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

Bellarmine Knights vs. Colorado Buffaloes Recap DEC 21TH 2024

Assane Diop scored a career-high 15 points, RJ Smith tied his career best with 11 points, and the Colorado Buffaloes beat the Bellarmine Knights 79-55 in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday.

Julian Hammond III contributed 10 points for Colorado (9-2). The Buffaloes have won four straight and will open Big 12 play against No. 3 Iowa State on Dec. 30.

Dezmond McKinney had 12 points, the only player to score in double figures for Bellarmine (3-10) in its third straight loss and fifth in its last six games.

The game was tight early, with the Knights leading 6-4 on a layup by Billy Smith with 17:01 left in the first half, but Colorado dominated the rest of the period.

Hammond's three-point play started a 10-1 run that gave the Buffaloes the lead for good. After Landin Hacker hit a 3-pointer for Bellarmine that made it 14-10, the Knights went cold from the field for nearly eight minutes.

Colorado took advantage of the drought. Diop scored five quick points and RJ Smith hit a 3-pointer to extend the Buffaloes' lead to 24-10 with 7:25 left.

Elijah Malone had a tip-in and Diop another layup to make it a 19-point game before McKinney's two free throws gave Bellarmine its first points in more than seven minutes.

Hammond responded with a 3-pointer and two foul shots and McKinney's layup -- the Knights' first basket in nearly eight minutes -- briefly stopped Colorado's surge. The Buffaloes closed the half on an 11-2 run capped by another 3-pointer from RJ Smith to lead 45-16 at intermission.

Kenyon Goodin opened the second half with a 3-pointer for the Knights but Colorado quickly stretched its advantage.

Andrej Jakimovski and RJ Smith hit layups, RJ Smith drained a 3-pointer and Diop hit another layup to give the Buffaloes a 53-21 lead. Two Colorado dunks made it a 37-point lead with 13:55 left.

AJ Lux and Hacker made back-to-back 3-pointers to get Bellarmine's deficit below 30 but the Buffaloes were never threatened in the second half.