LAS VEGAS — The loss at UCLA on Feb. 15 wasn’t the ugliest of Colorado’s shortcomings on the highway this season. Nor was it probably the most irritating, because the Buffaloes had been a month faraway from losing a 19-point second-half lead at California.
But that loss throughout the last Pac-12 Convention go to to Pauley Pavilion despatched the Buffs to a brand new nadir with their highway woes. The CU males’s basketball crew has modified that narrative, although, over the previous month and can take a six-game successful streak, together with renewed hopes for a spot within the NCAA Event, into their last look within the Pac-12 match.
The primary spherical started on Wednesday, however the third-seeded Buffs don’t play till the ultimate quarterfinal recreation on Thursday night time (9:30 p.m. MT, FS1) in opposition to both Eleventh-seeded Arizona State or sixth-seeded Utah, who had been set for the ultimate first-round recreation late Wednesday night time.
“I feel the teaching employees actually emphasizes that. Firstly of the season, they all the time discuss how the season is a marathon,” CU senior Tristan da Silva mentioned. “They sort of make the gamers conscious that the video games are vital, however even in case you’re struggling you’ve nonetheless received a variety of time to get higher, to get to the purpose the place you need to get at.”
CU’s season was on the brink following the loss at UCLA, which left the Buffs at 7-7 within the league, 1-7 in true highway video games and 3-8 away from house general. What occurred subsequent might need turned the fortunes of the complete season.
The Buffs (22-9, 13-7 Pac-12) had been on their technique to one other highway loss two nights later at USC when KJ Simpson scored 11 factors in a late 20-5 run that received the Buffs again within the recreation. A Simpson-to-Luke O’Brien dunk tied the sport with 3.7 seconds left, and CU finally prevailed in double time beyond regulation.
Afterward, the Buffs returned house to go 3-0 throughout their last homestand, then recorded a crucial two-game highway sweep — simply this system’s fourth in 13 seasons within the Pac-12 — final week at Oregon and Oregon State. CU most likely wants yet one more win to really feel extra assured about its NCAA tourney prospects, but when the Buffs hear their title referred to as on Choice Sunday, the ultimate seven-plus minutes of regulation plus the overtimes at USC shall be remembered as an important minutes of the season.
“It’s simply the maturation strategy of our crew and the end result of a variety of onerous work,” CU head coach Tad Boyle mentioned. “I feel we’ve proven actually good enchancment over the past three weeks defensively. And I feel we’ve proven actually good enchancment when it comes to caring for the basketball. If you happen to don’t flip it over on the highway and also you care for the ball, and also you guard, you give your self an opportunity to win. And that’s what we’ve accomplished.
“We had the nice comeback win at USC, which I feel gave this crew a variety of confidence. With out that, you come again and the heads are down slightly bit. To not say we couldn’t have gotten on the run that we’re on. We may have. However that was the spark that sort of ignited the flame and received our guys believing.”
In 13 earlier seasons below Boyle, the Buffs have received their first convention match recreation 12 occasions. The one time CU misplaced its opener, in 2020, the match was canceled the next morning initially of the COVID pandemic. Given the Buffs received’t know their opponent till late Wednesday night time — CU cut up the common season sequence with each Utah and ASU, with the house crew successful each recreation — that focus-on-ourselves strategy shall be key to a Vegas run.
“It’s a brand new season. What we’ve accomplished prior to now doesn’t matter,” da Silva mentioned. “It’s actually solely about that one recreation. After which if you care for that one, you’ll be able to transfer on to the following one. If you happen to’ve received zero video games all season and get to Pac-12 play, you’ll be able to nonetheless come away with a win. It doesn’t matter what you’ve accomplished within the season.”
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