The Colorado men’s basketball team (7-2) hosted Colorado State (5-4) in this year's Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday, seeking revenge for last year's loss in Fort Collins. Both teams came into the matchup this year with positive records.
The Buffs knocked down exactly 50% of their shots from the field and added nine 3s on 24 attempts. CSU, on the other hand, shot a disappointing 31.3% from the field, and former Buff/current Ram guard Nique Clifford shot 4-for-15 from the field.
The Buffaloes came into this match with intensity, especially on defense. The Buffs were able to trap the ball effectively down low and suffocate the paint. Colorado won the rebound game in this match 44-33, scoring 11 second-chance points throughout the game.
CU’s bench also played an important role in this game, logging 28 points. Standout performances from Trevor Baskin (11 rebounds) and Bangot Dak (16 points on 7-for-8 shooting) off the bench led the Buffaloes to the in-state win.
“Teams look at us and they scout us, and there’s no key emphasis that they can put on a guy,” Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III mentioned on the team’s spread-out performance.
The Buffaloes can put any five on the court to start the game, but the lack of a singular star player has made anyone who touches the floor a threat. Elijah Malone scored 27 against Northern Colorado, Andrej Jakimovski had 20 against Harvard, and Hammond had 20 in CU’s loss to Iowa State.
The Buffs’ scoring ability varies, and who the points will be coming from is a couple of coach meetings away from being a complete dice roll. On Saturday night, the Buffaloes logged 36 points in the paint. On top of that, the black and gold rained down 27 points from 3-point land. Colorado showed that they can score from anywhere on the floor, but more importantly that anyone can score from anywhere on the floor.
“The power of this team is the team…we don’t have that one guy that every night we’re going to be able to rely on to get 20 or 25 points,” head coach Tad Boyle mentioned on the team's strengths.
“This game was a step in the right direction tonight for our team and our program,” Boyle also mentioned in his opening statement. “I thought we brought the fight to Colorado State from the get-go.”
Ultimately, Colorado took down Colorado State 72-55 in this year's Rocky Mountain Showdown. The Buffs earned their 93rd win in the series and haven’t lost at home since 2016.
Colorado moves to 7 wins and 2 losses and will host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-3) next Friday at 7 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
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