Northern Iowa @ Colorado preview

Colorado seeks to cleanse the palate when it hosts Northern Iowa on Tuesday after an encounter with the upper crust left a bad taste in its mouth. The No. 23 Buffaloes were outclassed and outplayed in a 72-58 loss at No. 3 Kansas on Saturday but provided Colorado coach Tad Boyle and his assistants a blueprint for success.

"We talked as a coaching staff with the team after the game. We have to learn from KU what makes you successful,'' Boyle told reporters. "They're very efficient offensively and they're very sound defensively. We're very sound defensively, but we're not very efficient offensively right now. Part of that's making shots. The other part is passing the ball and taking care of the ball. ... I see it in practice. So I know it's there." The Buffaloes average 67.6 points and shoot 39.8 percent from the field - 33.1 from 3-point range - after going 18-for-60 and 7-for-34 against Kansas. Northern Iowa took a much different path into Tuesday's game with a 110-51 victory over Division III member Luther on Dec. 2. The Panthers have split two meetings with major conference teams, defeating South Carolina 78-72 on Nov. 27 in the Cancun Challenge third-place game after falling to West Virginia 60-55 the day before for their only loss of the season.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA (8-1): Sophomore guard AJ Green averages a team-best 14.4 points, scoring a season-high 26 against South Carolina after totaling five versus West Virginia. Green, the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year who appeared on the Lou Henson Award preseason watchlist as the nation's top mid-major player, has taken 135 shots from the field - a team high by 57 - but has made only 34.8 percent and 29.4 from 3-point range. Junior guard Trae Berhow (13.9 points) shoots 57.9 percent from the field and 27-for-52 from 3-point range after going 34-for-47 and 23-for-34 over his last five games.

ABOUT COLORADO (7-1): Junior forward Tyler Bey (team highs of 12.9 points and 11.5 rebounds) left Saturday's game with 5:55 to play after sustaining a knee injury but Boyle was optimistic that he would play Tuesday. "He didn’t twist the knee,'' Boyle told reporters. "It looked like it got banged with big bodies going down. I think he’ll be OK but he’s in some pain. ... Tyler’s a tough kid.” Junior guard McKinley Wright IV averages 11.9 points and went over 1,000 for his career Saturday while junior guard D'Shawn Schwartz (11.3) combined with Bey and Wright to score 17 against Kansas.

TIP-INS

1. Bey is the only Pac-12 player averaging a double-double after falling four rebounds shy of accomplishing the feat last season.

2. The Panthers were 344th among the 350 Division I teams in blocked shots entering Monday at 1.55 per game and second-to-last in steals at 3.8.

3. The Buffaloes are 132-24 at home under Boyle.

PREDICTION: Colorado 67, Northern Iowa 66