The #5 Houston Cougars are 18-4 (10-1) and are in Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes 9-13 (0-11). Colorado is struggling in their first year in the Big 12. They had a solid team last year but lost three players to the NBA Draft (Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva, and KJ Simpson).

Coach Tad Boyle has had to revamp his roster completely, and they are still learning how to win together. Similar to Utah, they have a ton of size, with four starters over 6’8″, but even with that size, Colorado is not good at rebounding or taking care of the ball. To make matters worse, UH is getting Ja’Vier Francis back.

Colorado has a few candidates for the “Head of the Snake.” Julian Hammond III is their leading scorer and best returner from last year’s team, and I REALLY like 6’11” forward Bangot Dak. He brings a lot of good energy on defense and is an elite rim protector. However, he may be a bit thin to face the trio of J’Wan Robers, Jojo Tugler, and Ja’Vier Francis.

My “Head of the Snake” for the Buffs is graduate senior forward Andrej Jakimovski. He is a legit three-level scorer who is solid from beyond the arc, can shoot off the bounce, or can post up if a smaller individual is guarding him. He is their best player, and I think J’Wan will likely get the assignment to start on him.

The Buffs have a good win over UCONN in Maui on their resumé, and they played Iowa State pretty close in the Big 12 opener. This will be their biggest home game this year and should have a rowdy crowd (although well short of capacity). The Coogs must focus on handling business before flying home for the Big Monday game vs. Baylor.

Side Note: When I was at UAB, we played at Wyoming (7,200ft). Our players had never played in that kind of altitude. They got winded WAY quicker than usual; some even had nose bleeds. UH hasn’t played anywhere with the altitude like Boulder (5,400ft) in a while. The closest would be in Provo (4,550ft) last season. To combat the altitude, UH had a shorter practice on Thursday between an off day on Wednesday and a flight/shoot-around in Boulder on Friday. Just something I’d keep an eye on if I was on the bench.

Colorado National Rankings

Net – #110; Houston Ranked #3
Kenpom – #106; Houston Ranked #3
AP Poll – #NR; Houston Ranked #5
Coaches Poll – #NR; Houston Ranked #5

Colorado Offensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#47 – Free Throw Percentage: 75.85%

Buffs Defensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

None…

Colorado Offensive Notes

The Buffs are 346th nationally in turnovers per game (15.1). A big reason is that they don’t have a true point guard. It will be interesting to see how they perform against a defense as tough as Houston. Their season-high is 22 turnovers – I think UH could easily cause that many or more.
They don’t have the dominant scorer most Big 12 teams have. They will look to get everyone involved and go to whoever has the hot hand.
They are not a great three-point shooting team. If someone gets hot, the Coogs should look to take them away immediately.

Buffs Defensive Notes

The Coogs should look to drive on them. They struggled to stay in front of Utah’s unathletic guards.
They may try some full-court pressure. It’s not very good. UH should just blow by them and look for early offense opportunities.
I expect to see a lot of a 2-3 zone. They are not quick enough to stay in front of the Houston guards in a M2M defense. Their length could be a problem for Houston in a 2-3 zone.
What they lack in speed, they make up for with length. Dak is an excellent shot-blocker but goes on initial movement. If J’Wan uses his “shot-fake” to get him in the air and then uses his strength to jump into him, he will have some “And-1” opportunities.
Although the Buffs are tall, they are predominately thin. The stronger/more athletic Coogs should have a field day on the offensive glass.

Colorado Personnel Report

(* Indicates Probable Starters)

*#23 – Andrej Jakimovski – 6’8″ – GR – Forward – (Reale Mutua Torino/ Washington State) – 10ppg, 4rpg.

Head of the Snake;
Big body forward and plays hard;
Three-level scorer;
Decent three-point shooter – 30/99 (30%);
Can play in the post if he has a mismatch;
Good at driving to the rim.

*#8 – Bangot Dak – 6’11” – SO – Forward – 7ppg, 4rpg, 1.5bpg.

