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College Basketball Preview – Game 1: Drexel Dragons vs. Colorado Buffaloes

By Andrew Dill

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Mar 20, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Colorado Buffaloes alumni Andrew Johnson (right) and Brayden Portillo (left) cheer prior to the men

The new season is finally among us as the Colorado Buffaloes take the court for their first regular season game of the 2014-15′ season. Colorado finished last season with a 23-12 record, going 10-8 in Pac-12 play as they made the NCAA Tournament – their bracket located in Orlando, Florida. I was in attendance and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. Colorado fell to the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2nd round action, 77-48.

What: Non-Conference Play – Game 1: Drexel Dragons (0-0) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (0-0)
When: Friday, November 14th
Where: Coors Event Center (Boulder, Colorado)
Time: 8:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM MST
TV: PAC-12 Network

The Buffs’ lost a key piece of their team this past offseason as point guard Spencer Dinwiddie declared for the NBA Draft – selected 38th overall in the second round by the Detroit Pistons. Colorado missed the play from their play-making point guard down the stretch last season as Dinwiddie tore his ACL midway through the season. Although it’s a big loss, Colorado has the talent to move past it.

Colorado has a lot of key returnees, such as Josh Scott, Askia Booker, Xavier Johnson, Wesley Gordon, and Xavier Talton. Scott was their primary source of offense once Dinwiddie went down, averaging 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 51.1% from the field. Booker on the other hand is entering his senior year and he too will be a valuable part of this Buffs’ lineup.

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Askia averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists during his junior campaign. One key memorable moment for the 6’2″ guard last season was when he hit the game-winning shot against Kansas at the Coors Event Center, stunning the Kansas Jayhawks who were ranked sixth in the nation at the time.

Xavier Johnson started coming into his own last season, taking on more of a scoring role with Dinwiddie out. During his sophomore season, Johnson averaged 12.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per contest – shooting 46.4% from the field. His free-throw percentage has been a bit of a concern where he sat at 61.3% last season. I’m personally excited to see the development from Johnson this upcoming season.

Colorado has a couple of newcomers that the team is very excited about, including point guard Dominique Collier. Collier, a 4-star recruit, played his college basketball at Denver East High School. Tad Boyle has had nothing but praise for the freshman guard who averaged 23.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3. steals per contest – leading his team to the Class 5A state championship.

Keep an eye out for sophomores Tre’Shaun Fletcher, Jaron Hopkins, and Dustin Thomas – all key role players for this Colorado Buffaloes team.

Additions: PG Dominique Collier, FR. PF Tory Miller, FR. PG Josh Fortune, JR.

Subtractions: Spencer Dinwiddie, Ben Mills, Beau Gamble, Kevin Nelson.

Tip-off between the Drexel Dragons and Colorado Buffaloes is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM MST from the Coors Event Center.

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