The No. 10 Oregon Ducks (19-2, 8-0 Pac-12) are in Boulder tonight for a showdown with the Colorado Buffaloes (11-10, 1-8 Pac-12). The Buffs are off to a surprisingly good start, holding their own against the highly ranked Ducks and maintaining a tight 35-34 lead at the half.
The game got off to a messy start for both squads as the first few minutes featured the Ducks and Buffs trading misses and turnovers.
From there, it suddenly became a three-point shootout as Buffaloes’ senior guard/forward Xavier Johnson and junior guards George King and Dom Collier absolutely exploded, nailing a combined four shots from behind the arc in the span of one minute. Oregon responded with some big threes of its own from Tyler Dorsey and Chris Boucher, but the Ducks still found themselves down 16-11 with 14 minutes remaining in the half.
Continuing to shoot well, the Buffs managed to keep a lead on the Ducks even as Oregon took advantage of some wide open shots. Turnovers were ultimately the biggest problem for both teams as each squad recorded 11 apiece in the first half.
Oregon fought back, ultimately taking a 34-33 lead off a vicious dunk by Boucher. A layup from junior forward Tory Miller and a couple of turnovers from Dorsey allowed the Buffs to finish with the lead at the buzzer, though.
Both teams are shooting around 45 percent from the field but CU has made the difference with a near 46 percent conversion rate from behind the arc compared to Oregon’s mark of about 36 percent. Good free throw shooting has also helped Colorado, as they’ve made 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Derrick White and King lead the Buffs with six points each.
The CU Independent will have a full game report after the game ends.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Kyle Rini at kyle.rini@colorado.edu.
