Bellarmine Knights vs. Colorado Buffaloes Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Colorado's top five leading scorers from last year's NCAA Tournament team have departed, making it a priority for the team to find new sources of scoring at the start of this season.

The Buffaloes (8-2) have managed to fill some of that scoring gap and are looking to build momentum in their final nonconference game before Big 12 play begins. They will face off against Bellarmine (3-9) on Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colo.

Despite a strong 7-0 record at home, Colorado has yet to play a true road game this season. They did participate in the Maui Invitational last month, going 1-2, which has helped them solidify their roles within the team.

While scoring was a major concern, the Buffaloes have found reliable scorers in Julian Hammond III (13.4 points per game), Elijah Malone (12.3), and Andrej Jakimovski (12.1).

However, one area of weakness for Colorado has been their perimeter defense. Coach Tad Boyle is focused on shoring up this aspect of their game before conference play begins, as opponents have been able to exploit their defense with high volume shooting.

Boyle stated, "There are certain teams that excel at shooting from beyond the arc. We need to understand who we are guarding and make adjustments accordingly. This is something we have not done a great job of so far this season."

The Knights are coming off a tough 92-55 loss to Wyoming on Thursday night, their fourth loss in their last five games. Their leading scorer, Jack Karasinski, has missed the last four games and is averaging 16.9 points per game. Ben Johnson (13.2) and Billy Smith (12.8) are the other two players scoring in double figures for Bellarmine.

Smith had a career-high 33 points in a loss to Ball State on December 14th.

Bellarmine has yet to defeat a Big 12 team in six attempts, and coach Scott Davenport knows Saturday's game will be a tough challenge.

Davenport stated, "Colorado plays at a very high level of basketball. Their record does not accurately reflect their abilities and we will need to bring our best effort to compete with them."

PREDICTION

Bellarmine Knights

Colorado Buffaloes