Christmas is 15 days away, but it came about six weeks early for Austin Dufault.

When the Killdeer High School product signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Division I Colorado last year, he dreamed of someday being in the starting lineup for the Buffaloes.

That someday came Nov. 14 - much sooner than he had expected. The 6-foot-8 strong forward got the starting nod as a true freshman in the Buffaloes' season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He had a nice debut, scoring 13 points, collecting four rebounds and dishing out two assists in 31 minutes as Colorado - a member of the Big 12 Conference - rolled to a 76-56 non-conference victory.

Dufault, the 2008 North Dakota Mr. Basketball winner, said he expected to see varsity action his first year in Boulder, but being a starter was something he thought might happen further down the road.

"We have a pretty young team (one senior, two juniors on the roster), so I thought there would be an opportunity to start. I just didn't think it would happen as soon as it did," he said. "When I came here, starting wasn't a priority. Just having the opportunity to play some minutes as a freshman in a big Division I school would have been more than good. Either way, I knew I had to work hard and show the coaches that I was ready to play."

Dufault said he had mixed emotions after he was informed by Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik that he would start the Buffaloes' opener.

"I was really excited. It was a dream come true," he said. "But at the same time I was a little nervous. It was kind of like being a freshman in high school again. It's a whole different game and I didn't know what to expect. But I was given an opportunity, and I was determined to make the most of it. My first game turned out good. It definitely encouraged me and raised my confidence."

Dufault has started all six games for Colorado, which is 3-3. He's averaging 10.7 points per game, having scored in double figures five times. He had eight points in his other outing. Dufault is shooting 44 percent (23-for-52) from the floor, and 78 percent (14-for-18) from the free-throw line.

He has 20 rebounds and is averaging an even 30 minutes per game.

"I'm happy with the way things have gone, so far. I'm playing a lot of minutes and contributing to the team," Dufault said. "But the goal for me and everybody else on this team is to keep getting better each week."

Dufault said adjusting to the speed of Division I basketball has been his biggest challenge, thus far.

"When I talk to people who play or played Division I the first thing they talk about is the speed of the game," he said. "It helped to play ball here in the summer - it gave me an idea of what to expect. You really notice the speed when you're on defense. You're going against guys who are so quick and so athletic. I knew it would take lots of time to adjust to that. I have to keep working hard at it, and play smart."

Dufault is pleased with his overall shooting percentage, but not his 3-point shooting - 4-for-17.

"Speed is a big factor there, too - the speed of the defense," he said. "You get the ball and the defenders are right there. You don't have a lot of time to set your feet, and I've hurried a lot of my shots. I know I have to be quicker."

Dufault said one of the main reasons why he choose Colorado was Bzdelik, who is in his second year at the school. After working with the 55-year-old mentor the past two months, Dufault knows he made the right choice.

"He's an incredible coach - the right guy to get this program turned around," Dufault said of Bzdelik. "He's coached in the NBA (Washington Bullets, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets), and he's done a great job every place he's been. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from him."

When Dufault was considering signing with Colorado, one of his concerns was the distance between his hometown of Killdeer and Boulder - more than 700 miles. Opportunities for his family to watch him play college basketball would be few and far between, Dufault feared.

However, Dufault's father Rich, mother Karen and younger brother Zach are now only 48 miles from the University of Colorado campus. Last summer, the family moved from its home of 23 years to La Salle, Col., where Rich and Karen Dufault took teaching jobs. Rich resigned as head boys basketball coach at Killdeer after eight years at the helm.

Austin Dufault said his family has attended every Colorado home game.

"It's great to see them at the games, and I know it means a lot to them, too," he said. "It's great to have them so close. It's tough being away from the place where I grew up and where I called home. But having my family just an hour away makes it easier."

Next up for Colorado is rival Colorado State tonight in Boulder. After that, the Buffaloes have seven more non-conference games - including three in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dec. 28-30 - before starting their Big 12 schedule at Missouri on Jan. 14.