(Since the cubuffs article linked to and quoted below is combining all 3 games in its preview, figured I'd do the same for this thread.)
The Buffs head to Arizona and then, hopefully, Los Angeles for a tough (re-)scheduled start of the Pac 12 portion of their season- facing off against the Wildcats, Trojans and then Bruins over a six day span (assuming all the games go off as planned). (Per a tweet I saw, the Buffs are now in Arizona, so they're farther along than their previously scheduled 12/2 conference opener against Arizona that was postponed right before CU was set to take off.)
The Arizona and UCLA games are scheduled to be on the Pac 12 Networks, while the USC tilt is scheduled for ESPN2. (More detail in the media section near the bottom of this post. EDIT- on game day, it was announced the USC game has been moved to ESPN from ESPN2, and is now going to start at 8:00 PM MT instead of the originally scheduled 7:00.)
Go Buffs!!!
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Preview-
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2020/12/26...-12-play-with-tough-three-game-road-trip.aspx
"
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes' schedule takes a hard left turn into serious territory beginning this week.
After wrapping up an abbreviated non-conference slate last week, the 6-1 Buffs will open Pac-12 play with three games in six days — all on the road — beginning with a 7:30 p.m. game Monday at Arizona (Pac-12 Network). That will be followed by a weekend trip to Los Angeles that will see CU play at USC on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN2) before a Saturday contest at UCLA (6 p.m., Pac-12).
If that's not a difficult enough start to the league season, the Buffs will get no break when they finally open the home portion of their schedule. First on the list is a Jan. 7 meeting with 25th-ranked Oregon (9 p.m., FS1), the only Pac-12 team to be included in the most-recent Associated Press top 25.
...
SCOUTING REPORTS:
ARIZONA (6-1 overall, 0-1 Pac-12): Truth is, Boyle and the Buffs would have probably much rather played the game when originally scheduled. This is a relatively inexperienced Arizona team that lost three players in the NBA Draft, including two first rounders, and has been slow to round into shape.
The Wildcats' only loss thus far is a 78-75 defeat at the hands of Stanford on a neutral floor that ended UA's 20-game win streak over the Cardinal. But Arizona also struggled to collect home wins over Eastern Washington (70-67) and Montana (70-64), programs the Wildcats would normally steamroll in the preseason.
But, as Boyle noted, Sean Miller's teams almost always improve as the season progresses, and it's not as if the Wildcats are bereft of talent. Junior guard Jemari Baker, a transfer from Kentucky, has stepped into a starting role and is averaging 15.4 points per game while fellow guard James Akinjo (a transfer from Georgetown) is averaging 13.4 points and just under five assists per game.
The Buffs lost at Arizona, 75-54, in their only meeting last season,
USC (4-1 overall, 0-0 Pac-12): The Trojans haven't played since Dec. 8, as they have had their last four games either postponed or canceled due to Covid-19 issues (two of the four were Pac-12 contests).
They should get one more warmup before they host the Buffs, as they are scheduled to host Santa Clara on Tuesday.
This is another program that lost some talent to the draft and/or graduation, including a first-round pick. But Andy Enfield's roster still has plenty of talent, beginning with the Mobley brothers, Evan and Isaiah.
Evan, a 7-foot, 215-pound freshman, leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (3 bpg). Isaiah, a 6-10, 235-pound sophomore, is averaging 9.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Trojans also have a quality backcourt, led by grad transfer Tahj Eaddy, who is averaging 11.0 points and also leads the team in assists at just under three per game.
Colorado swept USC last year, getting a 78-57 win in LA, then holding on for a 70-66 victory in Boulder.
UCLA (5-2 overall, 1-0 Pac 12; receiving votes in AP and coaches poll): Picked to win the Pac-12 by the media in the preseason poll, Mick Cronin's Bruins struggled early. They were smacked by San Diego State, 73-58, in the season opener, and struggled past Pepperdine, needing three overtimes. But their only other loss thus far was a respectable 77-70 defeat at the hands of No. 20 Ohio State, and their wins include Cal and San Diego.
Cronin has quickly turned what was seen as a soft program under the previous regime into a tough-minded, hard-nosed bunch. The Bruins are led by sophomore wing Jaime Jaquez, who is averaging 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, with 6-9 guard Chris Smith averaging a team-leading 6.7 rebounds along with 12.1 points. CU fans will remember Smith for his career-high 30 point effort in a win over Colorado in Loss Angeles last season. Point guard Tyger Campbell, meanwhile, is averaging nearly seven assists per game along with 11.1 points.
