CU men plagued by turnovers; drop third straight conference game to UCF

In his second game back from an extended hiatus, Andrej Jakimovski found his groove on Wednesday, scoring 16 points while making 67% of his field goals. However, his efforts weren't enough as the Buffs lost a nailbiter. (Photo via @cubuffsmbb/X)

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team (9-5, 0-3 Big 12) made the trip to Orlando to take on the UCF Knights (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) on Wednesday night. The Knights came in off a battering loss to No. 11 Kansas. CU looked to conquer Central Florida and log their first Big 12 conference win of the season. 

Colorado’s consistent issue on offense has been turnovers. The Buffs logged 33 turnovers in their first two conference losses to Iowa State and Arizona State. They also lost the rebound battle in both of those games. But Boulder is undefeated when entering the second half with a lead.

This Knights-Buffs matchup was the third conference matchup of the season for each program. The Knights came into the contest with three different players averaging just under 15 points. On top of that, UCF also had one of the most popular freshman recruits in the country – Mikey Williams.

Williams and the entire UCF team were quiet as they opened the game on 0/10 shooting. The Buffaloes took advantage en route to a quick 6-0 lead. But UCF’s Ivy Curry put the team on his back and got the Knights on the board with seven straight points of his own. Curry finished the game with 22 points. 

The Buffaloes’ turnover issue didn’t solve itself and is still their biggest weakness. Colorado logged 22 turnovers and gave up seven straight turnovers in the second half before a pivotal flagrant foul was called against Assane Diop. 

The Buffaloes controlled the game for the first 30 minutes of play. But the Knights didn’t go away and scrapped their way back into the game. Colorado’s Assane Diop was called for a flagrant foul, sending the Knights to the free throw line where they grabbed a 60-58 lead with just eight minutes to go. 

The teams battled in a back-and-forth bout until UCF took a four-point lead. The Knights began commanding the game, defending the rim while scoring on the other end. Both teams went on efficient runs late in the game. UCF shot 4-for-5 and the Buffs knocked down five of their six shots. 

But it was the Knights who came out on top beating the Buffaloes 75-74. The Knights went on a four-minute scoreless run before knocking down two free throws with a minute to go to tie the game at 74. UCF would go on to make one more free throw and hold the Buffs late to claim the victory. 

Despite the result, Buffs junior guard Julian Hammond III logged a career night as he dropped a career-high 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field. Hammond continues to put up record numbers this year and is on pace to finish with 90-40-40 shooting splits. 

The Buffaloes finished the game shooting 52.2% from the field, 53.8% from the perimeter and 79.2% from the line. But the Buffaloes’ 22 turnovers made closing the game difficult and is something that head coach Tad Boyle will look to tune up before their next game. 

Colorado will go back to Boulder and host the West Virginia Mountaineers (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) in the CU Events Center this Sunday at 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).