GAMETIME FRIDAY: 4 p.m. MST
Radio: 760 AM KDSP (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Watch Online: FloHoops.com (Andy Katz, Trevor Williams)
Listen Online: CUBuffs.com
Live Statistics: CUBuffs.com
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (all times MST)
Friday, Nov. 17
Game 1: Mercer vs. Liberty at 10 a.m.
Game 2: Drexel vs. Houston at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: Quinnipiac vs. Colorado at 4 p.m.
Game 4: Drake vs. Wake Forest at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 at 10 a.m.
Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 at 4 p.m.
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19
7th Place Game at 10 a.m.
4th Place Game at approx. 12:30 p.m.
3rd Place Game at 4 p.m.
Championship Game at approx. 6:30 p.m
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 2-0 for the third time in four years after opening the season with home wins over Northern Colorado (66-51) and Denver (89-62).
The Buffaloes have spread the wealth early with four players averaging double-digits and those four separated by just three total points. Senior George King and freshman McKinley Wright IV have scored in double figures both games and lead the team at 11.5 and 11.0 points per game respectively.
Against Denver, Colorado had 12 players score, 10 had at least two rebounds, eight had an assist and six had a made 3-point field goal.
Colorado has outrebounded its first two opponents by an average of plus-15. The bulk of that margin came against Denver, as the Buffaloes doubled up the Pioneers 46-23. That plus-23 margin is Colorado’s best since outrebounding Fort Lewis by the exact same count (46-23) on Dec. 2 2015. It’s also ties for the seventh-largest during the Tad Boyle era.
The Buffaloes’ defense limited UNC and Denver to 37 percent shooting and just 21.4 percent from 3-point range (12-56). The 3-point defense is tops in the Pac-12 Conference on the early season league leaderboard.
George King is averaging 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while hitting 60 percent from the field. He has led, or co-led, the Buffaloes in rebounding in both games, including a team season-high nine boards against UNC.
He led the Buffaloes on opening night against UNC scoring 12 points along with his nine rebounds. Shrugging off early foul trouble - he picked up two fouls in the first four minutes - King had all 12 of his points and eight of his nine rebounds in the second half.
King is Colorado’s leading returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game a year ago. The 2015-16 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year, King had a team-best six double-doubles as a junior. He led the Buffaloes in rebounding while ranking third in scoring.
McKinley Wright IV is averaging 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while topping the team in both steals (3) and assists (5). He has scored in double figures in both contests, including a 12-point effort vs. Denver where he hit 6 of 10 from the field.
Wright got the starting nod at point guard against the Bears and had a solid all-around line with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. He became the first true freshman to start for the Buffaloes since Josh Scott in 2012-13 and first point guard since Nate Tomlinson in 2008-09. It should be noted that Spencer Dinwiddie did start his first game in 2011-12, and all 36 games of the season, but played primarily off the ball with Tomlinson running the point.
Namon Wright, a transfer from Missouri, is averaging 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 58 percent (7-12) in his first two games as a Buffalo. He had a team-high 14 points against Denver hitting 4 of 5 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.
He got the starting nod and scored seven points with four rebounds and an assist against UNC.
Dominique Collier is second on the team in assists and steals. He had three assists, two points and two steals against UNC. Senior forward Tory Miller-Stewart had 11 points and five rebounds in the win over Northern Colorado. It was the 15th double-figure scoring game of his career. Miller-Stewart was 5 of 8 from the foul line matching his personal best in free throw attempts. It was also his fourth career game with five or more free throws made.
Sophomore forward Lucas Siewert is second on the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game while also pitching in 6.0 points a contest. He has matched or set a personal best in rebounding in each of the first two games. Siewert tied King for the team lead with a career high seven rebounds against Denver. He matched his previous career high with six rebounds against Northern Colorado.
Sophomore guard Deleon Brown is averaging 10 points over the first two games while hitting 57 percent from the floor (8-14). He hit double figures in scoring for the fourth time in his career with 13 points in the win over Denver. He set new personal bests for field goals made and attempted (5 of 9) while also grabbing a career-high two steals. He had seven points on 3 of 5 shooting against UNC.’’
Colorado’s freshman class is contributing early. Along with Wright,
Tyler Bey, a 6-7, 206-pound guard/forward from Las Vegas, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He played 16 minutes against Denver with four points, including a highlight reel alley oop dunk from Wright.
Lazar Nikolic, a 6-7, 205-pound guard from Belgrade, Serbia, is averaging 2.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. He grabbed six rebounds and drained his first career 3-point attempt against UNC. D’Shawn Schwartz, a 6-7, 223-pound guard/forward from Colorado Springs, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field (4-8). He had seven points and six rebounds against Denver.
