On Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida, two Big 12 teams clashed in a classic back-and-forth contest. In a game that seemed like a lock for Colorado to win, heading into the final ten minutes of regulation, UCF flipped the script and rallied back in dramatic fashion. UCF jumped to 2-1 in conference play, while Colorado dropped to 0-3.
With that, here are three takeaways from the contest.
UCF Fends Off Colorado
While UCF took home the win, Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes were the better team on Wednesday for the majority of the night. The team had their heart set on jumping into the win column in conference play, but UCF’s momentum became too much to handle, and the game flipped back in favor of the home team.
The Knights found a way to win while being outrebounded and shooting worse from the field, the three-point line, and the free-throw line than Colorado. UCF’s trio of Darius Johnson, Jordan Ivy-Curry, and Keshawn Hall took over in the second half, combining for 57 of the team’s 75 points.
With the win, UCF bounced back from a brutal blowout loss to Kansas on their home court and now sits at 2-1 in league play.
Big 12 Does it Again
Wednesday’s matchup between Colorado and UCF felt like a game where no one could miss down the stretch. That was largely because no one could miss down the stretch.
Through the first 30 minutes of the game, the ball bounced in the direction of the Colorado Buffaloes. UCF busted their way back into the game around the 10-minute mark, holding the Buffaloes scoreless for a span of about four minutes, stuck at 58. UCF scored at will during the run and took the lead 60-58.
After that, the two teams engaged in some classic Big 12 basketball on par with an NCAA Tournament game. In the end, UCF got the last laugh with a questionable foul call on Colorado’s Trevor Baskin that sent the Knights to the free-throw line for the game-winning point.
Trouble Brewing
The Buffaloes now sit alongside Utah and Cincinnati with an 0-3 record in Big 12 Conference play. The team dropped their conference opener to No. 3 Iowa State, 79-69, followed by a 20-point loss to Arizona State, and now, a one-point loss to UCF on the road.
Despite shooting 52.2% from the field, 53.8% from three, and 79.2% from the free throw line, Colorado just couldn’t get the job done. Despite receiving a career-high 26 points from Julian Hammond III, the Buffaloes turned the basketball over 22 times, which UCF put to good use with 24 points off turnovers.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Buffaloes as they host No. 21 West Virginia, which has been one of the early surprises in the Big 12 Conference.
