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It finally happened!
It happened! It finally happened!
It took Colorado 14 games and nearly two months, but the Colorado Buffaloes have won their first Big 12 game since 2011, beating UCF 76-63 to snap their 0-13 streak in conference play.
On a day when CU retired the number of legendary Buff and NBA Champ Derrick White, the vibes were magical at the CU Event Center. As you’d expect from a matchup between two of the the Big 12’s bottomfeeders, this win wasn’t pretty. Fans were treated to a forty-minute slop fest of a basketball game, but that slop fest was damn good if you’re a Colorado fan.
Both teams got off to a slow, undisciplined start. Without starting guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, UCF looked lost on the offensive floor. The Knights’ shots weren’t falling early, as they had trouble finding good looks.
On Colorado’s end, things weren’t much better. The Buffs started the game shooting well, making eight of their first 14 shots from the floor and four of seven from three-point range, but turnovers negated CU’s advantage. Colorado turned the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes of play, which allowed UCF to stay right within the game.
Midway through the first half, it looked as though Colorado was beginning to settle in. The Buffs stopped turning the ball over and continued hitting shots, drilling four of their five FG attempts over a three-minute span to build a comfortable 25-18 lead over the Knights.
Immediately afterward, CU reverted back to their old ways, turning the ball over three times in only one minute to fuel a 10-0 UCF run. During that run, the Buffs shot 0-7 from the floor. That Knights run would erase Colorado’s lead and put them in a 34-29 hole.
With only 1:36 left to play before the break, the Buffs would regather and dig themselves out of that hole. CU would go on a 7-0 run, six points of which came from free throws, to put themselves in a good position heading to halftime. A Bangot Dak buzzer-beating layup would give Colorado a 38-36 lead as time expired, being the first time the Buffs led at the break since their trip to Orlando to play UCF in early January.
Colorado came back from the locker room and started to revert back to their old ways. They immediately turned the ball over twice in the first 45 seconds and shot only one of nine from the floor to start the second half.
The Colorado team of the last few months would have crumbled under the pressure and been overwhelmed by the circumstances. Instead, we saw a different group at The Keg on Saturday. The Buffs responded to the adversity by banding together and completely locking down UCF, smothering the Knights’ offense and forcing them to take ill-advised shots.
That lockdown defense would lead to UCF shooting only seven of 29 from the floor, which is good for a FG shooting percentage of 24.1%. From three, the Knights were even worse, shooting two of 10.
With the opportunity for a conference win up from grabs, CU’s Andrej Jakimovski snatched it. The Buffs’ lanky forward was automatic from the floor in the second half, making four of his five attempts and two three-pointers. Jakovski, who finished the game with a team-high 15 points, did more than enough to push the Buffaloes across the finish line.
The Buffaloes turned the ball over 19 times against UCF on Saturday, finishing the game with a less-than-ideal turnover margin of -11. How do you overcome such a massive turnover margin, you ask? The answer is by dominating the boards the entire game.
Colorado finished the game with a whopping 52 rebounds (!!!) compared to UCF’s 29, good for a margin of +23. Specifically, the Buffaloes were elite off the offensive rebounds, snagging 16 o-boards and scoring 17 second-chance points.
While Andrej Jakimoski stole the show in the second half, Colorado got contributions up and down the roster to beat the Knights. Assane Diop was a menace off the boards, finishing with a career-high 10 rebounds. Sebastian Rancik continued his tear from Lawrence, finishing the game with 10 points and seven boards. Julian Hammond once again proved why he’s the most consistent free throw shooter in the Big 12, drilling all six of his chances from the line.
Now 1-13 in Big 12 play, the nightmare in Boulder is over. Colorado’s longest losing streak since 1985 has been snapped and is behind the team. 0-20 in conference play is no longer a possibility.
Now for the bad news: CU’s schedule is BRUTAL going forward. The Buffs will play #10 Iowa State in Ames, Baylor and #17 Kansas at home, then will play a white-hot K-State squad in the Octagon of Doom and will head to Lubbock for a showdown with #12 Texas Tech.
Enjoy this win, Colorado fans! This next two-week stretch might be rough, but now we have this to cling on to.
by RylandScholes
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