Buffaloes begin Pac-12 play on Thursday at Arizona (7pm FS1)
The CU Buffs' men's basketball team will begin its eighth season in the Pac-12 conference as they battle Arizona on the road on Thursday night. Colorado went 9-3 in non-conference play, while the Wildcats went 9-4.
Arizona lost to Auburn, Gonzaga, Alabama, and Baylor. Their key wins were against Iowa State and Connecticut.
Sophomore guard Brandon Randolph leads Arizona and ranks sixth in the Pac-12 at 16.6 points per game. Randolph leads the league in free throw shooting at 88.7 percent (47 of 53). Junior Chase Jeter tops the Wildcats in rebounds (7.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (.657) while ranking second in scoring at 12.8 per game. Freshman guard Brandon Williams paces Arizona in assists (3.8 apg) while averaging 11.0 points and 3.1 rebounds an outing. Senior guard Justin Coleman shoots a team-best 42 percent from 3-point range while averaging 10.1 points per contest.
Sean Miller is in his 10th season as the head coach at Arizona with a record of 256-78. He is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach with a record of 376-125.
Series record: Colorado vs Arizona
This will be the 32nd meeting between Colorado and Arizona with the Wildcats holding an 18-13 series lead. Arizona won two of three meetings last season. Both teams won at home and the Wildcats took the rubber match in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament, 83-67, on March 8. Arizona leads the series 13-5 since the Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12. Colorado is 2-8 against the Wildcats in Tucson.
Tad Boyle is 5-13 against Arizona as a head coach. Sean Miller is 14-5 against Colorado as a head coach.
How the Buffs stack up with the Pac-12
Field goal percentage: 47.0 (2nd in Pac-12)
3pt field goal percentage: 33.9 (6th in Pac-12)
Free throw percentage: 71.9 (7th in Pac-12)
Rebounds: 39.2 per game (3rd in Pac-12)
Turnovers: 14.0 per game (11th worst in Pac-12)
Points: 79.7 per game (tied for 2nd best in Pac-12)
Defensive field goal percentage: 42.2 (7th in Pac-12)
Defensive 3pt field goal percentage: 31.3 (5th in Pac-12)
Points allowed per game: 68.4 per game (5th in Pac-12)
Colorado statistical leaders
Points per game
McKinley Wright 13.8
Lucas Siewert 12.8
Tyler Bey 11.7
Rebounds per game
Tyler Bey 9.1
McKinley Wright 5.6
Lucas Siewert 5.2
Assists per game
McKinley Wright 5.8
Lucas Siewert 1.2
Daylen Kountz 1.2
Steals per game
McKinley Wright 1.4
Tyler Bey 1.2
Shane Gatling 1.0
Turnovers
McKinley Wright 43
Lucas Siewert 24
Tyler Bey 24
Pac-12's lowly non-conference start
The Pac-12's non-conference play was flat out bad. The conference does not currently have a team ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll or the Associated Press Poll.
Here's how the Pac-12 stacks up in the NCAA Men's Basketball NET rankings (aka the new RPI):
No. 45 Arizona State (9-3)
No. 56 Washington (8-4)
No. 61 Arizona (8-4)
No. 74 Colorado (9-3)
No. 83 Oregon (9-4)
No. 91 UCLA (7-6)
No. 95 Oregon State (8-4)
No. 108 Stanford (7-5)
No. 128 USC (7-6)
No. 143 Utah (6-6)
No. 182 Washington State (7-6)
No. 192 California (5-7)
The Pac-12 has just four teams in the top 80. To compare, the ACC has 11 teams in the top 80, and the Big 12 has eight.
The Pac-12 could potentially just get one team in the NCAA Tournament. I think they'll end up with two or three, but still, that's sad.
Former Buffs playing well in the NBA
Former Buff guards Derrick White and Spencer Dinwiddie are making an impact in the NBA. White, a second year player for the Spurs, set a new career high with 22 points on Monday.
Dinwiddie, who recently received a big contract extension with the New Jersey Nets, had a monster performance last week in a double overtime win, scoring 37 points and dishing out 11 assists.
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