SAN ANTONIO – Opening a five-day stretch of westerly matchups, the UTSA men’s basketball team (4-5) will take on the second of three consecutive power conference opponents in this week’s matchup at Colorado, on Saturday at the CU Events Center. Renewing a series last played in 1995, the Roadrunners and Buffaloes will square off at 3 p.m. CT on Dec. 13 in a game broadcasted on ESPN+.
On the Air and on the Web
Saturday’s 3 p.m. CT tipoff with the Buffaloes at the CU Events Center will air on ESPN+. On the broadcast call will be Mark Johnson (play-by-play) and Scott Wilke (analyst).
The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket with Andy Everett (play-by-play) covering the action live from Boulder. The broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
Colorado Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
The Roadrunners ran up against the biggest challenge of the season last weekend in Tuscaloosa, suffering a 97-55 setback at 12th-ranked Alabama. In the first half, the Crimson Tide limited the Roadrunners offensively and lived up to their own offensive billing en route to a big halftime lead. However, coming out of the break, UTSA went blow-for-blow with the SEC juggernaut, outpacing Alabama for most of the second half. Grad guard Jamir Simpson led UTSA with his fifth 20-point performance and freshman guard Dorian Hayes got hot again beyond the arc with a 4-for-8 long-range shooting performance.
Looking to break a two-game slump, the Roadrunners head to Boulder averaging 72.6 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting. Overall, this season UTSA has been a defensive challenge for opponents, leading the American Conference with a 23rd-ranked 38.1 opponent field goal shooting, holding foes to a conference-best (NCAA 40th) 28.5 percent beyond the arc. The Roadrunners are also hitting the glass at an NCAA 24th-ranked 42.2 rpg rate. Leading the offensive effort, Simpson is third in the American and 56th in the country with an 18.8 ppg average and has gone for double-figures in all nine games – his streak extending to 10 straight games and 22 of the last 24, dating back to last season at Southern Utah. Hitting nine threes in the past two games, each producing double-figures, Hayes averages 8.7 ppg and dishes out 2.1 apg. Pacing the Roadrunners on the boards, freshman Kaidon Rayfield (7.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg), sophomore Baboucarr Njie (7.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Simpson (5.2 rpg) top the rebound charts, while Njie ranks third in the American and 48th nationally with 1.89 blocks per outing.
About the Colorado Buffaloes
Nine games into the 16th season under Tad Boyle, the Buffs are off to a hot start coming off Big 12 quarterfinal and College Basketball Crown appearances to end last year’s 14-21 campaign. CU knocked off eight consecutive wins before coming up short in a second-half rally at Colorado State last Saturday, 91-86. Driving the Buffs this year is an efficient offense, ranking 13th nationally at 52.1 percent and fourth in the NCAA on 41 percent from long range – although CU only shoots 15.3 threes per game. The Buffs also get to the free throw line often, and deliver, hitting 74 percent at the stripe.
Colorado moves the ball and gets out in transition with a Big 12-best (28th NCAA) 17.4 fast break points per game. Defensively, CU allows 78.4 ppg on 45.7 percent from the opposition, allowing 38.3 percent from three.
For the second consecutive game, UTSA will face an opponent with great scoring balance, coming into the weekend with five players boasting double-figure averages, with two as non-starters. Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson has topped the Buffs to date off the bench, putting up 15.3 ppg thanks to 58.5 percent shooting from the field and 53.8 percent behind the arc. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik adds 13.0 ppg with 5.6 rpg and takes up a lot of space in the paint at 6-11. His counterpart at 7-0, junior forward Bangot Dak tops the team with 7.2 rpg on top of 11.7 ppg. UC Riverside transfer point Barrington Hargess scores and distributes, averaging 11.3 ppg with 4.9 assists per outing.
Series History
This is the first meeting between these coaches, but the Roadrunners and Buffaloes are meeting for the fifth time after playing four times in the early 1990s – Colorado holding a 4-0 advantage in the series, all played in Boulder. In the last meeting, December 12, 1995, CU put away UTSA, 92-77, at the then-Coors Events Center (now CU Events Center)
Up Next
UTSA will extend its road swing even further west, heading to the Galen Center in Los Angeles to face RV USC on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The Roadrunners and Trojans squared off in exhibition action last season in LA, with USC coming out on top of an 84-63 finish after a big second half in the first contest for both coaches at their respective programs, Eric Musselman and Austin Claunch.
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