Colorado-Norfolk State Notes
CU advances to the 2019 NIT quarterfinals: will play at Texas in Austin on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MDT (ESPN2) … The Buffaloes now lead the series by a 2-0 count (the other game was a 67-56 win in 1997); CU also improved to 13-0 against teams from the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) … Colorado ended 15-2 at home; Norfolk State was 9-8 on the road … Game time was 2:00, tonight’s attendance was 5,819 … CU is now 13-9 all-time in NIT tournament games (5-2 under Tad Boyle); CU is now 3-1 in NIT second round games, thus reaching the quarterfinals for the third time in the current format … Counting all postseason tournaments, this was CU’s 50th postseason victory (50-68) … CU’s 43 first half points were its second-most in a first half this season (most: 45 in the opener versus Drake), and were tied for the fifth-most in a first half against NSU this season (and just the eighth 40-point first half the Spartans allowed in 2018-19) … CU’s 20-point halftime lead (43-23) was its best since owning a 40-17 edge over Oregon in Boulder (Feb. 2) … CU had 13 assists in the first half alone (averaged 13.4 per game coming in … CU led for just 15:18 in its win over Dayton last Tuesday; tonight it scored first and led for 38:47 as there were no ties or lead changes … Colorado is now 18-3 when leading at the half, 15-3 when the opponent is held to fewer than 70 points, 19-3 when outshooting the enemy and 21-4 when holding the edge in rebounds … Celebrity Sightings: CU tailback alums Phillip Lindsay (’17) and Kyle Evans (’18) were in attendance.
GAME FLOW NOTES
-Tyler Bey scored eight of CU’s first 11 points as the Buffs built an 11-6 lead with NSU opening 3-of-10 from the field.
-CU committed four turnovers (leading to four points) before NSU had its first, which came on an offensive foul with 6:45 left in the first half.
-Shane Gatling’s 3-pointer at the 8:02 mark of the first half gave CU a 28-17 lead; the most that NSU trailed Alabama by was 10 late in the first half in its first round game.
-Colorado built its big lead at 32-17 with an 11-0 run over 6:37 in the first half; the streak ended with a Joe Bryant free throw at the 4:13 mark; NSU was 0-of-10 from the field during the run (and would go 0-for-11 before making its next basket).
-In the first half, CU scored consecutively seven times (meaning no points by NSU), while Norfolk did it just once.
NSU opened the second half with a 11-2 run to cut the lead to 45-34, and then closed as close as nine (48-39) before CU responded with a 14-3 run to building the lead back up to 20 (62-42) with 8:10 remaining.
-NSU’s Derrik Jamerson came into the game as the NCAA leader in 3-point percentage (51.4; 92-of-179); he was 0-of-6 tonight.
-NSU came in making 74.0 percent of its free throws, but was just 10-of-21 this evening.
-CUs largest lead of 21 points (69-48) almost equaled the margin of NSU’s last four losses (23 points) dating back to December.
FREE THROW BUFFS Colorado has made 84-of-104 free throws in its five postseason games (.808) and has made 121-of-148 over its last seven games (.818).
INCHING CLOSER TO 200 With this win, CU head coach Tad Boyle is now 189-122 in nine seasons at the reins of the program. When including a 56-66 record in 122 games/four seasons at Northern Colorado, tonight was his 433rd game as a collegiate head coach (245-188).
FEBRUARY/MARCH Colorado is now 12-3 in February (5-2) and March (7-1), its most-ever wins in the months combined. A look at the most victories in FEB-MAR in school history:
12-3 2018-19 (5-2, 7-1) 10-5 2011-12 (5-2, 5-3)
10-2 1954-55 (6-1, 4-1) 10-6 2010-11 (4-3, 6-3)
10-2 1961-62 (7-0, 3-2) 9-0 1928-29 (8-0, 1-0)
MOST WINS / SEASON Colorado is enjoying its 10th 20-win season in its history (six under Boyle). A look at these 10 seasons:
24-12 2010-11 (3-1 NIT) 22-12 2015-16 (0-1 NCAA)
24-14 2011-12 (1-1 NCAA) 21- 7 1968-69 (1-1 NCAA)
23-12 2013-14 (0-1 NCAA) 21-12 2012-13 (0-1 NCAA)
23-12 2018-19 (2-0 NIT) 20-10 2005-06 (0-1 NIT)
22-10 1996-97 (1-1 NCAA) 20-12 2002-03 (0-1 NCAA)
BEST HOME RECORD / FOUR-SEASON SPANS Colorado finished 15-2 at home this year and when looking back over the last four seasons, the Buffaloes have posted their third-best record ever over four-year span with a minimum 50 games:
TYLER BEY (17 PTS, 9 REB) His second rebound of the game was the 500th of his career, the 30th Buffalo to reach that number
—Bey now has 343 rebounds this season, passing Cliff Meely (337, 1968-69) into fourth for the most in a single CU season.
EVAN BATTEY (12 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK) He had seven boards in the first half (after just three in the last two games combined) and went on to finish with his first career double-double..
McKINLEY WRIGHT (6 PTS, 6 AST) With six assists, it gives him 339 for his career moving him into ninth as he passed Gordon Tope and Askia Booker (both had 334).