Coming off a feel-good victory over Oklahoma State, the Kansas basketball team has built some momentum heading into Monday's road matchup in Boulder. The Jayhawks have emphasized that the last game was the start of a "new season" as they looked to put what has been an otherwise underwhelming season behind them.
Unfortunately, a win in Allen Fieldhouse over a bottom-three team in the conference won't give fans a real idea of whether KU has turned the corner. Its first challenge comes at 10 p.m. CT against Colorado. While the Buffaloes hold a horrendous 2-14 record in Big 12 play, they have been hot lately, and the Jayhawks could be catching them at the wrong time.
Colorado is a tougher test for Kansas than some might think
The Jayhawk faithful do not need a reminder of how poorly the squad has played away from home this season. With a 3-7 road record, no game is guaranteed — the recent loss to Utah is further evidence of that sentiment.
After dropping 13 consecutive games to open league play, Colorado has actually won back-to-back games in the CU Events Center. The Buffs comfortably took down UCF and came up with an upset over Baylor on Saturday.
If you ignore CU's record, they have a handful of solid pieces to work with. Former KU guard Tad Boyle utilizes an 11-player rotation, each of whom offers a unique skill set. Leading scorer Julian Hammond III is a knockdown 3-point shooter, while Andrej Jakimovski is a raw yet incredibly talented wing.
They may not be in NCAA Tournament contention, but they are playing spoiler in front of a fanbase that knows how sweet it can be to beat Kansas at home. Askia Booker's buzzer-beater in 2013 is one of the program's most remembered shots of all time.
Kansas won 71-59 when these schools met two weeks ago. However, the Jayhawks entered as 17.5-point favorites and were outscored in the second half.
It goes without saying that tonight's game won't be a walk in the park for the Jayhawks. The team should enter is as they would any of the remaining contests on the schedule.