Senior guard McKinley Wright IV elevates the ball during the second half of play at the CU Events Center. Jan. 7, 2021 (Nigel Amstock/Rivals.com)
The University of Colorado Buffaloes (16-5, 10-4 Pac-12) used three separate 10-0 runs to defeat the Stanford Cardinal, (12-8, 8-6 Pac-12) 69-51 on Thursday night in Stanford, California.
Senior guard McKinley Wright IV led the way with 14 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. He is now two rebounds away from becoming the first Pac-12 player with career numbers of 1,600 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists.
“He’s in a category by himself, and that says it all,” Boyle said. “He’s a once in a lifetime player to coach.”
Colorado got their 10th conference win of the season, already tying last year’s mark. They have also tied their team record of four road victories in Pac-12 play. With the Buffs’ next three games being on the road, they will have ample opportunity to surpass both of those marks.
Team defense shined for the Buffaloes, as they held Stanford under 40% shooting in the game. With only giving up 49 points against Oregon State and 51 points against Stanford, it is only the second time in 58 years that the Buffs relinquished 100 points or less combined in two consecutive games.
Boyle called the game plan against Stanford the “best defensive execution of the game plan” he has seen from this team. Boyle talked about how the players are emphasizing great team defense among themselves. Wright echoed this sentiment.
“Our mindset is stopping other teams (on defense),” Wright said.
The Buffaloes were playing bruising defense in the first part of the game, as they held Stanford scoreless for the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game.
Even though Stanford had a 13-2 run to take an early 13-12 lead, the Buffaloes got back in the rhythm they had in the early going. They had another 10-0 run to take a 22-13 lead. Colorado held Stanford scoreless for just over four minutes during the run.
Colorado went into halftime up 34-23. The lead could have been bigger, but Stanford’s Oscar da Silva kept his team in the game. He had 14 points and four field goals made. To put this in perspective, the rest of Stanford’s team had four field goals combined.
In the first half, the Buffaloes did a great job of sharing the basketball. The teams that succeed in March move the ball around well and play great team basketball and the Buffaloes showed their ability to play complementary basketball in the first half.
In the second half, Boyle said that the flow of the game got into too much of a “trading baskets mode.” Stanford closed in on the CU lead, which shrunk to 49-43 just before the midway mark of the second half. Both senior forward Dallas Walton and junior forward Evan Battey picked up their third fouls early in the second half, which helped give Stanford life.
With the lead at six, the Buffs had a chance to show they have grown from their experience on Jan. 30 against Utah when they blew a huge second-half lead. The Buffaloes would use their third 10-0 run of the night to widen the gap to 59-43. CU may not have been able to stop da Silva, but they did a great job of playing team defense to make sure he did not receive much support from his Stanford teammates.
It was a big game for CU freshman forward Tristan da Silva who was squaring off against his brother, Oscar da Silva. He had to step in when Dallas Walton and Evan Battey were in foul trouble. CU’s da Silva ended with eight points while filling in for Walton and Battey who were in foul trouble early.
From there, Wright and the Buffaloes started to control the game. The Buffs were able to coast the rest of the way to victory after their third 10-0 run.
This game was very consequential as far as the Pac-12 standings were concerned. Colorado only held a one game lead over Stanford for third place in the standings, but the win it puts CU two games clear of Stanford in the standings. It is looking more and more like the Buffaloes will get a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament in March.
Colorado plays at California on Saturday (8 p.m. MST on ESPNU and 94.1 FM). Boyle said that good teams split in two-game sets on the road in Pac-12 play, but that great teams sweep. CU will have an opportunity to show they are capable of being a great team against Cal. It expects to be a celebratory night for the Buffaloes, as it is a near certainty that Wright will etch his name into the Pac-12 history books.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Eric Bean at eric.bean@colorado.edu.
