Colorado to collide with Villanova to begin College Basketball Crown
- Max Friedl
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes (14-20, 5-19 Big 12) take on the Villanova Wildcats (19-14, 11-9 Big East) in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament on Tuesday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
CU has only faced Villanova once before, the 1999 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, in which the Buffs won.
Colorado wasn’t the tournament's first choice as a participant as many other schools declined the offer, semi-forcing Colorado’s hand.
CU head coach Tad Boyle mentioned his awareness of the tournament’s creation in early fall.
“I heard about their vision, I thought it was really intriguing,” Boyle said. “(The discussions) started in Kansas City … I was a little shocked that they wanted us, quite frankly.”
The Wildcats come into the tournament with concerns of their own. Kevin Willard agreed to be Villanova’s head coach for next year after leading the Maryland Terrapins to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, meaning the Wildcats will be led by interim Mike Nardi versus the Buffs.
Colorado was heating up toward the end of the season. After starting 0-13 in conference play, the Buffaloes ended 5-6 with a 2-1 run in the Big 12 Championship. During its non-conference play, CU went 9-2 with notable wins over the rival Colorado State Rams and an early season upset against the No. 2 UConn Huskies in the Maui Invitational.
Villanova’s season had some notable wins too. The Wildcats topped the No. 16-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles, No. 14 Cincinnati Bearcats, No. 9 UConn and No. 9 St. John’s Red Storm, finishing sixth in the Big East. Their conference tournament performance began with a win over No. 11-seeded Seton Hall, but they would go on to lose in the second round to UConn.
Colorado Notes:
No. 80 in KenPom Rankings (109.0 offensive rating and 99.4 defensive rating)
Strengths:
The Buffaloes pose a threat at the free throw line, knocking down 75.4% of their shots from the stripe while also getting to the line quite frequently.
CU has also shot an efficient 51.9% on 2-point field goals.
The Buffs will be without several key players. Julian Hammond III and Sebastian Rancik will miss the tournament due to injuries, while Harrison Carrington and Courtney Anderson Jr. hit the portal this past week.
Weaknesses:
Ball security and fouling. Throughout the season, Colorado would be stuck in cycles of turnovers.
Villanova Notes:
No. 56 in KenPom Rankings (118.6 ORtg and 104.2 DRtg)
Strengths:
The Wildcats rank No. 26 in offensive efficiency nationally.
Villanova shoots 2-point field goals at 51.1% and 39.8% from 3-point range. They also shoot 80% at the line.
The Cats are led by the country’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon. He’s averaged 23.0 points per game this season and needs nine points to become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer.
Weaknesses:
Villanova relies on the 3-point shot for production (39.2% - No. 21 in the country).
The team faces challenges securing offensive rebounds and limiting opportunities for second-chance points.
Keys to the game:
Villanova must take care of the ball against Colorado’s defense and capitalize on open 3-point shots. They might also look to draw fouls and get to the free throw line.
Colorado tends to score efficiently inside and draw fouls, so Villanova needs to stay disciplined and control the boards. Since the Buffs are turnover-prone, Villanova could pressure them into taking more outside shots.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 MT on FOX Sports 1.
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