Colorado To Host Nebraska In Exhibition To Benefit Boulder County Wildfire Fund
September 01, 2022 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – The University of Colorado men's basketball team will welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the CU Events Center for a special exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 30, with ticket proceeds going to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the CU Boulder Department of Athletics and the Community Foundation Boulder County, which has been working closely with government, business and nonprofit partners to address the immediate, short- and long-term needs of the community.
"While the challenging recovery process continues, our friends and neighbors impacted by the Marshall Fire still need our help," CU head men's basketball coach Tad Boyle said. "That's why I'm proud that we can host this exhibition that will help provide necessary recovery services, and a fun evening of basketball, for so many that are still in need. I encourage our community to come out and show their continued support for this important, and ongoing, recovery effort."
With tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m., and gates opening at 3 p.m., the exhibition will be the first opportunity for fans to see the 2022-23 edition of the Buffaloes while also contributing to a great cause. Tickets are $20 for chair back seating and $15 for bench seating. Ticket proceeds from the game will go directly to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund which is being distributed through Boulder County's Navigating Disaster for Boulder County program. CU men's basketball season ticket holders can purchase tickets by logging into their on-line ticket account beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. Tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Monday, Sept. 26.
Colorado looks to continue to build on its recent success which has included four-straight 20-win seasons and a pair of Pac-12 Conference top-four finishes. The Buffaloes will have to replace their top three scorers from last season's NIT team, but are confident in a young group of returners led by junior forward Tristan da Silva (9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .479 FG), junior guard Nique Clifford (6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and 2022 All-Pac-12 Freshman team point guard KJ Simpson (7.4 ppg, 2.7 apg).
In addition, Colorado is on track to have its nationally ranked and Pac-12-best 2021 recruiting class entirely on the court together for the first time with four-star wing Quincy Allen and guard Javon Ruffin coming off redshirt seasons and Top 100 center Lawson Lovering returning from an injury after limited action last season. Two All-Ivy League graduate transfers in Ethan Wright from Princeton and Jalen Gabbidon from Yale and junior college All-American guard J'Vonne Hadley from Indian Hills CC (Iowa) will strengthen the Buffaloes' rotation.
Boyle is entering his 13th season at Colorado, needing just eight wins to become the school's all-time leader.
Nebraska returns two of its top four scorers for fourth-year Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. Senior forward Derrick Walker (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) has started 48 straight games for the Huskers, while sophomore guard C.J. Wilcher (8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 52 3-pointers) was the Huskers' sixth man for most of the 2021-22 season. NU has retooled its roster with a trio of Division I transfers in Emmanuel Bandoumel (SMU), Juwan Gary (Alabama) and Sam Griesel (North Dakota State) and a recruiting class that ranked in the top 30 nationally by both Rivals and 247Sports. That group includes a pair of top-150 recruits in Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence as well as junior college transfer Blaise Keita, who is the No. 4 overall player by JUCORecruiting.com.
"We were able to help several local charities with our exhibition with Colorado last season, and we are honored to make the return trip to help people in the Boulder community affected by the last year's Marshall Fires," Hoiberg said. "Coach Boyle's teams are always well coached and disciplined, and it will provide our team with a good test in what is one of the toughest environments in the Pac-12. More importantly, the ticket proceeds of this game will directly benefit the people who are still dealing with the aftermath of the fires."
Nebraska holds a 77-71 edge in the series which dates back to the 1902-03 season. The teams shared the same conference from 1947-48 to 2010-11. Boyle and Hoiberg met three times in 2010-11, when Hoiberg was at Iowa State, with Colorado winning two of the three meetings. The two long-time rivals met in a charity exhibition game last season at Nebraska, with the Cornhuskers taking an 82-67 decision in a contest that benefited several Lincoln-area organizations affected by COVID-19.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the CU Boulder Department of Athletics and the Community Foundation Boulder County, which has been working closely with government, business and nonprofit partners to address the immediate, short- and long-term needs of the community.
"While the challenging recovery process continues, our friends and neighbors impacted by the Marshall Fire still need our help," CU head men's basketball coach Tad Boyle said. "That's why I'm proud that we can host this exhibition that will help provide necessary recovery services, and a fun evening of basketball, for so many that are still in need. I encourage our community to come out and show their continued support for this important, and ongoing, recovery effort."
With tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m., and gates opening at 3 p.m., the exhibition will be the first opportunity for fans to see the 2022-23 edition of the Buffaloes while also contributing to a great cause. Tickets are $20 for chair back seating and $15 for bench seating. Ticket proceeds from the game will go directly to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund which is being distributed through Boulder County's Navigating Disaster for Boulder County program. CU men's basketball season ticket holders can purchase tickets by logging into their on-line ticket account beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. Tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Monday, Sept. 26.
Colorado looks to continue to build on its recent success which has included four-straight 20-win seasons and a pair of Pac-12 Conference top-four finishes. The Buffaloes will have to replace their top three scorers from last season's NIT team, but are confident in a young group of returners led by junior forward Tristan da Silva (9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .479 FG), junior guard Nique Clifford (6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and 2022 All-Pac-12 Freshman team point guard KJ Simpson (7.4 ppg, 2.7 apg).
In addition, Colorado is on track to have its nationally ranked and Pac-12-best 2021 recruiting class entirely on the court together for the first time with four-star wing Quincy Allen and guard Javon Ruffin coming off redshirt seasons and Top 100 center Lawson Lovering returning from an injury after limited action last season. Two All-Ivy League graduate transfers in Ethan Wright from Princeton and Jalen Gabbidon from Yale and junior college All-American guard J'Vonne Hadley from Indian Hills CC (Iowa) will strengthen the Buffaloes' rotation.
Boyle is entering his 13th season at Colorado, needing just eight wins to become the school's all-time leader.
Nebraska returns two of its top four scorers for fourth-year Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. Senior forward Derrick Walker (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) has started 48 straight games for the Huskers, while sophomore guard C.J. Wilcher (8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 52 3-pointers) was the Huskers' sixth man for most of the 2021-22 season. NU has retooled its roster with a trio of Division I transfers in Emmanuel Bandoumel (SMU), Juwan Gary (Alabama) and Sam Griesel (North Dakota State) and a recruiting class that ranked in the top 30 nationally by both Rivals and 247Sports. That group includes a pair of top-150 recruits in Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence as well as junior college transfer Blaise Keita, who is the No. 4 overall player by JUCORecruiting.com.
"We were able to help several local charities with our exhibition with Colorado last season, and we are honored to make the return trip to help people in the Boulder community affected by the last year's Marshall Fires," Hoiberg said. "Coach Boyle's teams are always well coached and disciplined, and it will provide our team with a good test in what is one of the toughest environments in the Pac-12. More importantly, the ticket proceeds of this game will directly benefit the people who are still dealing with the aftermath of the fires."
Nebraska holds a 77-71 edge in the series which dates back to the 1902-03 season. The teams shared the same conference from 1947-48 to 2010-11. Boyle and Hoiberg met three times in 2010-11, when Hoiberg was at Iowa State, with Colorado winning two of the three meetings. The two long-time rivals met in a charity exhibition game last season at Nebraska, with the Cornhuskers taking an 82-67 decision in a contest that benefited several Lincoln-area organizations affected by COVID-19.