The Colorado Buffaloes and Oregon Ducks will play Thursday at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m. PT. The Ducks are 5.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 139.5 points.
Colorado, 12-9 SU and 8-13 ATS, beat Washington State by three on Sunday. The Buffaloes are 2-3 in their past five and 4-6 in Pac-12 play. Oregon, 11-9 SU and 10-10 ATS, lost to Stanford on Saturday. The Ducks are 3-2 in their past five and 5-4 in conference competition.
Colorado defeated Oregon 68-41 on Jan. 5. The Buffaloes led by 18 at halftime and coasted after that, holding the Ducks to 26.9 percent shooting from the field. Oregon was 1-for-14 from three and 12-for-21 from the foul line, as well. The Buffs are 16-11 all-time versus the Ducks.
Colorado ended its three-game skid with its win over Washington State and is now tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 standings. The good news is the Buffaloes have already beaten both of its upcoming opponents this season and won't play another ranked team until facing off with Arizona on Feb. 18.
Following Sunday's win, Colorado is 12-0 all-time versus the Cougars. The Buffaloes narrowly edged their Pac-12 rival at home on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor with a +3 rebounding margin. Colorado trailed by as many as ten but held Washington State to 55 points on 39.2 percent shooting, including 4-for-16 from long range. Each team committed 17 turnovers.
Thriller in Boulder! ??@CUBuffsMBB defeats Washington State, 58-55 on KJ Simpson's game-winning three. pic.twitter.com/Iycbs2BDTS
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) January 23, 2023
The Buffaloes score 72.2 points on 44.9 percent shooting, including 31.5 percent from distance. They convert 66.9 percent of their free throws and average 34.0 rebounds with a +3.6 rebounding margin. Colorado is 118th in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Sophomore guard KJ Simpson paces the Buffaloes, scoring 17.4 points per game. Other players to watch are junior forward Tristan da Silva (15.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 52.5 FG%) and junior guard J'Vonne Hadley (8.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 51.9 FG%).
Colorado surrenders 66.6 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from deep. It's 20th in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency and 227th in assist-per-turnover ratio (0.92).