The Colorado Buffaloes’ season-opener against the Abilene Christian Wildcats was a success on Monday, as they won in blowout fashion, 94-59. Despite only leading by two points at halftime, the Buffaloes put together as complete a second half as you’ll see, outscoring the Wildcats 58-25.

As Colorado takes to the road to face the San Diego State Aztecs in the Bill Walton Classic on Saturday, it has some things to improve upon as well as some things to build on. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Buffs’ season-opener.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ offense won’t just flow through Barrington Hargress

Barrington Hargress has been looked at as Colorado’s centerpiece since he announced his return this offseason. The general expectation was that the offense would flow through him at the point for a large majority of game time while he also handled the lion's share of the scoring.

However, Saturday’s game proved that won’t always be the case. Hargress was certainly pivotal, as he was on the floor for 26 minutes and tallied four assists, the second-most on the team. 

But he rotated between the point and shooting guard in that time. Freshman Alex Dickeson spent significant time at the point, as well as sophomore guard Josiah Sanders.

Hargress wasn’t looking to pad his stats either, as he shot the ball nine times (despite having many more opportunities) and recorded 11 points. While the Buffaloes may turn to Hargress in crucial moments late in games, there’s a good chance this type of rotation will be the norm in most situations.

Guard Jalin Holland has made major strides

Holland looked like a completely different player in this game, both in his mental fortitude and his offensive skill set. 

Holland was the game’s leading scorer, recording a career-high 18 points, as well as contributing a team-high six rebounds. He went an impressive 8-for-12 from the field, including a 2-for-4 clip from beyond the arc. His shot selection was vastly improved, and he stands a chance to be a real weapon offensively for Colorado.

While he ran into early foul trouble, coach Tad Boyle commended him for his response to it postgame.

“The difference between Jalin Holland last year and Jalin Holland this year is that last year, those two fouls would’ve maybe had him checked out mentally,” Boyle said. “... He picked them up so early, I said, ‘We’ve got to play him. I don’t want to sit him for the rest of the half.’ And we [played him] and he didn’t pick up that third foul, fortunately, and then he was free to play a little bit more aggressively in the second half.”

Rebounding isn’t a major concern in the frontcourt

Going into this game, rebounding was a question mark for the Buffaloes. Boyle had noted the frontcourt as a bit uncertain in that department, but the backcourt did a good job taking pressure off it.

While no Buff reached double digits in rebounds, six players contributed four or more rebounds en route to the Buffaloes’ total of 39 on the night. Three of those players were guards, with Holland leading the way, as the Buffs out-rebounded the Wildcats by 15.

After getting out-rebounded in all three of its preseason scrimmages, it was a sight for sore eyes when Colorado looked at the score sheet to see a substantial win on the glass. While it remains to be seen whether it can count on team efforts like this in Big 12 play, it was a great sign for the start of the season.