Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Ready For Rematch With Oregon State
March 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAS VEGAS — Thursday's Colorado-Oregon State matchup in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals (3:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) is more than just a rematch for the Buffaloes.
It is a chance for the Buffs (20-11) to get one that got away earlier — and a reminder of how a loss to the Beavers on Jan. 31 turned CU's season around.
Since that 76-74 loss to OSU, which dropped CU's conference record to 2-6, the Buffs have won nine of 11, including their last four in a row. It was a game CU head coach Tad Boyle has referenced on more than one occasion as a turning point for his young CU team, both physically and mentally.
Now, Colorado has a chance to even the score with the Beavers after grinding out a 56-51 win over Cal on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament.
In their first meeting, the Buffs led by as much as nine in the first half and still led by five at intermission, 40-35. But when the Beavers made a second-half run, the Buffs couldn't turn them away. OSU shot 56 percent from the field in the second half, and the Buffs missed 10 free throws in the game as well.
That was also the game that turned Tyler Bey's season around. The CU sophomore played just seven minutes in the second half, and finished with just four points and four rebounds. Since that game, he has recorded eight double-doubles, and this week was selected first team all-Pac-12, as well as being named the conference's Most Improved Player.
Now, while his double-double streak of five in a row came to an end against the Bears (8 points, 11 rebounds) he will get a second chance at Oregon State.
"Yessir, that's the one," Bey said with a smile in Colorado's post-game locker room Wednesday. "That's the one."
The Beavers are averaging 73.9 points per game — and three players are responsible for more than 50 points per game. Tres Tinkle leads OSU with a 20.7 scoring average, followed by Stephen Thompson Jr. (16.3) and his younger brother, Ethan Thompson (13.6).
"We have to lock up again on defense because Stevie, Ethan and Tres can score," said CU's Evan Battey, who had 16 points and four rebounds in CU's first game against OSU. "We have neutralize them as much as we can."
But the Beavers (18-12, 10-8) aren't exactly entering the tournament on a hot streak. Unlike the Buffs — who have won four in a row — OSU has lost three of its last four and four of its last six.
REST AND RECOVERY: The Buffs used just seven players in Wednesday's win, with every player getting at least 18 minutes on the floor.
"They're young and in great shape and have big hearts," CU head coach Tad Boyle said. "I'm not worried about fatigue being a factor. We've done it before. We know we can do it again in terms of bouncing back. We played in the Hawaii tournament over Christmas, which was three games in four days. And so you're used to this back-to-back little bit. But these guys will be fine. I'm not worried about that."
The Buffs are the only team since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2011-12 to win four games in four days for a tournament title.
HOT AND COLD: While the Buffs shot a relatively respectable 43.5 percent from the field Wednesday (20-for-46), only three players hit better than 50 percent of their shots: McKinley Wright (7-for-9), D'Shawn Schwartz (4-6) and Daylen Kountz (3-5).
Kountz had two big plays for the Buffs in the first half, coming up with back-to-back steals that led to dunks, part of a key 13-2 CU run.
STILL PERFECT IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT OPENERS: Colorado improved to 8-0 in Pac-12 tournament openers with Wednesday's win (all under Boyle), and 9-0 in conference tourney openers overall (CU won it's opener in the 2011 Big 12 tournament).
Boyle also now owns six of CU's all-time 20-win seasons.
"Twenty is a big number," he said. "That's something before the season starts I look at the schedule and say, OK, can we get 20. I thought we'd get north of that, and we've got the opportunity to do that tomorrow. But that 20 wins, it used to be in college basketball you hit 20 wins, and you're in the Power 5 Conference and you're in the tournament. It's not like that anymore."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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