Buffs Ready For Hostile Atmosphere As They Face No. 7 Ducks
February 17, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
EUGENE, Ore. — Minutes after Thursday night's 60-52 win over Oregon State, Colorado coach Tad Boyle said he expected the No. 7 Oregon Ducks to be "loaded for bear" for Saturday's 1 p.m. game in Eugene.
Loaded for Buffs might be more accurate. When the Buffs walk into Matthew Knight Arena, they'll be in the midst of an atmosphere the likes of which they haven't seen all year.
— For starters, Oregon is riding the crest of a 41-game home win streak, the longest active such streak in the nation.
— It's senior day for Oregon, meaning it's the last time the home fans will see their team on their home floor until next season.
— A sellout crowd is expected.
— And, of course, just about everyone in the building will be aching for the Ducks to avenge a 74-65 loss in Boulder earlier this season, a defeat that ended a 17-game Oregon win streak.
Incentive? No doubt the Ducks have plenty. Throw in the fact that with a 23-4 overall record and a 12-2 Pac-12 mark, every game to them is a way to improve their NCAA Tournament seed, and Colorado knows it will get Oregon's best shot.
The Buffs (16-11, 6-8), meanwhile, are simply playing to keep their slim NCAA hopes alive — and a win over the high-flying Ducks on their home floor would go a long, long way in boosting their tournament resume.
Boyle's game plan?
"We're going to go let it all hang out," Boyle said. "We're going to let it all hang out and play basketball."
Thanks to their late-January win — their second in a stretch that has seen them win six of seven — the Buffs know they are capable of beating the Ducks.
In that win, Colorado put forth probably its best defensive effort of the season. CU held then-No. 10 Oregon to just 38.6 percent shooting (22-of-57) and the Ducks' 65 points was their lowest Pac-12 total of the season. CU also forced 16 Oregon turnovers and reaped 15 points off of those miscues.
Offensively, the Buffs played well against one of the nation's best defensive squads. Colorado shot just 42 percent for the game (25-for-59), but did have three players in double figures, led by 23 points from Derrick White. George King added 13 points and eight rebounds, Xavier Johnson had 10 points and nine rebounds and Wesley Gordon added eight points and six rebounds and some stellar defense inside.
It was, in short, one of the Buffs' best games of the year — if not the best.
Now they have plenty riding on the rematch. It is CU's last road game of the year, with the final three — Utah, Stanford and Cal — all at home.
"I know it's going to be a heck of a challenge and a heck of an atmosphere," Boyle said. "That's why you coach and that's why you play this game, is for environments and games like on Saturday. We'll be ready. I hope we play well because we're going to have to."
White and his teammates are looking forward to the opportunity.
"It's going to be a battle," White said. "They're great at home. They haven't lost a home game in like two years. We know it's going to be a battle and they're going to give us their shot. We just have to be ready, execute our game plan and defend."
THE SERIES: The Buffs hold a 10-6 all-time series lead, including a 7-4 mark in Pac-12 play. Oregon has won three of the last five and holds a 5-2 edge in games in Eugene, including the last two. Tad Boyle is 7-5 vs. Oregon as a head coach, 7-4 while at Colorado. Oregon coach Dana Altman is 9-10 vs. the Buffs — 4-7 at Oregon and 5-3 while at Kansas State.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by Fox, with Aaron Goldsmith and Jim Jackson handling the call. Newsradio 850 AM and 94.1 FM will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
