San Diego @ Colorado preview
CU Events Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2018 ) Colorado 64, San Diego 70
Colorado’s 13,000-mile roundtrip journey to Shanghai netted a season-opening win. Now the Buffaloes have had a week to recover from their week-long visit to China, and they’ll need it as they tip off a five-game-in-14-day stretch Saturday night with a home date against San Diego.
On Nov. 8 in Shanghai, Colorado downed conference-rival Arizona State 81-71 in this year’s installment of the annual Pac-12 China Game. It officially goes down as a non-conference contest, but it was a victory nonetheless to tip off a season of high expectations for the Buffs, who are hovering just outside the top-25 rankings. “All I can say is that the win made it worthwhile,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said earlier this week. “I can’t imagine coming back without the win. It would’ve put a real sour taste in our mouths. But it was a great experience for our players.” Meanwhile, Saturday will mark Game No. 5 for San Diego of West Coast Conference, and the Toreros will be back in action two nights after beating host Weber State 71-56 in Ogden, Utah.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
ABOUT SAN DIEGO (2-2): Coach Sam Scholl’s squad has bounced back following a pair of season-opening losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State with wins over Fresno State and the Wildcats, both earlier this week. Guard Joey Calcaterra has topped 20 points in each of the last three contests and leads the Toreros with averages of 18.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. Of those who have played in more than one contest, guards Braun Hartfield (12.5 points) and Marion Humphrey (10.3) also are averaging double figures while James Jean-Marie, a 6-7 forward, leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 per outing.
ABOUT COLORADO (1-0): The Buffs built a 17-point lead early in the second half in Shanghai but then had to pull away down the stretch after the Sun Devils rallied to pull even at 59. Colorado’s two preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selections, swingman Tyler Bey and point guard McKinley Wright, led the way with Bey finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Wright contributing 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Bey and Wright have ample help with the Buffs owning one of Division I’s most experienced rosters, and guard D’Shawn Schwartz (15 points, three assists) and forward Evan Battey (11 points, nine rebounds) also scored in double figures in the opener.
TIP-INS
1. The teams are meeting for the third straight season, and San Diego has won the first two, prevailing 70-64 last Nov. 20 in Boulder and 69-59 at home two years ago.
2. Bey, a 6-7 sophomore, notched his 20th career double-double, with nine coming in his last 12 games.
3. Colorado outrebounded Arizona State 48-36 and figures to have the edge on the glass against the Toreros, who are being outboarded by an average of four per contest so far.
PREDICTION: Colorado 77, San Diego 67