Defensively, the Bruins are holding opponents to less than 68 points per game while boasting a 3-point defense that is limiting the opponent to just .287 shooting from long range.
While the Buffs don't need any extra motivation for the game, they will no doubt remember last season's Bruins sweep, which came on the heels of Colorado sweeping UCLA in each of the previous two seasons.
But what stands out most about last season's series is UCLA's 70-63 victory in Boulder. The Buffs — ranked No. 18 at the time — held a nine-point lead over the Bruins with less than 13 minutes to play, but couldn't protect the lead down the stretch and lost.
The Buffs didn't win again the rest of the season, as the loss marked the beginning of a five-game losing streak down the stretch of the season — a streak that stuck with Colorado the entire offseason after the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
"
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A little more on the opponents-
Arizona:
Roster - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats
Schedule - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
USC:
Roster - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats?path=mbball
Schedule - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule?path=mbball
UCLA:
Roster - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2020-21?path=mbball
Schedule - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
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Media links:
Vs. Arizona (Monday, 7:30 PM MT):
Live video - Game is being shown live on the Pac 12 National, Mountain and Arizona channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume the game can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/event/2020/12/28/colorado-arizona .
Live audio - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2435&type=Live or https://tunein.com/radio/Colorado-Basketball-s308227/?_branch_match_id=871954677376818888 . Coverage should also be available on the radio (KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
Link to link to live stats - https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=ariz
Game notes - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2020/12/27/cunotes_at_arizona.pdf
Vs. USC (Thursday, 8:007:00 PM MT):
Live video - Game is scheduled to be shown on ESPN2. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume the game can also be streamed through a link at https://www.espn.com/watch/ .
Live audio - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2487&type=Live or https://tunein.com/radio/Colorado-Basketball-s308227/?_branch_match_id=871954677376818888 . Coverage should also be available on the radio (KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
Live stats - https://usctrojans.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Game notes - I couldn't find any out yet as I type this.
Vs. UCLA (Saturday, 6:00 PM MT):
Live video - Game is being shown live on the Pac 12 Mountain, L.A. and National channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume the game can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/event/2021/01/02/colorado-ucla .
Live audio -https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2487&type=Live
Live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=324585
Game notes - I couldn't find any out yet as I type this.
The Buffs head to Arizona and then, hopefully, Los Angeles for a tough (re-)scheduled start of the Pac 12 portion of their season- facing off against the Wildcats, Trojans and then Bruins over a six day span (assuming all the games go off as planned). (Per a tweet I saw, the Buffs are now in Arizona, so they're farther along than their previously scheduled 12/2 conference opener against Arizona that was postponed right before CU was set to take off.)
The Arizona and UCLA games are scheduled to be on the Pac 12 Networks, while the USC tilt is scheduled for ESPN
Go Buffs!!!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Preview-
Direct link - https://cubuffs.com/news/2020/12/26...-12-play-with-tough-three-game-road-trip.aspx
"
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes' schedule takes a hard left turn into serious territory beginning this week.
After wrapping up an abbreviated non-conference slate last week, the 6-1 Buffs will open Pac-12 play with three games in six days — all on the road — beginning with a 7:30 p.m. game Monday at Arizona (Pac-12 Network). That will be followed by a weekend trip to Los Angeles that will see CU play at USC on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN2) before a Saturday contest at UCLA (6 p.m., Pac-12).
If that's not a difficult enough start to the league season, the Buffs will get no break when they finally open the home portion of their schedule. First on the list is a Jan. 7 meeting with 25th-ranked Oregon (9 p.m., FS1), the only Pac-12 team to be included in the most-recent Associated Press top 25.
...
SCOUTING REPORTS:
ARIZONA (6-1 overall, 0-1 Pac-12): Truth is, Boyle and the Buffs would have probably much rather played the game when originally scheduled. This is a relatively inexperienced Arizona team that lost three players in the NBA Draft, including two first rounders, and has been slow to round into shape.
The Wildcats' only loss thus far is a 78-75 defeat at the hands of Stanford on a neutral floor that ended UA's 20-game win streak over the Cardinal. But Arizona also struggled to collect home wins over Eastern Washington (70-67) and Montana (70-64), programs the Wildcats would normally steamroll in the preseason.
