Colorado University Athletics
MBB Travels to No. 3/3 Kansas, Saturday
at 3/3 Kansas Jayhawks (23-2, 8-2 Big 12)
Saturday, Feb. 16, 11:30 a.m. (mst.)
Arena: Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Television: ESPN Plus (Altitude Sports & Entertainment)
Announcers: Dave Armstrong, Stacey King
Radio: KKZN 760: Mark Johnson, Charles Johnson
Complete Notes located at the bottom
FOR STARTERS (individual): Marcus Hall has played three straight 40-minute games, spanning 148:12 consecutive minutes including the last 28:12 at Iowa State ? Richard Roby is 28 points from third place on CUGÇÖs all-time scoring list (Shaun Vandiver, 1876 pts., 1989-91) ? Roby ranks first all-time with 107 career starts ? In the last three games, Roby is averaging 21.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 18-of-31 (.581%), 19-of-23 (.826%); Hall: 14.7 ppg., 17-of-27 (.630); Cory Higgins: 10.3 ppg., 4.3 rpg. ? Hall ranks 23rd overall in CU scoring (1,027) and needs six points to move past Jim Creighton (1970-72) for 22nd ? Levi Knutson scored eight points off the bench vs. OU matching his Big 12 high set in home win over Nebraska ? Roby as netted eight 20-point games ? Dwight Thorne has started the last three games (5.3 ppg.) ? Higgins has led CU in assists seven times, rebounding four times ? Roby is averaging 18 ppg., 4.0 rpg. on 17-of-38 (.447) in three games at Allen Fieldhouse; last season he netted one of his six career 30-point games on Jan. 27, 2007 ? Higgins has 11 games with 10+ points, five or more rebounds, 10 times; three or more steals, five times ? Hall has a season-best 44 steals.
FOR STARTERS (team): In CUGÇÖs 10 wins they have shot .505 from the field, .716 at the FT line, out-rebounded the opponent 31.8-to-28.7, and are outscoring the opposition 68-9-to-53.2 ? The Buffs have lost 31-straight nationally ranked games away from Boulder, including 24 on the road, seven on neutral courts. Their last road win against a nationally ranked school came at No. 20 Texas Tech, 80-78, Jan. 11, 1997; last win over a top-10 opponent on the road: never ? The Buffs have surpassed last yearGÇÖs win total of seven with 10 wins this season ? CUGÇÖs 72 points scored in home win over Oklahoma was their most points in Big 12 play this year. CU shot 60.6 percent from the field, their second time over 60 percent in Big 12 play (61.7% at Texas A&M) ? For the first time in school history, CU beat both Oklahoma and Nebraska at home in football AND basketball in the same year ? In their two Big 12 wins, CU shot .481 percent from the field, .745 from the FT line and outscored oppt. 63.5-to-54.5 ? CU ranks 50th nationally in scoring defense (62.5).
CU vs. KU: The Jayhawks lead the head-to-head series, 114-39 and hold a commanding 57-7 advantage in Lawrence. The last time a CU team won at Allen Fieldhouse was Feb. 10, 1983 (75-74) a span of 25 games.
LAST TIME vs. KU: Back on Feb. 2, Richard Roby scored a game-high 22 points and Marcus Hall added 13, however second-ranked Kansas pulled away in the second half with 61 percent shooting from the from the field for a 72-59 victory. Darnell Jackson hit a team-high 18 points for the Jayhawks, with Brandon Rush adding 15 points and Sasha Kaun 12. KU trailed most of the first half and went into the locker room tied at 30 despite outrebounding the shorter Buffaloes 18-9 and outscoring Colorado 9-1 from the free throw line. But they held the Buffs scoreless for more than five minutes to start the second half and used an 8-0 run to take control.
LAST GAME REVIEW: Richard Roby and Marcus Hall each scored 19 points helping Colorado snap a six-game slide with a 72-58 win over Oklahoma last Saturday. The Buffaloes led by as many as 14 points early in the second half and then withstood a late Oklahoma charge, sending the Sooners to their third straight loss. Colorado hit 20-of-33 from the field (61%) while the Sooners managed 24-of-60 (40%). Hall played all 40 minutes for the sixth time this season. Roby has scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half and now has scored in double figures in 15 straight games.
SEASONED VETERAN: Aside from Hall and Roby dominating the headlines freshman Cory Higgins looks to have a bright future in black and gold. In his nine Big 12 games, Higgins ranks third in scoring 9.8 ppg., second in rebounding at 4.8 rpg., first from the free throw line (.793) and third in treys (11).
BIG 12 TOP-10: A number of CU players are ranked among the Big 12 elite players in various categories from all games played and conference-only.
All Games
Scoring Roby 4th 17.1 ppg.
Hall 17th 12.9 ppg.
