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Oregon State Basketball: Opponent Preview - Colorado Buffaloes (Game 18)

Oregon State has won two in a row. Can they keep the good vibes rolling on the road in Colorado?

By The_Coach
Colorado v Washington Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Colorado Buffaloes (14-5, 8-4)

  • Head Coach: Tad Boyle (11th Season, Overall: 224–139)
  • Points For: 75.7 PPG (98th)
  • Points Against: 64.6 PPG (48th)
  • Last Game/Streak: 82-79 Win vs. Arizona (1W)

The Skinny

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 31 Colorado at USC
McKinley Wright IV is a Pac-12 staple who leads Colorado in scoring and assists.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
  • McKinley Wright IV (14.8 PPG)
  • Jeriah Horne (11.1 PPG)
  • Evan Battey (10.8 PPG)
  • D’Shawn Schwartz (8.7 PPG)
  • Dallas Walton (8.4 PPG)
  • Jabari Walker (8.2 PPG)
  • Maddox Daniels (7.1 PPG)
  • Eli Parquet (4.9 PPG)

Fresh off the heels of an impressive and hard-fought win over Arizona, Colorado has pushed themselves into second in the Pac-12, just a game and a half back of leaders UCLA and USC.

The Buffaloes are one of those quieter teams nationally who continue to get the job done, as Tad Boyle’s crew has posted a 7-2 mark over their last nine games, which began with a key win against Oregon. However, the reason they likely sit under the radar is that there’s simply nothing sexy or fascinating about this team on paper. They’re just a great group of basketball players who know how to play the game right and do what it takes to find victories.

From an analytical standpoint, Colorado is exactly the usual type of teams that Oregon State struggles with. They don’t turn the ball over with any consistency, they seek out great shots on offense, they’re a strong team defensively, they’re well coached and they have 3-4 players who can score the ball with regular ability.

Oh yeah, and they also have McKinley Wright IV, one of the conference’s top guards, who is headed towards an All-Pac-12 type of campaign.

For the Beavers to win, they simply need to keep the good vibes rolling after two straight victories over the Washington schools. They’ve been getting stronger bench production and finding a better balance across the board, especially in the belief that there’s more depth to this group than just Ethan Thompson and Jarod Lucas at the top.

But the lingering question is, will Oregon State show any sign of fatigue after playing their third game in five days?

Game Info

  • Date: Monday, February 8th
  • Time: 4:00 PM PT
  • Location: CU Events Center (Boulder, Colorado)
  • Coverage: Pac-12 Networks