Buffaloes Overwhelmed by Wildcats' Offensive Onslaught at McKale Center
The Colorado Buffaloes faced a challenging contest against the Arizona Wildcats, concluding with a 50-97 scoreline. The Buffaloes now stand with an unranked status, while the Wildcats boast a rank of 10. The game unfolded at the McKale Center in Tucson, where 14,286 fans witnessed the home team's dominance.
From tip-off, it was evident that the Buffaloes were up against a formidable opponent. Despite their efforts, they trailed at halftime with only 23 points to the Wildcats' commanding 50. The second half saw a slight improvement in offense from Colorado as they added another 27 points to their tally; however, it was not enough to close the gap significantly.
The Buffaloes struggled offensively throughout the game with a field goal percentage of just 36 percent and were particularly challenged beyond the arc where they shot only 27 percent. They managed to convert just six out of ten free throw attempts for a free throw percentage of 60 percent. Inside play was more effective for them as they scored 30 points in paint.
Defensively, Colorado had difficulties containing Arizona's fast-paced attack which resulted in them conceding an overwhelming number of fast break points totaling up to twenty-four for Arizona compared to their own six. The rebounding battle also went heavily in favor of Arizona who grabbed forty-five rebounds over Colorado's twenty-five.
Colorado did show some resilience on defense with two blocks and four steals but ultimately could not match Arizona's ten steals and four blocks which contributed significantly to their defensive prowess.
The statistics further illustrate how tough an evening it was for Colorado; they ended up committing eighteen turnovers while managing only thirteen assists leading to an assist-turnover ratio below one (0.81). In contrast, Arizona displayed excellent ball movement and decision-making ending up with nineteen assists and just eleven turnovers resulting in an impressive assist-turnover ratio (1.73).
Looking ahead after this tough outing on enemy territory, fans can catch the next game featuring Colorado Buffaloes as they travel again; this time facing off against Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena located in Tempe on January 6th at around 6:00 PM local time (Mountain Time Zone). This upcoming matchup will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU channel number two hundred eight for those following from home or elsewhere.