There was no “little brother” talk from Spencer Dinwiddie this time.
Colorado’s star guard did, however, make it very clear that he’s not real fond of Colorado State.
“I don’t really like them,” Dinwiddie said Monday. “The reason I don’t like them is because when I went to the football game sophomore year up at (Sports Authority Field), one of the fans mooned me. That’s when I guaranteed I was going to score 30 (against the Rams). That’s how that whole thing happened.”
On Tuesday, the Buffaloes (7-1) will visit Colorado State (6-2) in the annual game between the two rivals.
Dinwiddie, of course, was the popular interview choice by all the media that attended Monday’s practice because of what he said a year ago before this matchup.
“Put a gag order on him!” Buffs head coach Tad Boyle yelled in jest as Dinwiddie stepped in front of the TV camera.
Prior to the teams’ 2012 meeting, Dinwiddie referred to the Rams as CU’s “little brother.” Then, he went out and scored a career-high 29 points in the Buffs’ 70-61 win in Boulder.
“This year, I’m not into guaranteeing points,” Dinwiddie said. “I just want to go there and win a basketball game; that’s the main thing.”
In CU’s last trip to Fort Collins, on Nov. 30, 2011, Dinwiddie was a freshman when the Rams pulled off the 65-64 win, followed by CSU fans storming the court.
“Of course,” Dinwiddie said when asked of CSU is a rival. “They rushed the court my freshman year, so you see how much it means to them. Then, we kind of smacked them a little bit last year, so they’re probably going to want revenge.”
While he remembers that game two years ago, Dinwiddie said, “The memory that I have the best is that we smacked them last year.”
The Buffs aren’t going in expecting to smack the Rams this time, though.
CSU did lose all five starters from last year’s team, which finished 26-9 and reached the NCAA Tournament, but the Buffs are expecting a battle.
“They lost a lot of production off last year’s team, but this year’s team has got some good players,” Boyle said. “I think Larry Eustachy probably coaches rebounding better than any coach in the country in my opinion.
“We’re going to have to have mental and physical toughness Tuesday night in Moby Arena. It’s not going to be an easy atmosphere.”
It’s an atmosphere that the CU junior guard Askia Booker is eager to experience again.
“Those fans are going to talk some trash,” he said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re on the road. It’s just going to come to us having poise and us leaders maintaining the speed of the game and playing how we want to play.
“We have to come in, play hard, defend and rebound. If we do that, we’ll be just fine.”
If the Buffs can come away with a win, it’ll be one of the most satisfying of the season to this point.
“You want to be able to go on the road and take somebody’s best shot and we’re going to get that from their fans and we’re going to get it from their players and coaches,” Boyle said. “There’s no better feeling than going on the road in a tough, hostile environment and coming away with a victory. It’s the hardest thing to do, but it’s the most satisfying.”
Contact staff writer Brian Howell at howellb@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/BrianHowell33.
CU men’s hoops preview
TUESDAY: The Colorado Buffaloes (7-1) visit the Colorado State Rams (6-2) in a 7 p.m. game at Moby Arena in Fort Collins.
BROADCAST: Radio — KOA (850 AM), with Mark Johnson on play-by-play and Scott Wilke providing color commentary. Online — ESPN3, with Trey Bender and Bill Herenda on the call.
STORYLINES: CU has won seven in a row since a season-opening loss to Baylor. This is the Buffs’ longest win streak since the 2005-06 season. … CU defeated Air Force, 81-57 on Saturday. Josh Scott had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Buffs. … CU is seeking its first-ever 3-0 sweep of Front Range rivals Air Force, CSU and Wyoming. … CSU has won four in a row, including an 85-83 win against New Mexico State on Saturday. … The Rams are 6-0 at Moby Arena this year. They have won eight in a row at home, dating back to a Feb. 23 loss to New Mexico. … CU is averaging 78.5 points per game, while CSU averages 80.0. … Defensively, CU is allowing just 65.2 points per game; CSU is allowing 72.5. … On the boards, CU out-rebounds its opponents by an average of 11.1 boards per game, while the Rams have a plus-5.4 average. … CSU has nine players on its roster that began their careers at other schools, including four of the five starters. … CU’s Spencer Dinwiddie needs just 25 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
KEY STAT: The Buffs are attempting 30.3 free throws per game, up from 22.2 a year ago. CU is attempting about 14 more free throws per game than the opposition and the Buffs are connecting on 74 percent of their shots from the line.
COACHES: Tad Boyle is 76-39 in his fourth season at CU and 131-105 for his career. Larry Eustachy is 32-11 in his second season at CSU and 432-269 for his career.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Colorado — G Spencer Dinwiddie, 6-6, Jr. (13.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg); G Askia Booker, 6-2, Jr. (11.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.5 apg); F Xavier Johnson, 6-7, So. (10.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg); F Josh Scott, 6-10, So. (13.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg); F Wesley Gordon, 6-9, Fr. (8.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg). Colorado State — G Daniel Bejarano, 6-4, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.6 apg); G David Cohn, 6-2, Fr. (6.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg); G Jon Octeus, 6-4, Jr. (13.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg); F J.J. Avila, 6-7, Jr. (19.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg); F Gerson Santo, 6-9, Sr. (8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg).
SERIES: CU leads 87-36, including 35-27 in Fort Collins. CU is just 2-3 in its last five trips to Fort Collins, however, with two one-point losses.
UP NEXT: CU will host Kansas on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
