High altitudes to give Colorado home-court edge over UCLA
By Kevin Bowman
Jan. 16, 2014 12:39 a.m.
Conference road games always pose challenges, but playing in the high altitude of Boulder, Colo., adds another wrinkle that the Bruins must overcome. At 5,430 feet, the Coors Events Center gives the Buffaloes some additional home-court advantage in the form of its altitude.
“Going into Colorado with the elevation, … it’s a tough place to play,” said redshirt senior forward Travis Wear. “All the players will tell you it’s different playing there. Getting used to the environment, it definitely wears you out a little bit quicker being at that high altitude and it’s going to be a challenge.”
Sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson recalled the difficult conditions he faced at Colorado last season.
“I remember it was tough,” Anderson said. “I understand the altitude. I don’t know if maybe that was a mental factor for me, but you just gotta put that behind you and play your game.”
With a game at Colorado already under his belt, Wear offered a suggestion for dealing with the altitude his second time around.
“You mentally prepare yourself,” Wear said. “You know that you’re gonna hit that, but it’s all about pushing through. You know that you got guys on the bench, and those guys are performing well. So you got a guy behind you coming to give you a break and you gotta push through it.”
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
