The Colorado Buffaloes are off to their best start in over two decades and look to continue their strong play under second-year coach Tad Boyle as the team hosts the Texas Southern Tigers at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
The team is 5-0 this season and ranked 19th in the country in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but haven't started a year with six wins since 1989. The Buffaloes are coming off of a solid 89-74 win against Air Force on Sunday and have been scoring 74 points per game this season.
Colorado scored a season-high 89 against Air Force and had contributions from numerous players, including freshman Josh Scott, who scored a career-high 20 points. Scott has been impressive for the Buffaloes, ranking second on the team in scoring and rebounding, with 13.8 points this season and 5.4 rebounds per game.
"We have weapons inside. We have weapons outside. We can score in transition. We can score in the half court," Boyle said to the Associated Press. "When we make plays for each other, we're pretty good. One of the things we have to do is get our assist-to-turnover ratio better. We had 11 assists and 15 turnovers (Sunday). When we have 15 turnovers I want to have 22, 23 assists."
Guard Askia Booker is leading the team in scoring with 17.2 points per game this season, but he shot only 38 percent against Air Force. The sophomore scored a season-high 23 points against Murray State in the championship game of the Charleston Classic on Nov. 18, which Colorado won 81-74.
The Buffaloes were ranked 23rd last week, but moved up four spots after opening 5-0.
"We don't talk about it," Boyle said. "I'm not going to ignore it. It's a fact and I'm happy for our program. I'm happy for our fans. We have to understand how we got there and understand what we have to do to stay there and concentrate. We don't have to win every game, we just have to figure out what to do to win the next game."
Buffaloes sophomore Spencer Dinwiddie is scoring 13 points and 5.4 rebounds this season. He scored 15 points against Air Force, making all four of his shots, including three 3-pointers. He has scored double digits and made at least one 3-pointer in all five games this season.
Last season Colorado went 24-12 and finished fifth in the Pac-12, tied with UCLA with an 11-7 record. The Buffaloes made it to the NCAA tournament and defeated UNLV, before losing to Baylor 80-63 in the second round.
Texas Southern enters the game against Colorado on a three-game losing streak and will have to fight some statistics for a chance to win.
According to the Associated Press, "Texas Southern has dropped 21 straight non-conference road games and 84 of its last 86 such contests."
Even with those numbers pointing in their favor, Colorado will not overlook the Tigers. When the two teams played last season, Texas Southern rallied from over 20-points behind to cut the game close but eventually lost 56-51.
The Tigers are 1-5 this season under first-year head coach Mike Davis and are ranked in the lower part of the nation in all statistical categories, including assists and rebounds. The team is shooting only 35 percent this year and is ranked 317th in scoring, with just 58 points per game.
Texas Southern started the season with two-straight losses against Boise State and Northwestern, but rebounded for a 74-71 overtime win against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 16.
Leading scorer Ray Penn had 17 points in the win, while Fred Sturdivant added a double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Penn has been the most impressive player for the Tigers, averaging 16.2 points per game. Sturdivant is the top rebounder, averaging seven per game along with nine points and 2.5 blocks.
The Tigers have lost their last three games, including a 60-41 blowout to then-No. 21 ranked Michigan State on Nov. 18. Texas Southern is allowing 75 points per game and has been outrebounded in each of the past three losses.
According to the Associated Press, "Each of the Tigers' 13 games against Top 25 opponents over the past decade has been a loss by at least 16 points, and they fell 69-41 at then-No. 21 Michigan State on Nov. 18."
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