Kansas basketball faces another road test Tuesday, traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado. But the elephant in the room remains—Kansas has yet to win a conference game away from Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas showing momentum in last two contests
It’s hard to believe that the same Kansas team that lost to both West Virginia and UCF took down then-No. 2 Iowa State on Wednesday, doubling down with an 80-62 rout of Baylor on Friday.
Darryn Peterson and Flory Bidunga appear in sync, combining for 49 points. Peterson’s 26 points mark his sixth 20-point game in nine appearances, and now fully healthy, he isn’t showing signs of slowing down.
Peterson shot 55% from the field against Baylor, and Bidunga added 11 rebounds and 1 assist, making the pair one of, if not the best, forward-guard duo in the conference.
Add in the fact that Bidunga also has nine blocks over the last two contests, you’ve also got a recipe for dominance in the post.
Historical dominance over a "struggling" Colorado team
The Jayhawks have won each of the last three matchups by double digits against Colorado teams coached by current Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle.
Kansas relied heavily on Hunter Dickinson in the last two contests. Dickinson scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the most recent 71‑64 victory last February and 19 points with nine rebounds in last season’s first meeting.
Boyle has managed just one victory over Kansas, a 75-72 home win in the 2013-14 season. Interestingly, Colorado is the only team that hasn’t beaten Kansas in Big 12 play in over a decade.
Breaking down the Buffaloes
Colorado has struggled in the early stages of conference play. The Buffaloes opened Big 12 action with a win over Utah before dropping two close games to then-No. 14 Texas Tech 74–71 and Cincinnati 77–68 before dropping their third straight game against West Virginia 72-61 on Saturday.
Isaiah Johnson and Barrington Hargress lead all scorers for Colorado, Johnson averaging 16.1 points and Hargress 13.6 points, and just north of four assists. Unlike the Jayhawks, the Buffaloes aren’t a consistent blocking team.
Three active members of the Colorado roster stand over seven feet tall, with starting forward Bangot Dak standing two inches taller than Bidunga at 7 '1".
If the Jayhawks want to edge this game out, they’ll need more than just size – they’ll need accuracy.
Score Prediction: Kansas 81, Colorado 69
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