Colorado Basketball will travel Saturday, Dec. 21 to Chicago’s United Center to take on the Dayton Flyers. What are the keys for the Buffaloes to come away with the win?
This will be Colorado Basketball’s most difficult contest before opening up Pac-12 Conference play at home against Oregon on Jan. 2. Tip off will be at 6:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on the CBS Sports Network. The game is a rematch to last March in which Colorado defeated Dayton 78-73 in the first round of the NIT that was played in Boulder.
Dayton was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 this year, behind VCU and Davidson in their preseason media poll. Since then, the Flyers (9-1) have been surging in the polls and now have some folks thinking Final Four for this squad.
The Flyers are ranked #12 in KenPom’s ranking (#13 in the AP Poll, #10 NET). Their lone loss was in overtime to #4 Kansas (#1 in the AP Poll, #2 NET) 90-84 in Maui on Nov. 27.
Meanwhile, #44 Colorado (#33 NET) was picked to come in second in the Pac-12, after receiving an equal number of first place votes as #8 Oregon. The Buffaloes (9-2) are quietly putting together a strong season. Colorado started the season 7-0 before losing back-to-back games, 72-58 at Kansas on Dec. 7 and 79-76 at home against #76 Northern Iowa on Dec. 10. The latter in which the Buffaloes had to climb back after 19-0, nearly six-minute, drought in the middle of the game.
The best wins for the Buffaloes were 81-71 over #83 Arizona State in China and 71-67 over #102 Clemson in Las Vegas.
Colorado is in for a game that should come down to the final minute. To win this one and potential climb into the Top 25, the Buffaloes must take care of the following areas…