Colorado Basketball: 2019-20 keys for game against Washington State

Colorado Basketball: 2019-20 keys for home game against Washington State

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 26: Tyler Bey #1 of the Colorado Buffaloes is mobbed by teammates as he is announced as the tournament MVP after the team's 71-67 victory over the Clemson Tigers to win the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 26, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: Colorado Buffaloes fans (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

1. Control the game early

The Buffaloes need to throttle the Cougars early and get their home crowd going. Washington State coach Kyle Smith has his team believing in themselves for the first time after last week’s sweep and are riding high after the retirement of Klay Thompson’s jersey on Saturday.

Boulder is known in the Pac-12 as one of the toughest places to play in the conference. The 5,370-foot elevation of the CU Events Center is a big advantage for the Buffs. The Colorado faithful need to put pressure on the Cougars early in the game to take away any thought of an upset by the visitors.

The Cougars are 1-3 in true road games with their only win being a 78-65 victory at Idaho (#287 NET) on Dec. 4, a road trip of less than 10 miles. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes are 8-2 at home.

However, attendance has been an issue in the past. Last season’s game against the Cougs marked their lowest attendance at home for a Pac-12 game since Colorado joined the conference.

Washington State is going to want to push the ball up the floor. That should feed into the Buffaloes’ hands as Colorado has done better this season in games above 70 possessions. The up-tempo should also amp up the home fans.

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