Colorado Basketball: 3 keys for Buffaloes vs Tennessee Volunteers
By Bryan Mauro
Playmakers
When Colorado is right they have a nice trio of guys who are going to be counted on to make plays and one of them, in particular, is a guy who has played a ton of basketball for coach Boyle and has the ability to change games for Colorado. It goes without saying that the best players on the floor for the Buffaloes are going to have to take over. Tristan Da Silva is the big man for Colorado and he is going to present a matchup problem for Tennessee.
When the big man is playing well he is an offensive force from all three levels. He shot 50% from deep in conference play last year. He is very efficient from the floor overall and offense isn’t the only part of his game. He is a good passer for a big man and he does have the ability to get fouled a lot. When he is at the line he shoots well over 80%. Da Silva needs to get the ball and dominate the touches in the offense.
Da Silva is obviously not the only guy who can sway the results in this game for the Buffaloes. The point guard KJ Simpson and wing Nique Clifford are both athletic guards who can create a lot of offensive opportunities for Colorado. They are young and are going to get challenged in this game. If they do not make plays or set up the offense the Buffaloes are going to go back to Boulder at 1-2. They will likely lose the game anyways but they can keep this game close if their playmakers play well and create for each other. Individual play will not get it done. Have to stay together and trust each other. This is still going to be a tough one for Colorado to win regardless.