GAME NOTES: Two teams with identical Pac-12 Conference records get together at the Coors Events Center on Thursday, as the Colorado Buffaloes entertain the Washington Huskies.

The Buffaloes are trying to bring an end to a three-game slide this week, a run of defeats that has the team now sitting at 2-3 in conference play along with Washington and Oregon. The latest loss for Colorado took place last Saturday in Tempe against the Sun Devils of Arizona State, 78-72.

As for the Huskies, they began league play with three consecutive setbacks against California, Stanford and Washington State, the first two of those squads being nationally ranked at the time the games were played. But since accepting the 80-77 loss to the Cougars on Jan. 10, Washington has come up with back-to-back victories over Oregon State (56-43) and Oregon (85-77), the latter coming this past Sunday night at home.

Washington leads the all-time series by a scant 9-8 margin, but lost the most recent battle last season in Boulder in a 91-65 final.

Andrew Andrews scored a game-high 21 points as the Huskies captured the eight- point win over the Oregon Ducks at Alaska Airlines Arena four nights ago. Nigel Williams-Goss added 20 points and five assists for the Huskies, followed by Donaven Dorsey and Robert Upshaw who both pitched in with 13 points, the latter also accounting for game highs with 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. The Huskies beat Oregon on the glass, 43-34, and outscored the visitors at the charity stripe, 17-6.

Washington, which opened the campaign with an 11-game win streak before finally bowing to Stony Brook of all teams, is averaging 70.8 ppg overall and holding opponents to 61.9 ppg based on just 35.9 percent shooting from the floor. However, when it comes to conference games the scoring margin takes a major hit, going from just under nine points per contest to a mere 0.8 ppg. Williams-Goss is still the top scorer though, with 17.0 ppg in league action, while Upshaw averages a double-double with 12.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing.

In a game that featured 11 ties and 19 lead changes, the Buffaloes gave it all they had against Arizona State but came up short on the road. Colorado shot an impressive 10-of-21 behind the 3-point line, but just 10-of-17 at the free- throw line, the latter being enough of a difference to decide the outcome.

Askia Booker was responsible for a game-high 21 points, but connected on 9- of-22 shots from the floor and 3-of-9 beyond the arc, while Jaron Hopkins accounted for 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Fellow starters Wesley Gordon and Tre-Shaun Fletcher both chipped in 10 points, the former clearing eight boards. Unfortunately, the other of the five starters, Dustin Thomas, was held to a single point before picking up his fifth personal foul.

For the season, Booker is responsible for 16.7 ppg, shooting almost as well from 3-point range (.415) as he is the floor overall (.420) in those 17 appearances. When it comes to conference action, Booker has boosted his output to 20.2 ppg thanks to 15-of-30 shooting out on the perimeter, helping to push the entire team to 45.1 percent accuracy from the outside, but still the group is being outscored by more than three points per contest.

Booker is certainly a formidable foe for the Buffs, but he doesn't have the same quality talent surrounding him as is found on the Washington roster. It might not be pretty, but this should still be a game that the Huskies can capture if all goes well.