Correction: An earlier version of this story’s headline added in editing implied that Colorado secured an NCAA tournament bid. This win improved their chances, but did not guarantee a bid with certainty.
Contact CU Independent Men’s Basketball Beat Writer Alissa Noe at alissa.noe@colorado.edu and follow her on Twitter @crazysportsgirl1.
Coming into Wednesday night’s game against No. 9 Arizona, the University of Colorado men’s basketball team desperately needed a marquee win to move toward guaranteeing a tournament bid. And after a thrilling game in Boulder thanks to a monster performance from senior forward Josh Scott, the Buffaloes got it, defeating Arizona 75-72.
“If you didn’t come to watch this game tonight and you had the opportunity to, you missed a hell of a college basketball game,” head coach Tad Boyle said.
We might as well just rename Boulder “Upset City.”
Remember the Colorado upset over No. 6 Kansas two years ago? The Buffaloes won with the exact same score, 75-72. And though that game eventually earned them a spot in the AP Top 25 poll, this win should earn them a bid to the NCAA tournament. That’s a much better reward.
“This was an NCAA Tournament atmosphere, this was an NCAA tournament-level game, and there were two NCAA Tournament teams playing tonight,” Boyle said.
Scott, the man of the night, dominated in the paint as he went on to score 26 points and grab 9 rebounds in his second to last home game as a Buffalo.
“It’s kind of hit me this week,” Scott said. “I’ve kind of spoke to it being my last two home games being in Boulder, and I wanted to play well in those. But really it just comes down to I’m really happy and proud of our team. We’ve been through adversity against good teams and not come out with a ‘W,’ and to do that today, that’s all I could ask for as a senior and just as a teammate from these guys.”
With 14:20 left in the game, the Buffaloes gained as much as an 11-point lead, 56-45, but Arizona wasn’t ready to give up on their top-10 ranking just yet. With 52 seconds left on the clock, they closed the gap to just three points, 75-72, before an unfortunate, nearly miscalled turnover put the final nail in the coffin.
Believe it or not, the Buffaloes won the turnover game for once with nine to Arizona’s 11. The two teams tied in the rebound department with 38 boards apiece, which is fitting for the No. 1 rebounding team in the conference (Arizona) vs. the No. 2 rebounding team (Colorado).
“We didn’t play perfect, but we were at our best,” Boyle said.
For the game, the Buffs shot 41.5 percent from the field (27 of 65) and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 15).
Arizona was a bit more efficient, shooting 46.8 percent overall (29 of 62) but struggled from beyond the arch, making only 27.3 percent of their shots from downtown (3 of 11).
The Buffs got off to a slow start, allowing the Wildcats to gain a 5-0 lead over before a pair of Scott free throws put them on the board, followed by their first field goal two and a half minutes in.
After that, it didn’t take the Buffs long to gain their first lead of the game just a minute later, 7-5.
For the next several raucous minutes of the sparring match, the Buffs and the Cats exchanged blows, accounting for four tied scores and four lead changes.
After that turn of events, the Buffaloes took over and kept the lead for the final 11 minutes of the half. They also led for a total of 14:04 of the first half alone, bringing their biggest lead at the two and a half minute mark with six points, 37-31.
By the time the buzzer sounded for the break, the Buffaloes had kept a 37-33 advantage.
For the half, the Buffs shot a shaky 36.7 percent from the field, going 11 of 30 while making two of their six three-point attempts. They also committed an uncharacteristically low four turnovers.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats shot slightly better at 41.9 percent (13 of 31), but made none of their four three-point attempts. Believe it or not, they handled the ball less effectively, turning it over six times, three of which were attributed to Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
The Buffs came out just as strong in the second half, amassing as much as an 11-point lead a little over five minutes in, 56-45.
Arizona could not seem to stifle the Buffaloes, though they did manage to make things interesting.
The Wildcats closed the gap to three points with 52 seconds left, 75-72, but the Buffs held on and spoiled Arizona’s final possession, winning the game by the same score.
“I can’t tell you how important it is,” Boyle said. “Number one, it gets us to 20 (wins). Number two, it gives us a great win in terms of RPI. It gives us a great win in a top-10 team, a high RPI team. As you go in the stretch run in February, you need to show that you can beat quality teams, and we showed tonight that we can beat a quality team.”
The Buffs remain home to take the court on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. to take on Arizona State.
