Two takeaways from Colorado's 92-69 win against Washington

The Colorado Buffaloes improved to 5-1 on the season with their 92-69 victory over the Washington Huskies on Sunday evening.

The Buffs were near perfect on the night, with the only repeated errors coming when Tad Boyle turned to the end of the bench during the rout.

For the first time all season, McKinley Wright was held in check. His five points were a season low as he attempted just six shots, but Wright’s offensive performance was more a compliment to the rotation than a slight on the senior point guard. He did a fantastic job breaking the zone, getting others involved, and building an insurmountable lead.

Here are two key takeaways from the Buffs route.

Running out of adjectives for the frontcourt

Dallas Walton was playing in a different league tonight.

His new career-high 20 points led the team as he went 6-7 from the floor and 10-10 from the charity stripe. Evan Battey only attempted one shot from the field but picked up six points from the line to pair with his six rebounds. Jeriah Horne led the bench with 16 points and six rebounds as he found a soft spot in the zone with a nice elbow jumper.

First, Walton is breaking through his ceiling seemingly every week. Against a zone tonight, his length and shot proved to be key, as he was able to splash contested close-range shots and hooks while drawing fouls and cashing in from the charity stripe. His athleticism and size in the half-court have been one of the best improvements for Colorado through this season.

For Battey, his night affirmed he can play consistently within the new role forming for him. This week was all about rebuilding his confidence within the offense, and tonight continued that. With only one shot, he was still able to make an impact from the line and by drawing charges early in the first half.

When looking to the bench, Jeriah Horne’s veteran presence when surrounded by young talent has anchored the second and third units. His scoring ability was on full display tonight, yet his leadership still appears to be most valuable. One player positively impacted by Horne is Jabari Walker, who also put up six points and six rebounds tonight. 

Walker had his first major freshman moment when he received a technical foul after an impressive finish at the rim. While fans can hope this will be the only time he makes this error, it came during a display of his raw talent and athleticism. Although there may not be significant minutes every night for the budding star, Walker is a fantastic find for Tad Boyle and will continue to impact the game more-and-more each night.

Daniels and Schwartz may be the X-factors

After a poor performance against Omaha, Maddox Daniels’ stock was at an all-time low.

In response, he was 3-4 from deep while scoring 10 points with seven rebounds and four assists. While he still may take a questionable shot or two, tonight was a huge boost for Daniels’ confidence. He proved a valuable asset – not just from outside the arc. He was able to involve his teammates and crash the boards, putting together his best game of the season.

Speaking of which, D’Shawn Schwartz continued his progression tonight, scoring 13 points including three deep balls. His confidence has continued to grow throughout the last four games, and tonight, he seemed to have regained complete faith in his abilities. While his comeback from COVID-19 started a bit-rocky, his scoring will be key if Colorado wants to continue winning into conference play.

Both these performances came with McKinley Wright shooting the ball just six times. While it may hurt his season averages, Wright remains the most valuable player on this team and in the Pac-12 conference. His offensive style does not translate well against a zone defense, but to Wright’s credit, he knew this and worked more for others tonight. He only forced a few shots when the shot clock was draining.

In short, the Buffs have now shown that McKinley Wright does not need to score 15+ for their offense to hum.

Yes, Washington is not the best team in the country. But an impressive win like this against a conference opponent in a Power 5 conference is nothing to scoff at.

What’s next?

Colorado will take on Grand Canyon on Tuesday night, with tip-off coming at 9:00 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.