The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team is facing the University of Central Florida Knights in Orlando tonight for the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament. At the half, The Buffaloes find themselves somehow only down four points after a dominant show of force from the Knights. UCF leads the Buffs 38-34 so far.
CU’s biggest fear coming in to this game was, no doubt, UCF’s 7-foot-6-inch center Tacko Fall. Fall has made some predictably strong plays on the glass, most notably a big block early, but CU’s biggest problem has been defending the three-point shot. UCF’s Matt Williams has been automatic from behind the arc, sinking three three-pointers on three attempts. Williams leads the Knights at the half with 13 points. As a team, the Knights have shot 60 percent from downtown.
In yet another game, senior guard Derrick White has emerged as the offensive leader for Colorado, scoring 12 points and keeping the Buffs from falling too far behind. White is once again running this offense, slashing his way to the rim and executing some excellent passes. Senior guards Xavier Johnson and Josh Fortune have chipped in as well with some key three pointers. Junior guard Dominique Collier ended the half with a long buzzer-beater from far behind the arc.
Despite the barrage of threes, the Buffs have managed to weather the storm and produce just enough on offense to stay in the game. Both teams have stuck with an up-tempo offense, having to utilize subs and timeouts just to catch some rest.
The CU Independent will have a full game report after the game ends.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Kyle Rini at kyle.rini@colorado.edu.
