Buffs Face ASU, Aim To Stay Perfect In Pac-12 Tourney Openers

LAS VEGAS — If history is any guide, the Colorado Buffaloes should feel good about their chances against Arizona State in Wednesday's opening round of the Pac-12 tournament (1 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network).

Colorado coach Tad Boyle is 7-0 in conference tourney openers with the Buffs, including a 6-0 mark in the Pac-12. That makes Colorado one of just two teams — Arizona is the other — that has won at least one game in every conference tournament since the Pac-12 expanded to 12 teams in the 2011-12 season.

But while history may be on the Buffs' side, history has never scored a basket — and it's a safe bet that Boyle isn't counting on any help in that regard Wednesday. Rather, Boyle will be counting on his 16-14 Buffs, who carry the No. 8 seed into the game, to play some solid perimeter defense and take care of the ball against No. 9 ASU (20-10).

Colorado split its season series with the Sun Devils, collecting an overtime win in Boulder when ASU was ranked No. 4 in the nation, then dropping a game in Tempe when the Sun Devils were ranked No. 21.

Now, with both teams finishing the season with 8-10 conference marks, neither is ranked — and both will be playing Wednesday to extend their seasons.

The Buffs must win four in a row in Las Vegas to earn an NCAA Tournament automatic bid, or pick up at least a win or two to enhance their NIT resume. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are precariously perched on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and need a win or two at T-Mobile Arena to solidify that spot.

"It's a one-game season," Boyle said. "Unless we win a game or a couple of games our season may be over. That's the reality. We don't know that, but that's the way it feels right now. We'd better have a sense of urgency, there's no doubt."

The Sun Devils, who racked up a 12-0 non-conference record that included wins over Kansas and Xavier, will also have that sense of urgency. Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, Bobby Hurley's team endured an up-and-down Pac-12 stretch that finished on a sour note, with ASU losing four of its last five conference games.

But, Boyle warned, the Sun Devils are still a team capable of a tournament run, especially if they get hot from behind the 3-point line.

"I see a team that's really dangerous and a team that's explosive offensively," Boyle said. "They have four guards that can really shoot the ball, drive the ball, push the ball, play in transition, very active. … A team that's never out of a game. They can be down 20 and they're not out of it because they're so explosive offensively. We're going to have to play for 40 minutes, rock solid. We're going to have to contest shots because if you give these guys open shots, they're going to make them."

Colorado has seen that explosiveness first hand. In their late January loss in Tempe, Colorado led by four midway through the second half. But after hitting just three of their first 21 3-point attempts, the Sun Devils caught fire, hitting five in a row and six of seven to build a 10-point lead with 6:37 to play. Colorado never came closer than seven again.

The most telling statistics when it comes to ASU? Try shooting percentage. When the Sun Devils shoot 46 percent or better from the field, they are 13-0.

Boyle and the Buffs don't expect to see anything dramatically different from ASU in their third meeting.

"Players make plays, players win games, especially this time of year," Boyle said. "There are no secrets. The challenges are the same with Arizona State. It's not necessarily the game plan, it's how do you do your best to slow down (guards) Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kody Justice and Remy Martin off the bench. It's their players that you really have to prepare for. … We have to have our players make plays. Really who wins this game is the team that wants it more, the team that's tougher and the team that makes the most plays. If it's a close game down the stretch, obviously it's the players that have to take control of the game."

One statistic in the Buffs' favor is their record against their side of the bracket. CU finished the Pac-12 season 6-2 against ASU, Arizona (CU's second-round foe if the Buffs win Wednesday), Stanford, Cal and UCLA.

They were just 2-8 against the opposite side.

This week will be the last Pac-12 tournament for CU seniors George King, Dominique Collier and Josh Repine. King, who was earlier this week named to the all-Pac-12 second team, said it's the Buffs are in position to "go out with a bang."

"Everybody that's on our side of the bracket, we've beat at least once," King said. "We had a great quote today. 'Leave your footprints in the sand of time, you've got to bring your work boots.' I think this is a great opportunity for us to do that. Our seniors can go out with a bang if we can go out there and take care of business in Vegas."

THE SERIES: Colorado and ASU are tied 6-6 since CU joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12. The Sun Devils have won six of the last 10, but this will be the first meeting between the two programs in the Pac-12 tournament

BUFFS IN CONFERENCE TOURNEYS: Colorado is 23-40 all-time in conference tournaments (Big Eight, Big 12, Pac-12). Boyle owns more than half of those wins, with a 12-6 record. The Buffs are 10-5 overall in the Pac-12 tourney and were 2-1 under Boyle in the Big 12 tournament. Colorado is still the only team to win four games in four days to win the Pac-12 title, achieving the feat in 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

BUFFS ON NEUTRAL FLOOR: Colorado is 3-1 on a neutral court this year. The Buffaloes won the 2017 Paradise Jam in Lynchburg, Va., in November winning three games in three days. Colorado dropped an 80-73 decision to Iowa in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 22.

BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean and Jill Savage. 760 AM KDSP radio will carry the game with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu