Colorado head coach Tad Boyle addresses the Buffs during a timeout in Coors Event Center. The men’s basketball team will look forward to games against Washington and Washington State this week to wrap up their season before the upcoming PAC-12 tournament. (Nigel Amstock/CU Independent)
For as down of a season it has been for the 2014-15 University of Colorado men’s basketball team, there is still hope for a favorable finish. With potential wins on Thursday at Washington and Saturday at Washington State, the Buffs could end the season with a 15-15 overall record, and an 8-10 record in Pac-12 play.
Colorado comes into their matchup Thursday against Washington with some momentum. The Buffaloes scored a huge win against Arizona State at home on Sunday. Senior guard Askia Booker was the star of the show, dropping 29 points in what was his last home game in a Colorado uniform.
It is no secret that Booker is not pleased with how his senior season went this year. Scratching and clawing just for a .500 finish, especially after the success the men’s basketball team had in his underclassman years, was definitely not what he had in mind coming into this season. Expect to see two more solid performances fueled by his last two regular season games. The Buffs surely could use it.
They will square up against Washington on Thursday night. The Huskies stole an upset win in Boulder on Jan. 22, when they nailed a buzzer-beater to take down the Buffs, 52-50.
The Huskies have a 15-13 overall record, but have been lousy in Pac-12 play, sporting a 4-12 record in conference games. They are led by sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Gross, who averages 15.4 points per game. His supporting cast consists of junior guard Andrew Andrews, the team’s three-point threat. Andrews is shooting .372 from beyond the arch and drops an average of 14.5 points per game. Finally, the Buffs will need to contain Washington’s big man, Shawn Kemp, Jr. The 6’9” senior forward scores 9.9 points per game and is a force inside the paint.
Despite Washington’s seemingly strong roster, they’ve only won one of their last 10 games. On the season, they are just above average at home, posting a 7-6 record in Seattle. Also, consider how badly the Buffs played in their loss to the Huskies earlier this season. They shot about 30 percent from the floor and Booker scored only five points. Despite all this, they only lost by two points. If the Buffs play even just a tad better, and Booker goes off again for 20+ points, they will pull out a win.
In their final game of the season, the Buffs will travel to Pullman, WA, to take on the Washington State Cougars. When the two teams met in Boulder back on Jan. 24, the Buffs crushed the Cougars 90-58. Booker dropped 21 points and the team made 54.8 percent of their attempted field goals in the win. They will look to repeat that this Saturday.
Standing in the Buffs’ way is a Cougars team licking its paws. This season, they have routinely outscored, outshot, outrebounded, you name it. Led by senior guard DaVonte Lacy, he averages 17.3 points per game and will look to thwart the Buffs’ hopes of a happy ending to their season. Sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson, who usually scores 14.6 points per game, will be the other focal point of the Buffs’ defense.
Wins against these two teams who have had down seasons seems to be well within the Buffs’ reach. However, once again, despite the Buffs’ blowout win against the Cougars back in January, this season has proved that nothing is certain when they are away from Boulder. The Buffs will look to remedy their road troubles with two big wins this week.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Justin Guerriero at justin.guerriero@colorado.edu and follow him on twitter @TheHungry_Hippo
