixth 20-point games of the season. This is Taylor’s third newcomer honor and fourth for the Cyclones this season (Wesley Johnson, Jan. 8).
BROADCAST: Tonight’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. All Colorado men’s basketball regular and post season games are broadcast live on KKZN AM 760, Boulder’s Progressive Talk station. Mark Johnson will handle play-by-play duties and is joined by Charles Johnson with the color commentary. Tonight’s game will be broadcast live in its entirety on KVCU AM 1190 and will be joined in progress on KKZN at the conclusion of the CU women’s game at Texas A&M (6 p.m.)
LAST TIME OUT: Joseph Jones scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds as No. 8 Texas A&M beat Colorado 87-69 on Saturday night for its eighth straight victory. The Aggies (15-2, 3-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since opening 16-2 in 1959-60. The last time Texas A&M started 3-0 in league play was 1993-94 when it was a member of the Southwest Conference.
Acie Law had 21 points for the Aggies, Josh Carter scored 19 before fouling out late, and Antanas Kavaliauskas finished with 15. Colorado was led by Dominique Coleman with 17 points. He also had a career-best 13 rebounds. The Buffaloes became the first team to score more than 65 points against the Aggies, who came in allowing the third-fewest points per game in the country (52.7). The Buffaloes were as close as 57-56 with less than 10 minutes remaining ? and had several chances to take the lead ? but couldn’t capitalize. The Aggies put CU away with a 19-3 run as the Buffaloes went more than three minutes without a basket. Richard Roby scored 11 points, his 10th straight game in double figures. He came in averaging 25 points in Big 12 play.
AT HOME vs. RANKED OPPONENTS: Since the 2002-03 season, CU has defeated at least one ranked opponent at the Coors Events Center. So far, they 0-1 this season (No. 8/9 Texas A&M) with ranked opponents Oklahoma State and Kansas looming on the schedule. Last season, it was No. 18/19 Oklahoma, 84-75(Feb. 15). In 2004-05, the Buffs defeated No. 23/22 Texas, 88-79. In 2003-04 it was No. 22/23 Texas Tech and during the last NCAA Tournament team in 2002-03, it was four opponents, including No. 3 Texas and No. 6 Kansas.
INJURY LIst UPDATE: Freshman center Marc Van Burck is currently back as a reserve after suffering a right foot stress fracture. He was active for the Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas and Central Florida games, but did not play. He has not played in a game since the season opener against Denver (Nov. 10). Freshman walk-on Trent Beckley will play tonight after missing four games with a left Achilles tendon strain.
GETTING CLOSE: Richard Roby is nearing the school’s top-10 field goals attempts list. Entering tonight’s game, Roby has 1,012 attempts nearing the 10th spot held by Jay Humphries (1980-84) with 1,058. As for field goals made, Roby is a bit behind Scott Wedman’s 10th place of 516. Roby has 422 field goals made.
“X” Marks The Spot: Xavier Silas is averaging almost 30 minutes a game (29.8). He’s averaging 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. With seven straight starts, Silas leads all freshman in minutes (387) and ranks second behind Roby in that category. Silas’ season high in points is 19 points against Pepperdine (Dec. 4) and seven rebounds against Central Florida (Jan. 3). He also scored 17 points against Texas (Jan. 6).
SCORING 60 points or less: Four of CU’s 13 games have resulted in scoring 60 points or less, a first in the 11 years under coach Patton.
HOW ABOUT 59 PTS. or less?: That’s happened three times this season (46 vs. Air Force; 54 at Oklahoma; 55 at UNC Wilmington). When CU flirts with 59 points or lower they are 1-34 in the last 11 plus years under coach Patton [scoring 30-39 (0-1), 40-49 points (0-3), 50-59 points (1-31)]. The lone win came at Iowa State, 54-52 (OT), the Buffs first win in Ames since Feb. 19, 1991 (14 games).
NO 3-POINT THREAT: After setting the 3-point school record last season with 240, CU is shooting a conference low .280 percent (72-for-257) from the 3-point arc in 13 games. At this pace CU is averaging 5.5 treys a game good enough for 142 3-pointers, their lowest since the 1993-94 season when they made 88. CU has made a 3-pointer in 149 straight games (Jan. 16, 2002 vs. Iowa State)
3-Point Totals this season:
vs. Denver 5-for-21 (.238)
at New Mexico 6-for-31 (.194)
vs. Air Force 2-for-17 (.118)
at Utah 8-for-18 (.444)
vs. Wyoming 4-for-19 (.211)
at UNCW 4-for-19 (.211)
NORTHERN COL. 5-for-17 (.294)
PEPPERDINE 7-for-23 (.304)
COLORADO ST. 9-for-21 (.429)
C. FLORIDA 6-for-15 (.400)
TEXAS 10-for-26 (.385)
at OU 4-for-18 (.222)
TEXAS &AM 2-for-12 (.167)
BUFF BITS: CU has five double-doubles this season: Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (2), Dominique Coleman (2), Richard Roby (1) ... Roby has led the team in scoring eight times, including one shared and has scored double figures in 12 of 13 games ... Kal Bay notched career-bests in vs. Central Florida: 21 pts., five three-pointers, three steals ... Coleman recorded his first of two double-doubles (Pepperdine 12 points, 10 rebounds) ... Roby is 16th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,230 points ... Dwight Thorne handed-out a season-best five assists vs. Pepperdine ... Roby’s 32 points were the most since he scored 33 vs. Nebraska (back on Jan. 14). TEAM: CU fell to 1-6 at home in Big 12 openers ... First time CU opened the Big 12 Conference season with three straight opponents (Texas, OU, A&M) who made NCAA Tournament a year ago ... CU’s 0-2 start in conference play third straight season and eighth time in Patton’s 11 years ... CU 10-14 at home against ranked opponents since 1996 ... Twice this season CU has allowed 100 points (at New Mexico and Texas). The last time the opponent scored 100+three times in a season was 2001-02 (KU twice, Texas) ... CU is 0-8 when trailing at the half and 2-55 when trailing by 10 or more half (0-3 this season) ... CU shot a season-best .529 from the field (27-of-51), a school-best since shooting .577 against Savannah State in 2005-06 ... Against UCF, both teams combined for 55 free throws made breaking the Coors Events Center record of 53 ... CU’s 36 made free throws against UCF are the most since making 36 back on Feb. 22, 1997 (Missouri) ... Buffs suffered four non-conference home losses this season, a school-first since 1975-76.
