Pick on the spread for Stanford-Colorado on February 5

After a 5-12 start to the season, the Stanford Cardinal enter Sunday’s clash in Boulder against the Colorado Buffaloes with hopes of extending the win streak to six games.

Stanford Cardinal vs. Colorado Buffaloes (-4.5, 136)

During this span, Stanford has improved on offense, scoring more than 70 points in each of the past four games after exceeding 70 points just three times in its first 18 games of the season.

Even with their improved offense, the Cardinal still ranks 134th in the nation in points scored on a per-possession basis and has seen the majority of its offensive production come at home.

As a team, Stanford is making 36.3% of its 3-point shots at home compared to 30% on the road. The Cardinal also score 10.7 points fewer per 100 possessions when playing on the road.

The last time these two teams faced, Colorado won 73-70 and now must try to crack a Stanford defense that has allowed 68 points or fewer in seven of the last nine games since the start of the new year.

In this nine-game span, Colorado’s top scorer Tristan Da Silva averaged 19.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on 52.8% from beyond the arc. Da Silva does all of this as a 6-foot-8 wing and, for the season is registering 16.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

The Buffaloes rank 18th in the nation in points allowed on a per-possession basis, thanks to winning the battle on the boards, ranking 39th in rebound rate. At home, Colorado allows its opponents to get rebounds on just 18.8% of their missed shots, good for 14th in the nation.

Both teams have ball control issues with Stanford ranking 265th in turnovers per possession and Colorado 271st, but Colorado’s turnover rate goes from 21.6% on the road down to 17.2% at home.

In the first meeting, Stanford was able to keep things close, committing two fewer turnovers and shooting 22-of-26 at the free throw line. With Stanford ranking 215th in the nation in free throw attempts per offensive play and allowing 12.1 points per 100 possessions more when on the road, the margin of defeat in this meeting will be even larger than it was in December.

The Play: Colorado -4.5

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