Buffs Head To Utah With Top-Four Finish On The Line

SALT LAKE CITY — Without playing a game this week, the Colorado Buffaloes managed to improve their chances at a top-four Pac-12 finish.

Saturday, they can clinch one of those spots — and the first-round conference tournament bye that goes with it — by collecting a win in their 12:30 p.m. game at Utah (Pac-12 Networks).

The Buffs (21-9 overall, 10-7 Pac-12) had control of their fortunes returned to their hands Thursday when Arizona State lost to Washington and Stanford fell at Oregon State. That means if the Buffs beat the Utes (15-14, 6-11) on their home court, they are guaranteed of no worse than a No. 4 seed — and a possible No. 3 seed — next week in Las Vegas.

The flip side, of course, is that a fourth straight loss could drop the Buffs as far as the seventh seed and force them to play Wednesday instead of opening Thursday.

"We were done some favors, there's no doubt about it," CU coach Tad Boyle said just before the Buffs departed for Salt Lake City on Friday. "Now we control our own destiny. We have an opportunity to do two things that have never been done in the history of Colorado basketball — that's get a bye in the first round of the conference and win 22 regular season games."

The Buffs handled Utah with ease in their first meeting this year, a 91-52 CU win in Boulder on Jan. 12. The Buffs shot the ball extremely well in the game (nearly 60 percent from the floor), played solid defense (Utah shot just 35.2 percent) and held a dominating 42-24 edge on the boards.

But Utah has been a different team at home this year. While the Utes are just 1-9 on the road, they are 11-2 at the Huntsman Center, with wins over BYU, Oregon State, Stanford and USC. Throw in a neutral floor win over Kentucky in December, and the Buffs are well-aware of what Utah is capable of doing on a good day.

"The game here really means nothing," Boyle said. "It wasn't indicative of the Utah team that they are. We played out of our minds, both offensively and defensively, and rebounded the ball. Just one of those games."

While the Buffs are playing for a top-four Pac-12 finish as well as improving their NCAA Tournament resume, the Utes have some motivation as well. They are still a candidate for a postseason berth of some kind, and they no doubt would like to make amends for the drubbing they received in Boulder two months ago.

"One thing you know about Utah, they're tough and they're well-coached and you have to beat them — they're not going to beat themselves," Boyle said. "It's going to be a different Utah team, a scrappy one, a hungry one. I always say the most dangerous animal is the one that's wounded. And I think you have two of them playing in this game, Colorado and Utah."

The Buffs have not fared well in the past in Utah. The Utes have beaten Colorado seven times in a row in Salt Lake City, with CU's last win there coming in 2012.

The one thing the Buffs don't want to do is allow what is usually a raucous crowd to have an early impact.

"We have to control the tempo and the way you do that is control the basketball," Boyle said. "Run when we want to run and execute in the halfcourt when we need to execute in the halfcourt. It's just a matter of who's going to play harder and hungrier."

The Utes have one of the Pac-12's best young player in 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Timmy Allen, who is averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. They also have a quality point guard in freshman Rylan Jones, a solid shooter from 3-point range as well as a good playmaker.

In the first meeting this year, the Buffs got double-doubles from Evan Battey (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Tyler Bey (11 points, 12 rebounds), along with a 16-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound night from McKinley Wright IV.

Perhaps most importantly, the Buffs finished with just nine turnovers — a number they would like to replicate after averaging 13 per game over their last four contests.

But most of all, the Buffs want a win — not only to secure the top-four finish, but also to end their three-game losing streak and take some momentum into the postseason.

"We have a lot to play for," Boyle said. "Now it's up to us to go to Utah and take care of business. This game means a lot and I think our players will be ready for it."

TIPOFF: Saturday's game is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. (MT) at the Huntsman Center.

THE SERIES: Colorado holds an all-time 29-23 advantage, but the home team has wo the last five games. Utah has a 16-8 edge at home, including seven in a row.

BROADCAST: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson and Matt Muehlebach. The radio broadcast will be carried by 760 AM and 93.7 FM KOA with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.

UP NEXT: Saturday's game wraps up the regular season, and the Buffs will head to the Pac-12 tournament next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. CU will open play either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the outcome of today's game.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Evan Battey

Tyler Bey

McKinley Wright IV

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