Colorado’s two redshirt freshman got their feet wet during the first week of the regular season. Dallas Walton, a 7-0 forward/center, scored his first collegiate points on a 3-pointer against Denver, finishing with five points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Alexander Strating, a 6-7 forward, made his Colorado debut against Denver scoring four points in the closing minutes.
THE BOBCATS: Quinnipiac is 1-1 overall splitting in its first two home games of the season. The Bobcats defeated Dartmouth 78-77 in the opener on Nov. 11 and fell to Brown, 79-72, on Nov. 13. Quinnipiac is shooting 44 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, the Bobcats have allowed 78 points per game on 42 percent shooting. QU has 15 blocked shots in the first two games.
Senior forward Chaise Daniels is averaging 19.5 points over the first two contests, shooting 58 percent from the floor. He already has six blocks on the season and is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Isaiah Washington is averaging 13 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Washington is a graduate transfer from Penn State and was on the Nittany Lions team that Colorado defeated in Las Vegas in November 2015, but played only a couple minutes with no stats. Freshman guard Rich Kelly is averaging 12.5 points and 8.5 assists per game.
Quinnipiac was 10-21 in 2016-17, tying for eighth place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
THE NEXT ROUND: Wake Forest enters the Paradise Jam looking for its first win of the season after dropping a pair of home games to Georgia Southern (85-83) and Liberty (79-66). Junior guard Bryant Crawford leads Wake Forest at 20 points per game. Junior guard Keyshawn Woods is averaging a double-double at 19.5 points and a team-best 10 rebounds and outing.
Drake is 1-0 after a 101-54 win over Coe (Iowa) College on Nov. 11. Senior guard Graham Woodward scored 20 points in the win, hitting all five of his 3-point attempts. Senior guard Reid Timmer had 16 points and six rebounds.
POSSIBLE SUNDAY OPPONENTS: Host Liberty is 2-0, including a road win of fellow tournament participant Wake Forest. Lovell Cabbil tops the Flames at 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Houston opened its season with an 81-53 win over McNeese. Sophomore guard Armoni Brooks led the way with 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Junior forward Breaon Brady had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Mercer enters the tournament at 2-1, winning its last two after dropping its season opener at UCF. Senior guard Ria’n Holland is averaging 22 points per game and shooting 60 percent from 3-point range (12-20).
Drexel is 1-1 overall, averaging 82 points per game and shooting 46 percent. The Dragons feature five players in double-digit scoring led by junior guard Tramaine Isabell who had 22 points in the 95-81 win over Arcadia.
SERIES RECORDS: Colorado will meet Quinnipiac for the first time. As for Saturday’s possible opponents, the Buffaloes won their only meeting with Wake Forest, 89-72 on Jan. 9, 1991, in Winston-Salem. Colorado has a 3-1 series edge over Drake, with the last meeting an 82-80 CU win in overtime on Nov. 24, 1996.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Houston is Colorado’s most played opponent in the tournament with the series tied at 3-3 and the Buffaloes taking the last two games played at home in 1994 and 1995. Drexel is Colorado’s most recent opponent, having defeated the Dragons 65-48 in Boulder in the only match up in the series on Nov. 14, 2014. Colorado is 2-0 against Mercer, last playing in 2005. The Buffaloes have played Liberty once, a 93-77 CU win on Jan. 2, 1995.
SENIOR EXPERIENCE vs. FRESH FACES: Six players made their Colorado debuts against UNC. The Buffaloes have nine players on their roster (eight active) that had never played a minute in a Colorado uniform in a regular season game. That list includes six true freshmen and three red shirts who spent 2016-17 with the program.
Colorado’s three senior regulars - George King, Tory Miller-Stewart and Dominique Collier - have combined for 285 career games and 131 starts. The other 12 players on the roster (11 active) have a combined 10 starts and 98 career games. Out of those 98 games, 18 of those belong to senior walk-on Josh Repine accounting for a total of 23 career minutes played.
NONCONFERENCE: Colorado has won 23 of its last 28 against nonconference regular season opponents. The Buffaloes have won 18 of their last 19 nonconference regular season games at the Coors Events Center.
KING’S COURT: Senior guard George King enters the Paradise Jam needing just 97 points to become the 34th member of Colorado’s 1,000 point club. He currently ranks 40th in all-time scoring with 903 points.
King needs just six 3-pointers to enter the Buffaloes’ career top 10 list and his 40.3 percentage from 3-point range would put him second all-time at Colorado, just behind Mack Tuck’s 40.6 from 1993-96.
King is tied with former teammate Askia Booker (2011-15) and Fred Edmonds (1993-97) for 32nd in rebounds with 446.
DOM’S DIMES AND SWIPES: Senior guard Dominque Collier has moved into 25th in career steals with 82 and 32nd in assists at 179. He is on pace to become the 16th Colorado player with 200 assists and 100 steals.
