How to watch and what to know about Colorado men's basketball vs. California
Colorado men's basketball has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Buffaloes were swept in the desert, losing to then-No. 10 Arizona and Arizona State on the road before traveling to California for a Wednesday night matchup with the Golden Bears.
Despite a tough week to start the new year, Colorado received a boost during its loss to Arizona State in the form of star forward Tristan da Silva, who returned after missing three games with an ankle injury. The Buffaloes' second-leading scorer on the season dropped 17 points (6-for-14 shooting) in his highly anticipated return to the lineup.
More good news on the health front could be on the way.
Star freshman Cody Williams, who has missed the last seven games with a left wrist injury, could be back for Wednesday's game at Cal.
“I’m hopeful he’ll be back Wednesday, but we’ll see," Colorado coach Tad Boyle told BuffZone.
Williams is averaging 14 points per game while shooting 62.3% from the field and 60% from deep this season. The 6-foot-10 forward, who is a potential lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, was playing the best basketball of his young collegiate career (back-to-back 21-point games) before suffering a wrist injury.
His return, along with da Silva's, would come at a good time as Colorado looks to end a two-game losing streak.
Here's a look at everything to know about Wednesday's game.
What time does Colorado vs. California basketball start?
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10
Start time: 9:00 p.m. MT
What channel is the Colorado vs. California basketball game on?
The Colorado and Arizona game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Who are the announcers for the Colorado vs. California basketball game?
Play-by-play: Dave Flemming
Analyst: Sean Farnham
What are the records, rankings?
Colorado enters Wednesday night's game at 11-4 (2-2 Pac-12). California sits at 5-10 (1-3 Pac-12).
Neither team is ranked, but the Buffaloes are receiving votes (8) in the latest AP poll.
Who are the coaches?
Mark Madsen is in his first season as Cal's head coach after spending the previous four seasons at Utah Valley, where he was 70-51 (.579) during that span. Tad Boyle is in his 14th season as Colorado's head coach and is 283-176 (.616) since 2010-11.
Series history
Colorado leads the all-time series 22-18 (7-3 in last 10 matchups), but the home team has dominated. The Buffs are 14-2 vs. Cal at home and 3-15 vs. the Golden Bears on the road.
Stadium information
The game will be at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California. Haas has a capacity of 11,858.
Who are the top players to watch?
Here are some players for each team who will be key to the game.
CALIFORNIA
Jaylon Tyson: Tyson is one of just three Pac-12 players averaging at least 20 points per game this season (20.1). The 6-foot-7 junior is shooting a career-high 50.2% from the field while also leading the Golden Bears in assists (3.2 per game).
Fardaws Aimaq: The Texas Tech transfer leads the Pac-12 in rebounding (10.7 per game) and is Cal's second-leading scorer (15.5 points per game). Aimaq has notched a double-double in five of his last seven games.
Jalen Cone: Cone has four games with at least 20 points this season and is averaging 14.3 per game. The former Virginia Tech and Northern Arizona transfer leads Cal with an average of 36.4 minutes played per game.
COLORADO
KJ Simpson: Simpson is tied for the league lead in scoring (20.5 points per game) after notching 20-plus points (23 against Arizona State) for the sixth time in the last seven games. The junior guard also leads Colorado in minutes (31.6), assists (4.3) and steals (1.8).
Tristan da Silva: After missing three games with an ankle injury suffered during a practice, da Silva didn't appear to skip a beat in his return to the starting lineup on Saturday. The 6-foot-9 forward from Munich, Germany, has now scored in double figures in seven consecutive games.
J'Vonne Hadley: If Williams and Julian Hammond III (who missed the Arizona State game with a back injury) are unable to play against Cal, Hadley will once again be counted on to contribute offensively alongside Simpson and da Silva. The 6-foot-6 senior scored a career-high 19 points (6-for-7 shooting) during Colorado's loss to Arizona State.
Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What channel is California basketball vs. Colorado on?
