The keys to Colorado’s success in their 77-64 win over Stanford

BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes earned their fourth-straight victory on Saturday with a 77-64 win over the Stanford Cardinal.

The win propels the Buffs into fourth place in the Pac-12, putting them in position for a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The winning streak has included both home and road victories against a variety of opponents, with the Stanford victory just another notch in Tad Boyle’s regular-season belt.

The Cardinal has been considered a top-4 team in the conference since the preseason, and have a strong player of the year candidate in Oscar da Silva as well as potential lottery pick Ziaire Williams. Even behind da Silva’s double-double and Williams’ best game of his collegiate career, Colorado blew them out of the water.

After a close first half, the Buffs ended on a huge run to give them a double-digit lead into halftime. They hit eight threes in that first half, and the only time Stanford drew closer was when Colorado began playing strictly downhill.

In summary, this win marks another against a quality opponent for this 2021 Buffs team and should thrust them into the Top 25 rankings come Monday morning.

Here are a few key takeaways from Colorado’s 17-point victory over Stanford.

Rim and paint protection returned

Colorado had five blocks on Saturday while also drawing six charges, aiding in their improved paint defense from recent games.

Today, the Buffs tied the Cardinal with 28 points in the paint each, which is noteworthy considering Colorado was still without 7-footer Dallas Walton, who warmed up but did not enter the game.

The improved presence in the post also showed in the rebounding advantage, as Colorado cleaned up both offensive and defensive ends. All in all, it was the most promising showing from the frontcourt since Walton’s injury.

Much of the production came from Evan Battey, who notched his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jeriah Horne also scored in double figures, knocking in two three-pointers for 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.

However, it was the freshman who once again stole the show.

After playing 27 minutes against Cal, Jabari Walker was in just 18 for the Buffs this afternoon.

He still almost had another double-double.

Walker scored 11 points and had eight rebounds, and also came away with a steal and two blocked shots.

Walker is leading all Pac-12 freshmen in points and rebounds per 40 minutes, showing just how effective he has been playing to this point. He should be the favorite for conference freshman of the week.

When it rains, it pours from three

Colorado has been incredibly inconsistent from deep this season.

Today, it was no different.

The Buffs started just 1-7 in the first 10 minutes, followed by 7-10 in the last 10 of the first half. An incredible turnaround that aided in building an insurmountable lead.

In the second, Colorado finished just 1-10. 

So, where is the inconsistency coming from?

The Buffs are simply just caught in a spell where they cannot play average offense. They are either lights-out or lights very much on, and today was no different.

Now, several missed attempts came when the game was way out of reach, and Colorado was simply playing backyard hoops. Still, it would have been nice to see their shooting continue to improve after the game against Cal.

A balanced-attack can compete with anyone

Colorado is not the team to play hero ball.

They do not recruit for it and are not coaching for it. This team plays its best when the ball is flying around the halfcourt, setting up shooters and driving lanes.

Colorado assisted on over half of their field goals during the game, leading to four players scoring in double-digits. While the percentages from the floor (41%) and three (33%) still need improvement, the Buffs are continuing to get quality looks. Now, it just comes to finishing.

For example, Eli Parquet missed an easy finish underneath. This was the first game all season that Parquet attempted more than eight shots. He does not look to take many shots, but instead plays quality defense and normally converts well on limited shots. 

Today, the shots just did not fall.

But the Buffs did not falter because of it. When one player is struggling, seemingly two are chomping at the bit to get into the game. This is where Tad Boyle can separate his program: focus on playing a night’s worth of cards and finishing ahead rather than pushing all your chips in on one hand.

It may not be flashy and may leave fans feeling complacent some years. But the 2021 Buffs team looks better than they did last year, and have more time to prove it.

What’s next?

Colorado will head to the northwest this week taking on the Washington schools.

First up: the Huskies, who have yet to earn a conference win and whom the Buffs previously beat in December by a score of 92-69.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST on Wednesday.