But, as Boyle noted, Sean Miller's teams almost always improve as the season progresses, and it's not as if the Wildcats are bereft of talent. Junior guard Jemari Baker, a transfer from Kentucky, has stepped into a starting role and is averaging 15.4 points per game while fellow guard James Akinjo (a transfer from Georgetown) is averaging 13.4 points and just under five assists per game.
The Buffs lost at Arizona, 75-54, in their only meeting last season,
USC (4-1 overall, 0-0 Pac-12): The Trojans haven't played since Dec. 8, as they have had their last four games either postponed or canceled due to Covid-19 issues (two of the four were Pac-12 contests).
They should get one more warmup before they host the Buffs, as they are scheduled to host Santa Clara on Tuesday.
This is another program that lost some talent to the draft and/or graduation, including a first-round pick. But Andy Enfield's roster still has plenty of talent, beginning with the Mobley brothers, Evan and Isaiah.
Evan, a 7-foot, 215-pound freshman, leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (3 bpg). Isaiah, a 6-10, 235-pound sophomore, is averaging 9.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Trojans also have a quality backcourt, led by grad transfer Tahj Eaddy, who is averaging 11.0 points and also leads the team in assists at just under three per game.
Colorado swept USC last year, getting a 78-57 win in LA, then holding on for a 70-66 victory in Boulder.
UCLA (5-2 overall, 1-0 Pac 12; receiving votes in AP and coaches poll): Picked to win the Pac-12 by the media in the preseason poll, Mick Cronin's Bruins struggled early. They were smacked by San Diego State, 73-58, in the season opener, and struggled past Pepperdine, needing three overtimes. But their only other loss thus far was a respectable 77-70 defeat at the hands of No. 20 Ohio State, and their wins include Cal and San Diego.
Cronin has quickly turned what was seen as a soft program under the previous regime into a tough-minded, hard-nosed bunch. The Bruins are led by sophomore wing Jaime Jaquez, who is averaging 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, with 6-9 guard Chris Smith averaging a team-leading 6.7 rebounds along with 12.1 points. CU fans will remember Smith for his career-high 30 point effort in a win over Colorado in Loss Angeles last season. Point guard Tyger Campbell, meanwhile, is averaging nearly seven assists per game along with 11.1 points.
Defensively, the Bruins are holding opponents to less than 68 points per game while boasting a 3-point defense that is limiting the opponent to just .287 shooting from long range.
While the Buffs don't need any extra motivation for the game, they will no doubt remember last season's Bruins sweep, which came on the heels of Colorado sweeping UCLA in each of the previous two seasons.
But what stands out most about last season's series is UCLA's 70-63 victory in Boulder. The Buffs — ranked No. 18 at the time — held a nine-point lead over the Bruins with less than 13 minutes to play, but couldn't protect the lead down the stretch and lost.
The Buffs didn't win again the rest of the season, as the loss marked the beginning of a five-game losing streak down the stretch of the season — a streak that stuck with Colorado the entire offseason after the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
"
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A little more on the opponents-
Arizona:
Roster - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats
Schedule - https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
USC:
Roster - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats?path=mbball
Schedule - https://usctrojans.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule?path=mbball
UCLA:
Roster - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2020-21?path=mbball
Schedule - https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media links:
Vs. Arizona (Monday, 7:30 PM MT):
Live video - Game is being shown live on the Pac 12 National, Mountain and Arizona channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume the game can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/event/2020/12/28/colorado-arizona .
Live audio - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2435&type=Live or https://tunein.com/radio/Colorado-Basketball-s308227/?_branch_match_id=871954677376818888 . Coverage should also be available on the radio (KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
Link to link to live stats - https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=ariz
Game notes - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2020/12/27/cunotes_at_arizona.pdf
Vs. USC (Thursday, 8:00
Live video - Game is scheduled to be shown on ESPN
Live audio - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2487&type=Live or https://tunein.com/radio/Colorado-Basketball-s308227/?_branch_match_id=871954677376818888 . Coverage should also be available on the radio (KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
Live stats - https://usctrojans.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Game notes - I couldn't find any out yet as I type this.
Vs. UCLA (Saturday, 6:00 PM MT):
Live video - Game is being shown live on the Pac 12 Mountain, L.A. and National channels. For those whose Cable/ Satellite/ Cord Cutting subscription includes access to any of those Pac 12 channels, assume the game can also be streamed through a link at https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/event/2021/01/02/colorado-ucla .
Live audio -https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2487&type=Live
Live stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=324585
Game notes - I couldn't find any out yet as I type this.
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