At what was supposed to be a neutral-site, Dayton fans flooded the United Center to take over the Chicago Legends showcase. Although they came with high spirits, they will head back to Ohio with the image of a buzzer-beating game-winner fresh in their minds.
Colorado, looking to build off its dominant win against Prairie View just two nights ago, needed to steal this win from Dayton. Although they had a flat start that included a 14-point deficit within the first 10 minutes of play, the Buffs maintained their composure and slowly chipped away at the lead.
While they played well throughout regulation, Dayton forward Obi Toppin hit a three that sent the game into overtime. Still going back and forth, Colorado inbounded the ball with 10 seconds remaining, down one. After Wright dished it inside to Bey, the double-team on the block Allowed Bey to find a wide-open D’Shawn Schwartz who splashed in the buzzer-beating three-ball.
Here’s what went down Saturday night:
McKinley Wright shut the crowd out again and again
For those of you questioning why McKinley Wright was showered with boo’s every time he touched the ball, it’s because the Dayton fans are still not over the past. Wright de-committed from the Flyers in favor of Colorado, and he came out with a fire tonight.
In his best game of the season, Wright dropped 29 points along with 10 rebounds and two assists. He shot the ball twice as much as anyone else on his team, hitting almost 50%. Although he only dropped in one deep ball, Wright left everything he had on the floor.
Wright and the Buffs bested Dayton last season in the NIT Tournament, but this one felt much bigger. Dayton entered the night No. 13 in the country, and it was pivotal for Colorado to take a big win before entering conference play.
This served as McKinley Wright’s coming out party, as his season has been below a lot of expectations thus far. But as many people know, college basketball is never truly about the best team but rather the team who figures it out at the right time. If it had to take Colorado all of the non-conference play to figure out their identity, both on offense and defense, while also getting their star player in peak form, then Oregon will be in for a long night come Jan. 2.
Colorado controlled the paint and the star
There are a lot of subtle nuances to the game of basketball that the casual observer may miss, and final rebounding totals could easier slip under the nose. In this case, it was a full 40 minutes of dominance from both the front and backcourt.
The Buffs pulled in 45 rebounds, including 20 on the offensive, to dominate the post presence. When playing against one of the best bigs in the country with Obi Toppin, this is no small feat. Speaking of which, Toppin was held relatively in check throughout the night. Compared to his other performances this year, his 17 points is one of his lowest.
Evan Battey built on his phenomenal performance against Prairie View by pulling in 12 boards and nine points with an 83% showing from the free-throw line. His dominance of late has helped to overcome the pressure on Tyler Bey, as teams are forced to key in on Bey on the block and can leave the powerful Battey to clean up the boards.
The Buffs played their cleanest game of the year
It seems the Buffaloes are finally turning the corner when it comes to playing clean team basketball. In what was the best showing of the season, Colorado was able to play very well as a unit while controlling the ball.
They had four fewer turnovers than the Flyers, forcing 14 while giving it away only 10 times. The clean ball control was due to a noticeable change in pace for the Buffs, as most possessions were organized and players were confident in their positioning. With that confidence came better decision-making, as they trusted the plays and did not force many passes.
They also forced their way to the free-throw line and made the most of every trip. The Buffs shot an amazing 81% from the charity stripe, converting 17 shots on 21 attempts. If they can continue this pace heading into Pac-12 play, no team will be able to stop them on the road to the tournament. Yes, there will still be off nights, but altogether, tonight should be a sign of how high the ceiling is on this extremely experienced squad.
Looking ahead
Colorado will take some time off for the holidays before returning home to finish non-conference play against Iona on Dec. 29. The game tips-off at 2 p.m. at the CU Events Center or on Pac-12 Network.
