On Saturday night the (#16) Colorado Buffaloes (19-6, 8-4 PAC 12) will conclude a two-game conference road swing against the unranked Oregon State Beavers (15-9, 5-7 PAC 12). Both teams have a short turnaround after each playing Thursday night. The Beavers thumped Utah (70-51) at home while the Buffalo saw a 9-point halftime lead disappear in a heartbreaking loss at Oregon (68-60). These two teams met earlier in the season with the Beavers winning on the road (76-68) in Boulder. The contest will be held at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EST Saturday, February 15th on FS1. Colorado enters the game as a -2 point favorite.
What to Know – Buffaloes
Colorado had won three-in-a-row and was twenty minutes away from its fourth until a 2nd half collapse on the road against the Oregon Ducks halted the momentum. The Buffaloes will try and bounce back and even the season series against the Beavers and maintain its position atop the conference standings. Tad Boyle, in his 10th season as head coach for the Buffaloes, sports a 10-7 all-time record against the Beavers.
Junior guard McKinley Wright IV (13.6 ppg) and classmate Tyler Bey (13.2) lead a Buffalo offensive attack that averages 72.0 ppg. Bey is also the team leader in rebounds, pulling down an average of 9.0 rpg. Rounding out the trio of double-digit scorers is junior D’Shawn Schwartz, chipping in 11.3 ppg.
Colorado compliments its offense with a defense that allows an average of 62.8 ppg. The Buffaloes have had minimal success on the road this season, posting a 3-4 mark overall and 2-3 in conference play. KenPom has Colorado at 23rd in its most recent rankings. The Buffaloes will be playing with a healthy lineup.
What to Know – Beavers
Oregon State got off to a hot start to begin the 2019-20 campaign, winning nine of its first 10 contests. Since then, the Beavers have gone just 6-8. However, the Beavers have had success on its home floor, winning ten of its 15 victories at home this season. A win over Colorado gets the Beavers closer to .500 in the conference and gives them the season sweep against the Buffaloes.
Tres Tinkle leads the Beavers in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). The senior forward has scored in double figures in every contest this season. His scoring output is tied for third in the conference. Junior guard Ethan Thompson (15.0 ppg) led the Beavers in scoring the last time these two teams met, netting 24 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line.
The Beavers average 73.2 ppg and surrender 66.9 ppg. One of its strengths is their tendency to limit turnovers. Oregon State is best in the conference averaging just over 11 turnovers per game. KenPom pegs Oregon State at 75th. The home squad is fully healthy for the conference tilt.
The Pick is In
Oregon State has been trending in the right direction with back-to-back conference victories. We tend to like to follow the hot hand, give us Oregon State +2 at home.
