Colorado (9-9, 0-7) at Arizona (12-6, 6-1) | McKale Center | 1 p.m. Saturday | ESPN+ | 1290-AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
ARIZONA
G Jaden Bradley (6-3 junior)
G Caleb Love (6-4 senior)
F Anthony Dell’Orso (6-6 junior)
F Trey Townsend (6-6 senior)
C Tobe Awaka (6-8 junior)
COLORADO
G Julian Hammond (6-2 senior)
G RJ Smith (6-3 soph.)
F Andrej Jakimovski (6-8 senior)
F Assane Diop (6-8 soph.)
C Bangot Dak (6-11 soph.)
How they match up
Series history: Arizona leads 26-16 and never lost to the Buffaloes at McKale Center during the Pac-12 era. UA has also beaten the Buffs in their past four matchups overall, including a 97-50 win at McKale and a 99-79 win at the CU Events Center last season.
Colorado overview: The Buffs picked some pretty tough timing to head back to the Big 12 this season, having lost their entire starting lineup from last season, including three NBA Draft picks last June: Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson. They managed to beat two-time defending national champion UConn in the Maui Invitational but have no other wins against high-major teams and have lost their first seven Big 12 games — plus an additional loss to Iowa State in Maui. The Buffaloes lost only 75-74 at UCF and played West Virginia and Cincinnati within single digits, but are coming off an 83-67 loss to BYU at home on Tuesday.
To fill out the roster on his normally stable program, veteran Colorado coach Tad Boyle had to turn over some unconventional rocks. He found center Elijah Malone out of Grace College, an NAIA program in Indiana, and power forward Trevor Baskin out of Division II Colorado Mesa. Malone was given the Bevo Francis Award as the nation’s best small college player last season, while Baskin was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Boyle also secured former Pac-12 foe Andrej Jakimovski, who transferred from Washington State.
With a returning perimeter core that includes point guard Julian Hammond, Javon Ruffin and RJ Smith, the Buffaloes still have elements of Boyle’s normally tough defense. They hold opponents to 49.3% shooting from 2-point range and steal the ball on 11.2% of opponents’ possessions (the No. 77 defensive steal possession). They are also a strong defensive rebounding team, collecting the ball on 72.6% of opponents’ misses.
Offensively, Colorado is average in 2-point percentage shooting (53.0) and 3-point percentage shooting (34.2) and the Buffaloes do best getting to the line (39.2% ratio between free throws attempted to field goals attempted) and hitting free throws (76.3%). They are big, with an average height adjusted for minutes of 6-6.8 inches, with big wings in Ruffin (6-5) and Jakomovski (6-8). Bangot Dak, a slender 6-11 rim protector, plays both post spots while Malone brings a 6-10, 268-pound frame to the center spot.
He said it: “We expect Colorado to come out with a spirited effort and we’re gonna have to match that. … Julian Hammond is a good player. He’s been around for a minute, and he's not scared. He's had success here before. Their young big kids are developing, and Jakimovski is somebody we respect. He’s somebody who's played good against us in the past. We know what type of impact he can have. And then they have a collection of a lot of new players that are figuring it out, as well.” — UA coach Tommy Lloyd
Key players
Colorado — Julian Hammond
A spot starter over his previous three seasons at Colorado — imagine that in the transfer portal era — Hammond has taken over at point guard this season and is leading the Buffs in scoring (13.7), assists (2.4), 3-point percentage (39.5) and free-throw percentage (91.2)
Colorado guard Julian Hammond III, right, passes the ball as Arizona guard Kylan Boswell defends during the first half Feb. 10, 2024, in Boulder, Colo.
Arizona — KJ Lewis
Motivation shouldn’t be hard Saturday for the Wildcats’ energetic sophomore wing. While the Wildcats swept the Buffaloes last season, Lewis struggled individually, shooting a combined 2 for 10 and averaging 2.5 points. He’s also coming off a modest offensive trip, averaging 5.0 points while hitting 4 of 14 shots in UA’s games at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe (7), left, and Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) fight for the ball along the baseline during the first half of their Big 12 game at McKale Center, Jan. 14, 2025.
