Buffs Set To Host Harvard Sunday

Game 4 - Harvard, Sunday, November 17, 2024
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.

Tip: 12:01 p.m. MT

Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4froIDW

Radio: KHOW 630 AM (Jerry Schemmel)

Listen Online: Sirius XM 388, SXM App 978

Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/546192

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 3-0 to start a season for the second-straight year and third time in the last four years following its 83-53 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 13. The Buffaloes have won their last six home games dating back to last year and have won 19 of 20 since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.

Colorado's offense was in high hear against the Titans. The Buffaloes were 12 of 27 from 3-point range (.444) after going just 14 of 41 (.341) over the first two games. Colorado's 12 3-point field goals against Cal State Fullerton was its most since making 13 almost a year to the day, Nov. 15, 2023 vs. Milwaukee. The Buffaloes dished out a season-high 22 assists, improving from just nine in the previous game against Northern Colorado.

GRAND GRAD DEBUTS: Colorado's three graduate transfers, spanning all levels of collegiate basketball, have had successful debuts

Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, is averaging 9.0 points and shooting 54 percent from the field to start the season. He is second on the team in rebounding at 7.0 per game and leads the squad with four blocked shots.

Baskin played a key role in Colorado's comeback win over Eastern Washington with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 22 minutes. He just missed a double-double against Northern Colorado with nine points and nine rebounds

Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small college player in the nation, leads the Buffaloes in scoring at 13.3 points per game while shooting an outstanding 70 percent from the field (14-20).

Malone led all scorers against Northern Colorado with 27 points on 8 of 12 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. He made the 100th 3-point field goal of his collegiate career in the first half against the Bears. He is seven points away from the 2,000-point mark as a collegian, now with 1,993 through 142 career games. Including Grace, it was his 28th career game of 20-plus points. Malone made his Division I debut with seven rebounds, four points and two blocks in just under 13 minutes against Eastern Washington.

Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, has averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds over his first three games. He leads the Buffaloes in steals with seven, nabbing a team season-high four against Northern Colorado.

Jakimovski scored a team-high 17 points against Cal State Fullerton hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range. His five 3-pointers made tied his overall collegiate high which he had done three times at Washington State, most recently at Oregon State on Feb. 8, 2024. In his Buffaloes debut, Jakimovski had 11 points, was the team's co-leader in rebounds with seven rebounds and added three steals.

SMITH'S RETURN: Sophomore guard RJ Smith is averaging 8.0 points while shooting 56 percent from the field in his return to action after missing the final 30 games of 2023-24 with a leg injury. Smith had nine points on a career-best four field goals made against UNC. Playing in his first game since Nov. 29, 2023, Smith had seven points and a career-best four assists against Cal State Fullerton.

OUT OF THE RUFF: Junior guard Javon Ruffin is averaging 10.3 points while shooting 52 percent from the field. He is second on the team in assists with eight, after dishing out a career-high five against Cal State Fullerton. He surpassed his previous career-best of three in the first half alone with four assists. Ruffin also recorded a personal-high three steals against the Titans.

Ruffin scored 12 points in each of the first two games this season, marking the third time he's had back-to-back double-figure scoring games, but first since his freshman season. He now has 12 field goals in three games compared to 11 in 18 games last season. .

DIOP DOUBLE AND TRIPLE: Sophomore forward Assane Diop leads Colorado in rebounding at 7.7 per game and has 18 in the last two games alone (9.0 rpg).

He didn't score a single point, or take a shot for that matter, against Cal State Fullerton, but had eight rebounds, leading the Buffaloes for the second-straight game. Diop had 10 rebounds against Northern Colorado, three better than his previous best of seven vs. California (2/28/24). He led Led the Buffaloes in rebounding for the first time. In addition, Diop made his first career 3-point field goal. He had missed the first nine attempts of his career (first 33 games)

NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 130-39 (.769) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including an 83-22 mark (.790) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.

Colorado is 99-8 (.925) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 7-2 mark in postseason action.

RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:

- 6-straight

- 19 of their last 20

- 32 of 38 (32-6)

- 55 of 68 (54-14)

- 68 of 84 (68-16)

- 83 of 101 (83-18)

- 95 of 1156 (95-21)

- 116 of 141 (116-25)

In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 196-40 at home (.831). The Buffaloes are 509-191 (.727) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 15 seasons.

Colorado was 16-1 at the CU Events Center in 2023-24, tying for the most regular season home wins in a season joining the 2015-16 (16-1) and 2013-14 (16-2) teams at that mark (the 2010-11 team won a school-record 18 home games, which included three postseason NIT victories).

BOYLE MILESTONES: Head coach Tad Boyle, in his 15th season, picked up his 300th win at Colorado during the win over Northern Colorado, the most in program history.

Boyle-led teams own 10 of the 14 20-win seasons in team history, the top five single-season win totals and seven of the top eight. With a record of 301-183 at CU, his 62.2 winning percentage is second all-time just behind Forrest "Frosty" Cox at 62.3 from 1936-50.

During Colorado's 13-year stint in the Pac-12 Conference, Boyle won 131 regular season league games, tying with Ernie Kent (Oregon 1998-2010 & Washington State 2014-19) for 17th in conference history.

Boyle owns the most wins at a state of Colorado NCAA Division I institution. He is 357-249 (.589) in his 19th year between Colorado and Northern Colorado (four seasons, 2006-10). Boyle is currently fifth in career wins for a head coach at any Colorado four-year school.

ABOUT THE CRIMSON: Harvard is 1-3 overall and dropped its last three - all on the road. The Crimson are averaging 67.5 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. Harvard has struggled from long range, shooting just 28 percent. Defensively, the Crimson are allowing 74.5 points per game while opponents have shot 45 percent.

Robert Hinton leads Harvard at 20 points per game shooting 52 percent from the field. Chandler Pigge leads the Crimson in rebounding at 8.0 per game while ranking second in scoring at 13.0 points per contest. Thomas Batties II averages 10 points, 5.5 rebounds and has a team-best seven 3-point field goals.

THE SERIES: This will be the fifth meeting between Colorado and Harvard with the Buffaloes holding a 3-1 advantage. This will be the first meeting since a 70-62 Colorado win at the Events Center on Nov. 24, 2013. Harvard's lone win in the series was an 82-66 decision on Nov. 28, 2010, in Cambridge, Mass.

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Players Mentioned

Trevor Baskin

Assane Diop

Andrej Jakimovski

Elijah Malone

Javon Ruffin

RJ Smith

Colorado University Athletics