On Sunday at 6:00 PM PT on FS1, Stanford men’s basketball will head to Boulder to face the Colorado Buffaloes. Stanford comes in at 12-16 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-12 while Colorado comes in at 19-9 overall and 10-7 in the Pac-12. This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
Last time out: On Thursday, Stanford fell to Utah by a final score of 90-68.
RECAP: Stanford MBB falls to Utah in Salt Lake City after slow start
On Colorado: The Buffaloes have had a solid season and are hoping to make the NCAA tournament. They have won three games in a row with wins over USC, Utah, and Cal. They are extremely tough to beat at home with a 15-1 record in Boulder this year. Their main issue is winning on the road where they are 2-7. Stanford actually has a better road record than them (3-7), just to give you some perspective. Oddly enough, the Buffs are 2-1 in games played on a neutral site, so it’s really the true road games that are their challenge. Fortunately for them, they’re at home today.
Junior guard K.J. Simpson continues to be the top player for the Buffs, averaging 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while senior forward Tristan da Silva is right behind him with 15.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Cody Williams (13.7 points), senior guard J’Vonne Hadley (11.8 points & 5.9 rebounds), and senior center Eddie Lampkin, Jr. (10.0 points & 7.0 rebounds) also are scoring in double figures on average. There is a lot of depth that the Buffs have.
As a team, the Buffs average 80.9 points per game on 49.6% shooting from the field, 39.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 78.9% shooting from the foul line. They average 37.5 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 6.2 steals, 2.3 blocks, and 13.1 turnovers per game. They also average a +7.6 rebound margin and a -1.8 turnover margin. Their opponents average 72.6 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field, 33.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.5% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is make sure they establish a good offensive flow immediately. What did them in at Utah was their slow start in the first half. They actually got into a decent flow in the second half, but it was that first half that did them in. If they get off to a good start in the first half and make some shots, they’ll at least give themselves a chance of winning.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is find other sources of scoring with Spencer Jones still out. Jones remains day-to-day with a wrist injury and will not play tonight. With him out, they need others to step up. Especially with the perimeter shooting.
Finally, Stanford needs to not allow Simpson or da Silva to go off. If one of those two guys scores 23+ points, Stanford will likely be doomed. They need to contain those guys as best they can and force others to play above their average level of play.
Prediction: With Spencer Jones out and Colorado being 15-1 at home, it’s tough to see Stanford winning this one. Especially since Stanford has lost five games in a row and is heading in the wrong direction. I got Colorado winning by a final score of 80-63.
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