Colorado Buffaloes (8-5) vs. Stanford Cardinal (5-7)
The 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball season continues Thursday, December 29, with the Colorado Buffaloes taking on the Stanford Cardinal in the Pac-12 Conference showdown at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California.
The tip-off is set for 11:00 PM ET, and Colorado aims for its fifth consecutive victory over Stanford. The Buffaloes open as slight 2.5-point underdogs, while the totals are listed at 140.0 points.
The Colorado Buffaloes (8-5; 5-8 ATS) started the conference play with a couple of straight losses to Arizona State 60-59 and at Washington 73-63 in the first week of December. Since then, the Buffaloes have won four consecutive non-conference contests on the home court, outlasting Colorado State 93-65, North Alabama 84-60, Northern Colorado 88-77, and Southern Utah 86-78.
Last week, Colorado failed to cover a 12-point spread in that eight-point victory over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Buffaloes missed 14 of their 17 shots from beyond the arc and 11 of their 32 attempts from the foul line. Sophomore guard KJ Simpson led the way for Colorado with 21 points, four assists, and a couple of steals, while junior forward Tristan Da Silva posted a double-double of 20 points and ten rebounds. Simpson and Da Silva have combined for 32.1 points an d 9.4 boards a night so far this season.
the GOAT ???? so thankful for this guy right here man, nobody more deserving. Congrats coach @CoachTadBoyle https://t.co/YwNcS2iHOA
— McKinley Wright IV (@kin_wright25) December 22, 2022
Colorado is No. 61 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 56 in the KenPom rankings. The Buffaloes score 108.1 points per 100 possessions (59th in the country) and surrender 94.9 points in a return (50th). According to Bart Torvik, Colorado ranks 36th in the country in defensive rebound percentage and 67th in opposing 2-point percentage. The Buffaloes’ biggest problem is free-throw shooting, as Colorado makes only 64.8% of its attempts from the foul line (325th).