EXTREMELY long/skinny/athletic forward;
Excellent shot-blocker/affecter. Goes on the first move…shot fakes bother him;
Panics under pressure; MONSTER is going to really bother him;
Decent scorer in the paint;
Capable of shooting the three – 9/28 (32%);
They like to look for him in transition.

*#3 – Julian Hammond III – 6’2″ – SR – Guard – 13ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.

Lead scoring guard;
Best returner from last season;
Good three-point shooter – 37/97 (38%);
Outstanding free-throw shooter – 59/65 (91%);
Nationally Ranked Top 50: #13 – Free throw percentage: 90.77%;

*#6 – Trevor Baskin – 6’9″ – GR – Forward – (Colorado Mesa) – 9ppg, 6rpg, 2apg.

Tall/thin forward;
Best in the mid-range and in the paint; Solid post moves; Patient in the post;
Gets to the free-throw line often but isn’t great once he gets there – 54/79 (69%);
Underwhelming (but capable) three-point shooter – 5/20 (25%);
Will struggle to keep the UH big-men off the boards;

*#7 – Sebastian Rancik – 6’9″ – FR – Forward – 5ppg, 2rpg.

Tall/thin forward;
I expect him to get bullied by J’Wan, Jojo, Ja’Vier, and Ced;
Good three-point shooter – 13/36 (36%);
Best when in the paint.

#11 – Javon Ruffin – 6’5″ – JR – Guard – 7ppg, 2rpg, 2apg.

Rangy/thin guard;
Looks to bring an offensive spark off the bench;
Solid three-point shooter; Can shoot it from deep – 19/53 (36%);
Capable of scoring off the bounce.

#35 – Assane Diop – 6’8″ – SO – Forward – 4ppg, 4rpg.

Lengthy forward;
Pretty good rebounder on both ends;
Nice touch in the paint;
Poor three-point shooter – 4/17 (24%).

#50 – Elijah Malone – 6’10” – GR – Center – (Grace College) – 8ppg, 3rpg.

MASSIVE body/physical post player;
Two-time NAIA All-American, but this ain’t the NAIA;
Decent passer in the post; MONSTER will give him problems;
Can’t jump over a sheet of paper, but uses his body to be physical in the paint;

#5 – RJ Smith – 6’3″ – SO – Guard – 5ppg, 2rpg, 43% 3pt.

Outside shooter off the bench;
Best outside shooter on the team – 24/56 (43%).

#31 – Harrison Carrington – 6’7″ – SO – Guard/Forward – 3ppg, 1rpg.

Tall back-up guard;
Best at driving to the basket to draw fouls – 22/27 (82%) at the line.

#15 – Felix Kossaras – 6’5″ – FR – Guard – 1ppg, 1rpg.

Tall/skinny freshman guard;
Really poor outside shooter; 1/8 (13%);
Has only attempted 21 shots on the season; 7/21 (33%);

Keys to Victory

Feed the post early. I would run the offense through J’Wan early. If they decide to go zone, I’d attack gaps in their defense. They don’t have anyone with the strength or skill to stop Wan in the post.
Kill them on the boards. They are huge, but most are thin or inexperienced. I expect a 10+ rebounding day from J’Wan AND Jojo (if they stay out of foul trouble).
Pressure, Pressure, Pressure them. Colorado has no true point guard on their roster. I could see them setting a season-high turnover rate if the referees allow Houston to Blitz and MONSTER without calling petty fouls.
Don’t settle when they go zone. They are going to go zone at some point. I am hoping Houston won’t settle for side-to-side, quick shots. I’d like to see them attack the gaps in the zone and get inside-out, three-point shot opportunities. The UH “Hi-Low” looks with J’Wan at the free throw line to score or pass to open shooters should work as well.
GATA from the jump. I had to say “GATB” (Get after their butts) when coaching high school kids. Now I can get back to “GATA” (GET AFTER THEIR ASSES) from the time the ball is tipped until the final buzzer. The Coogs need to make a statement in this conference road game, stay focused, dominate the entire game, and fly home to take on Baylor on Monday night.

Scouting the Colorado Buffs