Radio: 760 AM KDSP (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Watch Online: FloHoops.com (Andy Katz, Trevor Williams)
Listen Online: CUBuffs.com
Live Statistics: CUBuffs.com
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (all times MST)
Friday, Nov. 17
Game 1: Mercer vs. Liberty at 10 a.m.
Game 2: Drexel vs. Houston at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: Quinnipiac vs. Colorado at 4 p.m.
Game 4: Drake vs. Wake Forest at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 at 10 a.m.
Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 at 4 p.m.
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19
7th Place Game at 10 a.m.
4th Place Game at approx. 12:30 p.m.
3rd Place Game at 4 p.m.
Championship Game at approx. 6:30 p.m
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 2-0 for the third time in four years after opening the season with home wins over Northern Colorado (66-51) and Denver (89-62).
The Buffaloes have spread the wealth early with four players averaging double-digits and those four separated by just three total points. Senior George King and freshman McKinley Wright IV have scored in double figures both games and lead the team at 11.5 and 11.0 points per game respectively.
Against Denver, Colorado had 12 players score, 10 had at least two rebounds, eight had an assist and six had a made 3-point field goal.
Colorado has outrebounded its first two opponents by an average of plus-15. The bulk of that margin came against Denver, as the Buffaloes doubled up the Pioneers 46-23. That plus-23 margin is Colorado’s best since outrebounding Fort Lewis by the exact same count (46-23) on Dec. 2 2015. It’s also ties for the seventh-largest during the Tad Boyle era.
The Buffaloes’ defense limited UNC and Denver to 37 percent shooting and just 21.4 percent from 3-point range (12-56). The 3-point defense is tops in the Pac-12 Conference on the early season league leaderboard.
George King is averaging 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while hitting 60 percent from the field. He has led, or co-led, the Buffaloes in rebounding in both games, including a team season-high nine boards against UNC.
He led the Buffaloes on opening night against UNC scoring 12 points along with his nine rebounds. Shrugging off early foul trouble - he picked up two fouls in the first four minutes - King had all 12 of his points and eight of his nine rebounds in the second half.
King is Colorado’s leading returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game a year ago. The 2015-16 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year, King had a team-best six double-doubles as a junior. He led the Buffaloes in rebounding while ranking third in scoring.
McKinley Wright IV is averaging 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while topping the team in both steals (3) and assists (5). He has scored in double figures in both contests, including a 12-point effort vs. Denver where he hit 6 of 10 from the field.
Wright got the starting nod at point guard against the Bears and had a solid all-around line with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. He became the first true freshman to start for the Buffaloes since Josh Scott in 2012-13 and first point guard since Nate Tomlinson in 2008-09. It should be noted that Spencer Dinwiddie did start his first game in 2011-12, and all 36 games of the season, but played primarily off the ball with Tomlinson running the point.
Namon Wright, a transfer from Missouri, is averaging 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 58 percent (7-12) in his first two games as a Buffalo. He had a team-high 14 points against Denver hitting 4 of 5 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line.
He got the starting nod and scored seven points with four rebounds and an assist against UNC.
Dominique Collier is second on the team in assists and steals. He had three assists, two points and two steals against UNC. Senior forward Tory Miller-Stewart had 11 points and five rebounds in the win over Northern Colorado. It was the 15th double-figure scoring game of his career. Miller-Stewart was 5 of 8 from the foul line matching his personal best in free throw attempts. It was also his fourth career game with five or more free throws made.
Sophomore forward Lucas Siewert is second on the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game while also pitching in 6.0 points a contest. He has matched or set a personal best in rebounding in each of the first two games. Siewert tied King for the team lead with a career high seven rebounds against Denver. He matched his previous career high with six rebounds against Northern Colorado.
Sophomore guard Deleon Brown is averaging 10 points over the first two games while hitting 57 percent from the floor (8-14). He hit double figures in scoring for the fourth time in his career with 13 points in the win over Denver. He set new personal bests for field goals made and attempted (5 of 9) while also grabbing a career-high two steals. He had seven points on 3 of 5 shooting against UNC.’’
Colorado’s freshman class is contributing early. Along with Wright,
Tyler Bey, a 6-7, 206-pound guard/forward from Las Vegas, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He played 16 minutes against Denver with four points, including a highlight reel alley oop dunk from Wright.
Lazar Nikolic, a 6-7, 205-pound guard from Belgrade, Serbia, is averaging 2.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. He grabbed six rebounds and drained his first career 3-point attempt against UNC. D’Shawn Schwartz, a 6-7, 223-pound guard/forward from Colorado Springs, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field (4-8). He had seven points and six rebounds against Denver.