Rebounding Roby 11th 6.4
FG% Roby 7th .506
Assists Hall 6th 3.78
Steals Hall 5th 1.91
Higgins 14th 1.35
FT % Roby 5th .786
3-pt. Made Hall 15th 1.70
Blocks King-Stockton 7th 1.24
Roby 14th 1.04
Def-Reb. Roby 9th 4.42
Asst.-Turn Ratio Hall 10th 1.64
Big 12-Only Games
Scoring Roby 2nd 17.8 ppg.
Hall 16th 12.9 ppg.
Rebounding Roby t-7th 7.0
FG % Hall 4th .558
Roby 5th .542
Assists Hall t-6th 3.44
FT % Higgins t-8th .793
Steals Higgins 9th 1.56
3-Pt. Made Roby t-12th 1.67
Hall t-12th 1.67
Blocks King-Stockton 3rd 1.67
Roby t-7th 1.33
Asst.-Turn Ratio Hall 8th 1.55
Def. Rebounds Roby 7th 5.56
HALL PASS: Senior Marcus Hall is making the most of his final season leading the team in assists with 87. With 382 assists. Hall is 24 from the top-five in school history passing the great Donnie Boyce (405, 1991-95). Hall also has a career-best 44 steals and 39 3-pointers.
Trends after 23 games
In Wins (10) In Losses (13)
PPG. 68.9 58.2
FG % 50.5% 41.4%
3-pt. FG % 38.3% 33.6%
FG made 24.3 20.3
FT% 71.6% 67.6%
Turnovers 13.4 13.7
Assist/TO Ratio +1.5 -1.4
Off. Rebounds 8.5 8.5
Def. Rebounds 23.3 19.2
Steals 7.8 5.2
Blocks 4.4 4.2
In 10 wins: Roby: 17.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg.,;
Hall: 14.4 ppg., 3.1 rpg., 3.4 apg.; Silas 10.7 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
4th all-time & CLIMBING: Richard Roby keeps moving up on the school scoring list with 1,849 points. He has eight, 20-point scoring efforts and stands 28 points from passing Shaun Vandiver. Vandiver played three years from 1989-91 scoring 1,876 points in 91 games (20.6 ppg.).
HALL or ROBY: Through 23 games, Richard Roby and Marcus Hall have led the majority of games in scoring. Roby has led 13 times (one shared), Hall eight times (one shared). Cory Higgins has done it in back-to-back games (at Texas A&M, Nebraska). Xavier Silas (24 pts. vs. Florida A&M) has performed it once. In his 13 games, Roby averages 20.4 ppg., while Hall is 18.0 ppg.
BUFFALO GOLD: CU will wear gold uniforms to accommodate KUGÇÖs blue retro uniforms on Saturday as the Jayhawks will be celebrating 120 years of basketball. On the season, CU is 1-3 wearing gold at home. Today will be the first time since Feb. 26, 2000 (69-64 loss at Nebraska) the Buffaloes will gold on the road.
FT SHOOTING: In recent years, CU was not a very good free throw shooting team. This year, the Buffaloes are shooting almost 70 percent (.694), a feat only accomplished once in the last 12 years (2000-01, .715).
IRON MAN: Marcus Hall has six games this season playing all 40 minutes. Hall ranks second in the Big 12 Conference behind Martin Zeno of Texas Tech, who has seven 40-minute games (4 conference and 3 non-conference). Hall has three straight Big 12 games and three straight non-conference games (at Air Force, Stanford, at Wyoming).
CU AOW: Richard Roby has four honors during the 2007-08 season tying him for fourth all-time in single-year Athlete of the Week honors. Roby has 11 honors his career. RobyGÇÖs 11 career honors moves him out of a tie with Shaun Vandiver for the most career honors for menGÇÖs basketball players and into a tie for second place on the all-time list with current track and cross country standout Jenny Barringer. Adam Goucher, a former track and cross country standout holds the record with 14.
GOOD HANDS: CU menGÇÖs basketball player Jermyl Jackson-Wilson was named one of 12 Big 12 Conference student-athletes to the 2007-08 Winter Sports Good Works Team. The Big 12 Conference selected a student-athlete for their recognition based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in a Big 12-sponsored sport. For the second year, the Big 12 has announced a 12-person Good Works Team for the fall (cross country, football, soccer, volleyball) and winter (basketball, gymnastics, swimming & diving, wrestling), and will release a squad in the spring (baseball, golf, softball, tennis, track & field).
BUFF BITS: Cory Higgins had a season-best five steals, four in the first half at Iowa State. His five steals were a CU high in the 12-year conference history vs. the Cyclones ? RobyGÇÖs season-best 14 rebounds against Mizzou tied his output of 14 boards earlier this season against New Orleans; his 13 defensive vs. Missouri was a career-high ? Richard Roby has tallied double-figures 21 of 23 games, Marcus Hall 17 of 23 games ? Hall, Higgins and Roby have started every game (23) ? Hall, Higgins, Knutson and Thorne II are the only players with more assists than turnovers.
