Pac-12 Preview: Colorado Buffaloes (21-9, 10-7) vs. California Golden Bears (18-12, 9-8)
By Andrew Dill
Mar 5, 2014; Stanford, CA, USA; The Colorado Buffaloes bench reacts to a made basket during the second half of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. The Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Stanford Cardinal 59-56. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Buffaloes (21-9, 10-7 in Pac-12 play) snapped a two-game losing streak Wednesday night, defeating the Stanford Cardinal in a close game, 59-56. With the win, Colorado has themselves set up well for a lock in the NCAA Tournament. A win over California and a good showing in the Pac-12 Tournament in Vegas could boost Colorado’s seeding.
What: Pac-12 Preview: vs.
When: Saturday, March 8th
Where: Haas Pavilion
Time: 6:30 PM ET, 4:30 PM MT
TV: Pac-12 Network
This will be the only meeting between the two clubs this season as California looks to earn a win on Senior Night. California is coming off of a tough loss on the road to a surprising team in the Pac-12, the Utah Utes. Cal’s senior forward Richard Solomon would drop 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, knocking down 7-of-8 free-throw attempts to go along with 14 rebounds in the loss.
If Colorado can beat California, Buffs will clinch a Pac-12 tournament first-round bye. If the Arizona State Sun Devils lose at Oregon State, Colorado can earn the number three seed with a win.
Players to Watch:
Colorado Buffaloes: Xavier Johnson, F: Johnson is coming off of a bounce-back game in which he scored 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting. He scored 15 points combined in the previous two games vs. Arizona and at Utah.
California Golden Bears: Justin Cobbs, G: Cobbs is coming off of a game where he scored just 6 points on 2-of-6 shooting, collecting 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Cobbs is averaging 15.4 points per game along with 5.8 assists this season.
Projected Starting Lineups:
Colorado Buffaloes:
PG: Xavier Talton
SG: Askia Booker
SF: Xavier Johnson
PF: Wesley Gordon
C: Josh Scott
California Golden Bears:
PG: Ricky Kreklow
SG: Justin Cobbs
SF: Tyrone Wallace
PF: Richard Solomon
C: David Kravish