Colorado @ Stanford preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2020 ) Stanford 74, Colorado 81

No. 20 Colorado’s hopes of winning a Pac-12 regular-season title have taken a serious hit following disappointing back-to-back defeats. The Buffaloes, who entered the weekend fourth in the conference, will try to get back on course Sunday afternoon when they visit seventh-place Stanford.

Colorado’s recent woes began Feb. 22 when it couldn’t hold a nine-point second-half lead at home and wound up falling 70-63 to UCLA. Things only got worse Thursday night as the visiting Buffaloes were dominated from start to finish in a 76-62 loss to a middling California team - marking Colorado’s first consecutive setbacks since early December. “We have some holes right now in our lineup, and guys are struggling a little bit,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said Thursday in his post-game news conference. "Execution, toughness and discipline win games this time of year, and we’re not that team (right now).” Stanford, meanwhile, is riding a late-season surge, winning its last three following a stretch of seven losses in eight games.

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT COLORADO (21-8, 10-6 Pac-12): The Buffaloes entered Thursday’s game permitting only 64.4 points per conference contest (second best in the league), but they had no answer for guard Matt Bradley (career-high matching 26 points, including five 3-pointers) and an offensive attack that entered the night averaging a Pac-12-worst 59.3 points in league play. Colorado was led by point guard McKinley Wright IV’s 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, but the Buffaloes misfired on 23-of-29 3-point attempts and were outscored 17-6 at the free-throw line. For the season, Wright (14.0 points), guard Tyler Bey (13.5) and guard D’Shawn Schwartz (10.2) are averaging double figures, but the key for Colorado will be regaining its edge on defense after allowing back-to-back 70-point games for the first time since early December.

ABOUT STANFORD (19-9, 8-7): Freshman guard Tyrell Terry and forward Oscar da Silva accounted for 47 points Wednesday against Utah, combining to go 8-of-12 from 3-point range, in a 70-62 home win. Da Silva (16.1 points) and Terry (15.4) are also the only Cardinal players averaging double figures on the season, with the former also pulling down a team-leading 6.5 rebounds. But the key for Cardinal has been defense as Stanford is allowing a Pac-12-low 61.6 points per game with opponents shooting 39 percent from the field.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Colorado has won 10 of 13 games against Stanford since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.

2. The Buffaloes' recent run of dominance in this series includes an 81-74 home win Feb. 8 as Wright and Schwartz combined for 41 points, combining to go 6-of-9 beyond the arc. Sophomore F Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal with 19 points off the bench.

3. Colorado figures to have a decent edge on the glass, ranking second in Pac-12 rebound margin (plus-5.9) while Stanford ranks 11th with a minus-1.2 margin.

PREDICTION: Colorado 66, Stanford 64