Colorado set to face Eastern Washington Eagles for its second game of the season

Buffs star forward Sebastian Rancik was able to recover from an ankle injury just in time for CU's opener against Montana State. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) will face the Eastern Washington Eagles (0-2, 0-0 Big Sky) on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the CU Events Center. The Buffaloes look to build off their win over Montana State against a team fresh off two close losses.

Despite a win in its opening game, Colorado has clear flaws coming into its second game of the season. Shooting efficiency was a glaring issue against Montana State. 

The Buffaloes trailed at halftime on account of this, as they shot just 42.9 percent from the field in the first half. This was seen at the free-throw line as well. CU shot an abysmal 50 percent from the charity stripe in its first 14 attempts.

It took a 24-point second half from freshman guard Isaiah Johnson to overcome this and secure the victory for the Buffs.

Eastern Washington has had its own struggles with scoring efficiency. Though the Eagles have kept it close with their two opponents this season, they arguably could be 2-0 if it weren’t for their shooting inconsistency. 

They’ve shot a less-than-impressive 47.2 percent from the field and just 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. This has been especially true from beyond the arc. In their 6-point loss to the No. 12 UCLA Bruins, they shot just 28 percent from three-point range. It wasn’t a volume issue, either. The Eagles shot the ball 25 times from beyond the arc, but were only able to make seven of those attempts.

The Eagles have still found ways to score, though. Most of their scoring has come by way of senior transfer guard Isaiah Moses. He averages 15 points per game as his team’s leading scorer. He played his past three seasons at UC Riverside alongside current CU guard Barrington Hargress. 

The pair were roommates in their time with the Highlanders and Hargress spent the week helping his team with the scouting report on Moses.

“He’s a really smart guard, kind of like guarding me and Isaiah Johnson,” Hargress said. “He’s going to put you in some positions, he’s going to ask for ball-screens and we have to make them uncomfortable…we have to give him things that he is just not going to want to see.”

Shutting him down will be key, and one player Colorado may elect to match up with him is freshman guard Jalin Holland. Holland has received praise from the coaching staff early in the season for his work on defense.

“Jalin Holland, a really good defender,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said after Monday’s game. “Not afraid or scared of anything or anybody. He’s going to be a terrific player.”

Defense is something Holland takes great pride in, as he mentioned it as a key factor in his game. 

“I take a lot of pride in that,” Holland said on Wednesday. “We had a lot of fouls last game, so…our big [focus] for today and this week is to be disciplined and play without fouling.”

Holland’s minutes were limited against Montana State, but his defensive contributions will be felt when he’s on the floor. 

In addition to him, the Buffs will look to senior center Elijah Malone to continue his physicality on defense and the boards. Malone recorded 13 total rebounds, four steals, a block and 10 points against the Bobcats. Boyle credited his performance as the one that turned the tide for his team.

“The difference in the game was Elijah’s eight [offensive] rebounds,” Boyle said. “...Elijah is why we won…he got us seven more possessions than Montana State, and those extra seven possessions were the difference in the game.”

The Buffs and Eagles will tip off on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).