CU During Big 12 Inception: After 23 games, CU not only has won more games this season than last, but their 3-point field goal percentage, free throw shooting and limiting their turnovers per game rank near the top over the last 12 years.
Year PPG FG % 3-Pt.% FT% To WGÇÖs
2007-08 63.4 .441 .370 .688 13.2 10
2006-07 69.1 .417 .313 .655 17.5 7
2005-06 76.8 .434 .342 .646 14.0 20
2004-05 71.6 .435 .353 .629 14.4 14
2003-04 74.2 .464 .372 .621 14.6 18
2002-03 75.2 .443 .326 .669 14.0 20
2001-02 79.7 .453 .357 .677 17.0 15
2000-01 80.6 .460 .359 .715 16.5 15
1999-00 75.2 .426 .339 .686 14.3 18
1998-99 73.1 .414 .344 .702 14.7 18
1997-98 71.4 .404 .346 .688 14.3 13
1996-97 73.1 .420 .362 .681 13.9 22
FOUR IN A ROW? - Richard Roby will be looking to become only the third player in school history to lead the team in scoring four consecutive seasons. From 2004-05 (16.0 ppg.), 2005-06 (17.0) through last year (17.3), Roby has made it three straight. Here are the others:
Donnie Boyce 1991-95 4-straight
Shawn Vandiver *1988-91 3-straight
Emmett Lewis 1975-79 4-straight
Cliff Meely *1968-71 3-straight
Pat Frink ^1964-65, GÇÖ66-68
(3 of 4 years)
* - Played only three years
^ - did not play 1965-66 season
3-Point Streak: Dating back to the 2001-02 season, CU has made a 3-pointer in 186 consecutive games. Last time they failed to make at least one trey was Jan. 16, 2002 against Iowa State in Boulder. The Buffs won 63-61.
REDSHIRT YEAR: Sophomore forward Jeremy Williams will be redshirted this season and will return next year with three full years of eligibility. He was academically ineligible for the fall semester. Williams averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rpg. last season with 18 starts.
FUN ?n Sun: For the next two seasons the Buffaloes will be making multiple trips to the Hawaiian Islands. Next season, CU will be making their first-ever trip to the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. In 2009-10, CU will play in the Maui Invitational. Hosted by Division II college Chaminade, and sponsored by EA Sports, the Buffaloes will be one of eight schools participating in the 26th edition of the tournament. Joining CU two years from now will be Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Maryland, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.
CU IN THE PRO WORLD: There is a number of CU basketball members with ties to the professional ranks. From head coach Jeff Bzdelik to the five student-athletes.
Coach Bzdelik: Head Coach of the Denver Nuggets (2002-05);
Casey Crawford: father, Steve played with the Boston Red Sox;
Cory Higgins: father, Rod played in the NBA from 1982-95, currently the general manager of the Charlotte Bobcats;
Richard Roby: half-brother of Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets);
Xavier Silas: father, James, played professionally for 10 years, eight years with the San Antonio Spurs;
Dwight Thorne II: cousin, Acie Law IV played for the Texas A&M Aggies and great uncle, Ernie Banks played with the Cubs.
TEAM BITS: CUGÇÖs 23 field goal attempts were the lowest this season for the Buffs. It is also the first time since the 1993 season that the Buffs have attempted less than 40 field goals, the previous time coming in a loss against Kansas (3/12/93). This ties the lowest field goals attempted came in a win of 62-69 over Nebraska on Jan. 21, 1981 ? Against KU, the Buffaloes converted a season-high nine 3-pointers. The pervious mark was eight three other occasions ? Since 1954-55, the Cyclones tied three others for fewest points scored in the first half against CU (15 points) ? CU committed a season-low 10 turnovers at Texas A&M and Nebraska ? CU shot a season-best 62 percent from the field at Texas A&M. ItGÇÖs the first time CU has shot over 60 percent since making .627 against Mercer in 2005-06, and .611 percent against a Big 12 foe since 2002-03 against Texas A&M. In the same game, the Buffs shot a school second-best from the field in the second half (.773) ? CUGÇÖs 16 rebounds at A&M were the fewest since grabbing 16 against Arkansas State, Mar. 21, 1991 (w, 81-75) ? The Buffs played with only seven players against SMU and Tulsa ? The Buffs victory at Moby Arena was CUGÇÖs first in four years and it snapped Colorado StateGÇÖs 24-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents ? CU shot a season-high 33 3-pointers at Wyoming, their most since attempting 34 at Nebraska (Feb. 22, 2006) ? For the first time since the 1998-99 season, CU won back-to-back road games (at Denver, at Air Force) ? The Buffs win at Air Force ended the FalconsGÇÖ 38-game home winning streak against non-conference foes ? DUGÇÖs 44 points were the fewest allowed by a CU team since a 71-44 win over Tennessee State on Dec. 19, 2003 ? CU won three straight games, twice for the first time since 2005-06 when they won nine and five straight games on two separate occasions.