Colorado Buffaloes Point-Guard Spencer Dinwiddie Out For The Year With Torn ACL

Jan 12, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Spencer Dinwiddie (25) is consoled by head coach Tad Boyle after suffering an injury during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes found out Monday afternoon that star point-guard Spencer Dinwiddie tore his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. It all happened when Spencer was cutting into the lane and his right knee just gave out on a non-contact play against the Washington Huskies. The Buffaloes were surprising the nation with their play as they were ranked at the time #15th in the nation, with a record of 14-2, 3-0 in PAC-12 play. The Buffs couldn’t bounce back after Dinwiddie’s injury as the team was outscored 45-25 in the second-half, falling to the Huskies 71-54. The Buffs fell from #15th in the nation to #21st in the AP Polls Monday.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior led the Colorado Buffaloes in scoring and assists per game. Dinwiddie averaged 15.2 points per game, 3.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 85.7% percent from the charity stripe. Without Spencer in the line-up, players such as Askia Booker, Josh Scott, and Jaron Hopkins need to step up.

Hopkins is a true-freshman who has played solid in his limited role this season. He has averaged 5.4 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists. He is shooting 36.4% percent from behind-the-arc, second-best on the team behind Spencer Dinwiddie. Booker on the other hand is the third leading-scorer on the Buffs and can be either on his game or not at all there. In the last game against the Washington Huskies, Booker shot a dismal 0-for-9 from the field scoring zero points while just adding 2 rebounds and 1 assist. In their game against #10 ranked Oregon, Booker shot 8-of-16 from the filed, going 10-of-12 from the line with 27 points. The talent is there for Booker, but the consistency is not.

Josh Scott looks to be the go-to-guy moving forward for Colorado Buffaloes. Scott is in his sophomore year and is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. Scott’s nearly averaging a double-double per game for the Buffs with 13.6 poitns and 9.2 rebounds. Here is more from ESPN on Dinwiddie’s injury:

"The Buffaloes were considered a potential Sweet 16 team and might have even been the biggest threat to Arizona in the Pac-12 with the versatile Dinwiddie in the fold. Without him, the Buffs could wind up being a team on the fringe of the NCAA tournament."

The Colorado Buffaloes (14-3, 3-1 in PAC-12 play) will host the UCLA Bruins Thursday night. Tip-Off is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET, 6:00 PM MT.