3 takeaways from Colorado's 90-64 win over Oregon State

BOULDER — The Buffs are back above .500.

The Colorado Buffaloes knocked off the Oregon State Beavers 90-64 on Tuesday in Corvallis. The win improves the Buffs’ record to 16-9 overall and 8-7 in conference play. They’re currently tied for seventh in the Pac-12. Oregon State falls to 3-20 on the season.

The Beavers cut the lead to five with 13:18 to play, but the Buffs pulled away thanks to a 17-0 scoring run.

Jabari Walker reaches new heights

The star of the show on Tuesday—again—was Jabari Walker.

Walker dominated in all of the ways you could expect; getting to the rim, knocking down 3-pointer, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots. He matched his career high with 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while also snagging a career-best 15 boards. He made all 10 of his free throw attempts.

As Colorado’s centerpiece, Walker’s performance will always play an outsized role in determining the outcome of the Buffs’ games and on Tuesday he continued a string of solid play. He’s hit double-digits in scoring in 10 consecutive games. He’s shot 50% or better from the field in four of his last five. He’s notched double-doubles in four in a row. His 13 double-doubles lead the Pac-12.

While the turnover numbers crept up, as they have occasionally for Walker this season, Jabari’s trip to Corvallis is currently in the upper-echelon of his performances during his time at CU.

Tristan da Silva shows off his skill

Tristan da Silva was sharp on Tuesday but that really shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, following a month of incredibly solid and stable play.

He dropped in 3-pointers. He fought his way to the rim. He earned trips to the line.

His play of the night was probably a pass from the high post. He caught the ball at the free-throw line and immediately bounced it behind him to K.J. Simpson, who was flying into the lane at full speed. The defense rotated over, forcing Simpson to pass, so da Silva didn’t earn an assist, despite helping to set up an open 3-pointer.

Most of da Silva’s production came in the first half when the game was still to be decided, but he finished the night with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 32 minutes. He was a team-high +29. (The second best was a three-way tie at +15.)

The sophomore forward may be the most improved player on the team from the season’s start until today, and he’s starting to show off why NBA teams are already taking a peek at him.

In the first 12 games of the season, da Silva scored at least 10 points four times.

Of the 11 games since, he’s hit double figures in nine of them.

Luke O’Brien provides the bench spark

It’s time to start talking about Luke O’Brien.

The sophomore guard saw his role increase when starting shooting guard Elijah Parquet was lost for the season with an injury. Nique Clifford took his starting job and O’Brien became a key reserve for CU.

In the couple of weeks since, O’Brien has elevated his play. On Tuesday, he brought his game to new heights.

O’Brien scored a career-best 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. Four of those shots were from deep. He grabbed three rebounds, too.

Still, O’Brien’s impact is best seen on the defensive end. He’s a stalwart one-on-one with good instincts to help. At 6-foot-8, he has the versatility to guard four positions.

Injuries provided O’Brien with an expanded opportunity, and he’s absolutely taking advantage of it.