Sidelines
IQ by osmosis
During a freshman season in which he’s bounced between both forward spots, UA's Carter Bryant has taken few bad shots (hitting 74.2% of his two-pointers), blocked 6.1% of Big 12 opponents’ shots when he’s on the floor and has turned the ball over only 11 times in 18 games.
Basically, he has a pretty good basketball IQ, one Bryant attributes to soaking up the game throughout his youth. Bryant is the son of former Long Beach State player D’Cean Bryant, who has since become a successful high school coach, and has several family members involved in high-level sports.
“I was just around a lot of good basketball when I was younger,” Bryant said. It’s “my love for the game and how much I was around it. You just hear terminology. I'm on the other side shooting, trying to make sure the ball isn't hitting the floor during my dad's high school practices … and you're kind of listening in at the same time. Even though you're a little kid, you don't really realize it, you’re watching and assessing what's going on.”
From there, Bryant said his interest in the game took him on some deep YouTube dives to watch things such as the seven-game 2010 Lakers-Celtics NBA finals or individual highlights of players such as Paul George, Tracy McGrady, Brandon Roy, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kobe Bryant ... and what they said afterward.
“I was a big post-game interview guy,” Bryant said. “I loved watching Kobe talk after the game. I just loved that he was so different in terms of — for lack of better terms — he never really BS’d anything. He was always very straightforward. He always told the truth in his honest opinion. I just gravitated towards it. I think that's why my knowledge is where it is today.”
Delly's dishes
Lloyd has been moving over more often during his weekly radio show to share the microphone with one of his players or staffers, so this week it was Anthony Dell’Orso’s turn.
The Aussie wing didn't hold back. Here were some samples:
On his view of American basketball before he arrived in the United States: "Extremely selfish, one-on-one basketball, and not much IQ. That was really my idea. Now that has changed, I will say, as I've kind of been in the system now.”
On youth sports culture in Australia: “It's very club-based. School is not really a big thing like it is here. Until you get about 15 or 16, you play a bit of everything, just for the fun of it, make some friends, and then you kind of pick your direction … That's why we have a lot of late bloomers.
On his favorite class last fall after arriving at UA: “None. I’m not a big school guy.”
On who’s the best Uno player on the team: “I know Grant Weitman is probably the worst. As for the best, it tends to change every game.”
On kangaroos: “We don't ride them to school; that's a little out there. But, you know, playing golf or going for a walk, you see them kind of hop by. Ninety-nine percent of the time they’re harmless.”
Buffs add ‘Wall of Honor’
Upon returning home to host ASU on Tuesday, Colorado will open a “Wall of Honor” in which 10 former standouts will eventually all have their jerseys placed above the CU Events Center's northwest side concourse.
Players qualify by completing five years in the NBA or winning an Olympic gold medal, a list that so far includes: Chauncey Billups, Alec Burks, Jim Davis, Spencer Dinwiddie, Burdette Haldorson, Jay Humphries, Cliff Meely, Andre Roberson, Scott Wedman and Derrick White.
“The Wall of Honor is long overdue and serves as a testament to the success of men's basketball players after they leave the University of Colorado," CU coach Boyle said in a statement. "The foundation of their success was established here as student-athletes and we're proud to honor their success in basketball after Colorado.”
Numbers game
4: Caleb Love’s ranking among active college players in career scoring, with 2,405 points after he scored 27 at Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
8.9: Percent of Colorado opponents' 2-point shots that are blocked by the Buffaloes' Bangot Dak when he’s on the floor, the 37th-best block percentage in Division I.
25: Percent reduction in the cheapest seats for Monday’s UA game against No. 3 Iowa State during a flash sale held Friday. Upper-level end zone seats were priced at $60 plus fees but $45 on sale. With fees ($68 or $52.48 for one ticket), the discount was 22.8%.
— Bruce Pascoe
