Michaeli's breakout night advances Buffs over Providence
- Liam Howard
- Nov 14
- 3 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) defeated the Providence Friars (2-2) 97-88 on Friday behind a breakout 20-point performance from freshman forward Alon Michaeli.
Former Colorado assistant coach and current Providence head coach Kim English had his return to Boulder spoiled by coach Tad Boyle’s Buffs. It was a figurative chess match that quickly turned into a game of frustration for the Friars.
The Buffaloes won the opening tip-off and immediately looked like a far different team from their first two games. Slow starts had been their Achilles’ heel to date, but after a three-pointer from guard Barrington Hargress, the Buffs held the lead for the remainder of the first half.
CU created early separation on the heels of new chemistry between forward Alon Michaeli and guard Jalin Holland. They fed one another the ball with no-look passes for two straight scores. This forced the Friars to call a timeout with 12:30 remaining in the first half.
The plays Providence drew up in that timeout created numerous open looks, but poor shooting persisted. Despite the great opportunities, the Friars were held scoreless for nearly three minutes.
“The first half was very, very disappointing,” English said postgame. “As poorly executed a first half as I’ve been a part of in my 10 years of coaching.”
Providence stayed within reach of the lead during its drought, with stout defense preventing the Buffs from scoring for nearly the same amount of time.
Following the scoring droughts, both teams played small ball for the last eight minutes of the half. Colorado center Elijah Malone and Providence forward Oswin Erhunmwunse were the only big men on the floor during this time. This extended to Colorado’s star forwards Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak, who sat on the bench for the last 10 and eight minutes, respectively.
Providence cut into the lead considerably, but the Buffaloes entered halftime leading 39-38.
Providence quickly took its first lead of the game off a layup from guard Ryan Mela, but unfortunately for them, it was short-lived.
Colorado responded quickly, as Malone gave the lead back to his team with a hook-shot floater.
“You see a different care factor out of Elijah this year,” Boyle said. “...he feels much more comfortable, much more confident and he’s playing for the team. He’s not playing for himself.”
The Buffaloes garnered momentum following that key bucket, as a Rancik three-pointer pushed them over the 50-point mark (51-49).
The offensive shootout slowed down when Colorado’s leading scorer to that point in the game, Hargress, exited the game with major cramping in his leg. He spent time with the training staff and returned with 12 minutes to play in the game and finished the night with 11 assists, the most in a game since McKinley Wright IV in 2021.
“His 11 assists, the one turnover,” Boyle added. “We see his assist-to-turnover ratio in practice. I thought Barrington really played within himself.”
The Friars maintained a close lead throughout Colorado’s scoring on account of their aggressiveness in the paint. They forced Colorado into foul trouble and finished the game with 31 free throw attempts. Guard Jaylin Sellers was especially successful with this, as he recorded 10 of his 15 points from the free throw line, despite shooting just 2-for-8 from the field.
However, the Buffaloes’ offense was persistent. Led by Michaeli’s 20-point night, they had a response for everything the Friars brought to the table.
“I felt comfortable playing with all the guys, and I just feel like I have backing from the coaching staff,” Michaeli said. “My teammates and coaches are putting trust in me and I’m just trying to play hard, perform well and just help us win.”
Even with Providence guard Jason Edwards’ 24 points, the Buffaloes emerged with a nine-point win.
The Buffs’ next game will take place against the Alabama State Hornets at 7 p.m. MT on Monday, Nov. 17th at the CU Event Center (ESPN+).
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