ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 5 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
10. Colorado Buffaloes (6-1) Last Week: 6
Just over a week ago, Colorado lost its first game of the season to a respectful mid-major, San Diego. But just a couple days later, Colorado took down Air Force 93-56 to return to its winning ways.
Since then, the Buffaloes won two more games, both of which were played in Boulder.
The first was a 93-69 win over the Portland Pilots. Even though Colorado eventually won by more than 20 points, it wasn’t until late in the game that the Buffaloes pulled away.
At halftime, Colorado led by just three points and allowed a 20-8 run in favor of Portland before the buzzer. But things changed after the break.
After knotting the game at 51, the Buffaloes went on a 16-1 run, ending the game for all practical purposes. Colorado outscored Portland 55-34 in the second half.
McKinley Wright IV led the CU scoring effort with 22 points, and Lucas Siewert followed not too far behind with 18 of his own.
Unlike the Portland game, Colorado State and Colorado were neck-and-neck for the entirety of their Dec. 1 matchup.
Despite trailing by three at half, Colorado used a strong second-half effort to overcome the deficit. The final score was 86-80 in favor of Colorado, and Tyler Bey led the way with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
Even though Colorado was outshot, a strong rebounding performance helped propel the Buffaloes to a win against their in-state rival.
Following the wins, Colorado is 5-1 with four non-conference games outstanding. Along with Arizona State and Oregon State, Colorado is one of three teams in the Pac-12 with fewer than two losses.
More will be known about the Buffaloes come conference play, however. Colorado hasn’t played against one major opponent this season, and the Buffaloes won’t do so until their Jan. 3 game against Arizona.
– Field