It’s a different season, with different teams. But it’s still a rivalry battle of sorts for Colorado point guard Barrington Hargress.
Hargress and the Buffaloes will look to continue their impressive start on Friday against UC Davis, CU’s final outing at the Events Center before hitting the road for the first time this season. Hargress spent the past two seasons running the show at UC Riverside, a rival of UC Davis in the Big West Conference.
Hargress led the Big West in scoring last year. But two of his most frustrating conference games occurred against UC Davis, and he knows exactly what’s in store for his new CU teammates.
“Just a physical team that’s going to run their stuff,” Hargress said. “And they’re not going to be afraid to play their own style. They’re going to try and make us play their style, and that’s where we just have to be steady and play Colorado basketball. And just stick to what we do, and don’t let them take us out of it.”
Hargress shot just .303 (10-for-33) in his two games against UC Davis last year. The nine points Hargress scored in Riverside’s home matchup against the Aggies was his second-lowest scoring total of the season.
Although it is the Buffs’ first matchup with UC Davis, it also is a somewhat familiar opponent for CU head coach Tad Boyle. Aggies head coach Jim Les is in his 15th season at UC Davis, but he previously spent nine seasons as the head coach at Bradley. During the first portion of that tenure, Boyle was an assistant at Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State.
Les’ club is coming off an impressive road win, topping Nevada — a potential CU opponent at next week’s Acrisure Holiday Classic — on Tuesday night. The Aggies feature three starters Hargress is familiar with in Nils Cooper, Connor Sevilla and Niko Rocak. Cooper put together a clutch game during the win against Nevada, going 8-for-10 with three 3-pointers and 26 points.
With Hargress settling in at the point, the Buffs scored at least 80 points in the season’s first four games for the first time since 1985-86. CU also has shot at least 50% in each of the first four games for the first time since 2009-10. The Buffs’ defense has been less consistent, but they have been better defensively in the past two games than in the first two.
Still, Boyle wants to see his defense play even more frenetically against a UC Davis club that went 11-for-26 on 3-pointers against Nevada.
“I want to see a mindset where we’re disruptive defensively,” Boyle said. “(Les) is a good coach. They’re going to have a tough-minded attitude coming in here. They’re gritty. They grind you on offense and on defense. I want a workmanlike, disruptive attitude where UC Davis feels us. When they have the ball, and we’re on defense, they feel our presence. They feel our energy and we’re disruptive. Hopefully that can lead to offense at the other end.
“I think offensively, continuing to play without an agenda. Continuing to make the right plays for each other. One of the things we’re really working on here in practice this week is when things break down offensively, not relying on our one-on-one ability. We’ve got a lot good one-on-one players. Seby (Rancik) is a good one-on-one player. Isaiah (Johnson’s) a good one-on-one player. Barrington. But against good defenses, you’re not going to be able to rely on that one-on-one ability. We’ve got to work the ball and move the ball and move our bodies and make plays for each other and not let the ball stick.”
UC Davis Aggies at CU Buffs men’s basketball
TIPOFF: Friday, 7 p.m., CU Events Center.
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: UC Davis 4-1; Colorado 4-0.
COACHES: UC Davis — Jim Les, 15th season (214-217, 368-357 overall). Colorado — Tad Boyle, 16th season (316-204, 372-270 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: UC Davis — G Nils Cooper, 6-6, Jr. (18.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .684 FG%); G Connor Sevilla, 6-0, Jr. (17.0 ppg, .553 FG%, .548 %); F Isaiah Chappell, 6-9, So. (10.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, .476 FG%); G Marcus Wilson, 6-3, R-Fr. (10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.2 apg); F Niko Rocak, 6-9, Gr. (7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, .542 FG%). Colorado — G Isaiah Johnson, 6-1, Fr. (16.5 ppg, .586 FG%, .857 FT%); F Sebastian Rancik, 6-11, So. (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .931 FT%); F Alon Michaeli, 6-9, Fr. (13.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .556 FG%); G Barrington Hargress, 6-1, R-Jr. (12.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, .541 FG%); F Bangot Dak, 7-0, Jr. (10.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, .452 FG%); C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (9.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .609 FG%).
NOTES: Including postseason games, the Buffs are 101-8 in nonconference home games under Boyle. … CU began the week ranked 17th in the nation in bench points at 40.3 per game. … The Buffs have had at least four players score in double figures in all four games. That equals the number of games with four double-figure scorers all of last season for CU. … The brother of Buffs guard Jon Mani, Jac Mani, played for UC Davis the past three seasons before transferring to Fresno State. … The Buffs play their first games away from home when they begin the two-game Acrisure Holiday Classic on Thanksgiving Thursday against San Francisco in Palm Desert, California (noon MT, CBS Sports Network). The Buffs will play either Nevada or Washington the following day.