Colorado’s two redshirt freshman got their feet wet during the first week of the regular season. Dallas Walton, a 7-0 forward/center, scored his first collegiate points on a 3-pointer against Denver, finishing with five points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Alexander Strating, a 6-7 forward, made his Colorado debut against Denver scoring four points in the closing minutes.
THE BOBCATS: Quinnipiac is 1-1 overall splitting in its first two home games of the season. The Bobcats defeated Dartmouth 78-77 in the opener on Nov. 11 and fell to Brown, 79-72, on Nov. 13. Quinnipiac is shooting 44 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, the Bobcats have allowed 78 points per game on 42 percent shooting. QU has 15 blocked shots in the first two games.
Senior forward Chaise Daniels is averaging 19.5 points over the first two contests, shooting 58 percent from the floor. He already has six blocks on the season and is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Isaiah Washington is averaging 13 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Washington is a graduate transfer from Penn State and was on the Nittany Lions team that Colorado defeated in Las Vegas in November 2015, but played only a couple minutes with no stats. Freshman guard Rich Kelly is averaging 12.5 points and 8.5 assists per game.
Quinnipiac was 10-21 in 2016-17, tying for eighth place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
THE NEXT ROUND: Wake Forest enters the Paradise Jam looking for its first win of the season after dropping a pair of home games to Georgia Southern (85-83) and Liberty (79-66). Junior guard Bryant Crawford leads Wake Forest at 20 points per game. Junior guard Keyshawn Woods is averaging a double-double at 19.5 points and a team-best 10 rebounds and outing.
Drake is 1-0 after a 101-54 win over Coe (Iowa) College on Nov. 11. Senior guard Graham Woodward scored 20 points in the win, hitting all five of his 3-point attempts. Senior guard Reid Timmer had 16 points and six rebounds.
POSSIBLE SUNDAY OPPONENTS: Host Liberty is 2-0, including a road win of fellow tournament participant Wake Forest. Lovell Cabbil tops the Flames at 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Houston opened its season with an 81-53 win over McNeese. Sophomore guard Armoni Brooks led the way with 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Junior forward Breaon Brady had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Mercer enters the tournament at 2-1, winning its last two after dropping its season opener at UCF. Senior guard Ria’n Holland is averaging 22 points per game and shooting 60 percent from 3-point range (12-20).
Drexel is 1-1 overall, averaging 82 points per game and shooting 46 percent. The Dragons feature five players in double-digit scoring led by junior guard Tramaine Isabell who had 22 points in the 95-81 win over Arcadia.
SERIES RECORDS: Colorado will meet Quinnipiac for the first time. As for Saturday’s possible opponents, the Buffaloes won their only meeting with Wake Forest, 89-72 on Jan. 9, 1991, in Winston-Salem. Colorado has a 3-1 series edge over Drake, with the last meeting an 82-80 CU win in overtime on Nov. 24, 1996.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Houston is Colorado’s most played opponent in the tournament with the series tied at 3-3 and the Buffaloes taking the last two games played at home in 1994 and 1995. Drexel is Colorado’s most recent opponent, having defeated the Dragons 65-48 in Boulder in the only match up in the series on Nov. 14, 2014. Colorado is 2-0 against Mercer, last playing in 2005. The Buffaloes have played Liberty once, a 93-77 CU win on Jan. 2, 1995.
SENIOR EXPERIENCE vs. FRESH FACES: Six players made their Colorado debuts against UNC. The Buffaloes have nine players on their roster (eight active) that had never played a minute in a Colorado uniform in a regular season game. That list includes six true freshmen and three red shirts who spent 2016-17 with the program.
Colorado’s three senior regulars - George King, Tory Miller-Stewart and Dominique Collier - have combined for 285 career games and 131 starts. The other 12 players on the roster (11 active) have a combined 10 starts and 98 career games. Out of those 98 games, 18 of those belong to senior walk-on Josh Repine accounting for a total of 23 career minutes played.
NONCONFERENCE: Colorado has won 23 of its last 28 against nonconference regular season opponents. The Buffaloes have won 18 of their last 19 nonconference regular season games at the Coors Events Center.
KING’S COURT: Senior guard George King enters the Paradise Jam needing just 97 points to become the 34th member of Colorado’s 1,000 point club. He currently ranks 40th in all-time scoring with 903 points.
King needs just six 3-pointers to enter the Buffaloes’ career top 10 list and his 40.3 percentage from 3-point range would put him second all-time at Colorado, just behind Mack Tuck’s 40.6 from 1993-96.
King is tied with former teammate Askia Booker (2011-15) and Fred Edmonds (1993-97) for 32nd in rebounds with 446.
DOM’S DIMES AND SWIPES: Senior guard Dominque Collier has moved into 25th in career steals with 82 and 32nd in assists at 179. He is on pace to become the 16th Colorado player with 200 assists and 100 steals.
