Basketball Game Preview: Tempe Buffaloes vs. Cortez Colts

The Tempe Buffaloes will face off against the Cortez Colts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, Tempe ended up a good deal behind Dysart and lost 62-46. The loss continues a trend for the Buffaloes in their matchups with the Demons: they've now lost five in a row.

Meanwhile, Cortez had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.6 points) and they went ahead and made it eight on Tuesday. They blew past the Dons, posting a 61-24 victory. The Colts have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 32 points or more this season.

Cortez pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points per game. As for Tempe, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.

Tempe came up short against Cortez in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 85-73. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cortez's Ulysses Espinoza, who went 10 for 18 on his way to 26 points in addition to five boards and four steals. Now that Tempe knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.