University of Colorado Athletics
Buffs' Win Over Arizona Draws National Attention
February 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — National reaction to Colorado's 75-72 win over ninth-ranked Arizona on Wednesday proved to be swift, with plenty of folks from around the nation expressing a belief that the victory virtually cemented an NCAA Tournament berth for the Buffs.
Folks within the CU locker room were hesitant to be that definitive — but it was clear that everyone from CU head coach Tad Boyle on down believes the Buffs are worthy of an invitation to the NCAA's annual March get-together.
“This was an NCAA Tournament atmosphere, it was an NCAA Tournament-level game and there were two NCAA teams playing tonight,” Boyle said after the game.
“I just believe this is a quality win,” said CU senior Josh Scott, whose 26 points and nine rebounds paved the way for the win. “I believe this gets us in the tournament, but I think we've got to take every game like we have to win this one if we want to get in. That's important to us.”
Nationally, the Buffs' win drew some quick response. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein had this to say:
Colorado beats Arizona by three in boulder. That should be the win that gets the Buffaloes into the NCAA Tournament. Dangerous team.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 25, 2016
Longtime broadcaster Dick Vitale, meanwhile, added this:
Hi 5's to Wisconsin / Colorado / Marquette / Notre Dame finding ways to add to their resumes!
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 25, 2016
And, ESPN's Jeff Goodman had this to say:
Tad Boyle has quietly done a nice job this season. Underrated coach. Colorado knocks off Arizona and Buffs in good shape down stretch.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) February 25, 2016
Thursday morning, Rothstein added another comment about the Buffaloes, praising the inside combination of Scott and Wesley Gordon.
Colorado is the type of 8/9 seed that could knock off a one seed in the Round of 32. Very underrated PF/C combo in Wesley Gordon/Josh Scott.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 25, 2016
As of Thursday morning, the 20-9 Buffs had climbed back into the top 30 in the NCAA RPI, checking in at No. 29, fifth-best in the Pac-12. They have also clinched at least a .500 record in the Pac-12 (9-7 with two games to go), and they own four wins over top-50 RPI teams: Oregon, Cal, Arizona and Oregon State.
They also have more opportunities to polish that resume´. Arizona State pays a visit to the Coors Events Center on Sunday (2:30 p.m. tipoff), followed by the regular season finale the following Saturday in Utah. After that, it's the Pac-12 Tournament, with their first game scheduled March 9 or 10, depending upon their seed. Wednesday's win moved the Buffs into a tie for fifth in the Pac-12 standings, but a top-four finish — and a first-round Pac-12 tourney bye — now seems unlikely.
Still, Wednesday's win should provide some momentum heading into the final days of the regular season and conference tournament.
“As you go into the stretch run in February, you need to show that you can beat top teams,” Boyle said late Wednesday evening. “We showed tonight that we can beat a top team.”
Thursday morning's latest bracket projections still had the Buffs squarely in the tournament. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm had the Buffs as a No. 8 seed, ESPN's Joe Lunardi had the Buffs as a No. 10 and USA Today's latest bracket had the Buffs as a No. 8.
TWO QUESTIONS: After Wednesday night's game, which featured the third-largest crowd in CU hoops history, Boyle posed these questions to the media at his postgame press conference:
“Why can't the Coors Events Center be like this every night?” Boyle asked. “And why can't we bring that kind of energy and concentration as a team every night? I think they are both valid questions, it should be like this every night. And if we want to get this program where we want it, which is a perennial top 25 program, one like Arizona, we have to do this every night. It's up to our fans to come out, and it's up to us as coaches and players to play with the passion, toughness and energy that we played with tonight. It doesn't guarantee that we're going to win every game, but it makes for a hell of a lot of fun. I don't understand why it can't be like that every night. We have to do our part, but what a great win and I'm so proud of our team.”
Wednesday night's crowd of 11,309 is surpassed only by a gathering of 11,708 for the Dec. 5, 2012, win over Colorado State (70-61) and the 11,363 in attendance for the Jan. 22, 2001, game against Kansas, won by the Jayhawks (85-75).
PRAISE FOR SCOTT, GORDON: CU's inside one-two punch of Scott and Gordon no doubt made a huge difference in Wednesday's win. The two combined for 34 points and 21 rebounds. Somewhat lost in the spotlight of Scott's numbers were Gordon's seven offensive rebounds, a big reason the Buffs finished with a 17-11 edge in second-chance points.
“We knew before we played them how good of an offensive rebounder he is,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “The fact is that he was able to get seven second-chance shots and I think two of them lead to 3-pointers when they only had five 3-pointers. A big difference in the game was Wesley Gordon on the offensive glass.”
In conference games, Gordon leads the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.7 per game.
NOTABLE: Wednesday night's win was the 400th Colorado victory in the history of the Events Center. … Gordon is now 17th on CU's all-time rebound list, and his six assists were a career high. ... Scott's 26 points were a season high, and included a stretch when he hit six straight field goal attempts. … George King is averaging 6.9 rebounds per game over the last eight contests.
UP NEXT: The Buffs play host to Arizona State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in their home finale. The Buffs then close the regular season the following Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. game at Utah.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
