Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
21-9,12-7Pac-12
Oregon
19-11,11-8Pac-12
Boyle's Buffs Pick Up Big Win At Oregon
March 07, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
EUGENE, Ore. — Colorado rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit Thursday and the Buffaloes' men's basketball team took a crucial 79-75 win at Oregon to clinch the third spot in the Pac-12 standings.
Tad Boyle's Buffs won their fifth in a row to improve to 21-9 overall and 12-7 in Pac-12 play while the Ducks dropped to 19-11, 11-8.
The Buffs thus guaranteed themselves of a first-round bye in next week's Pac-12 tournament and will open play Thursday at 9:30 p.m. (MT) against the winner of the No. 6 seed and No. 11 seed.
Equally importantly, the victory is a huge boost to CU's NCAA Tournament resumé, giving the Buffs another much-needed Quad 1 victory.
CU's J'Vonne Hadley delivered a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double on 8-for-11 shooting, with 18 of those points coming in a second half that included a 4-for-4 effort from 3-point range. Tristan da Silva scored 22 points and KJ Simpson added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Jackson Shelstad led Oregon with 23 points.
Colorado fell behind early, 18-6, after the Ducks opened with an 11-0 run. But the Buffs didn't flinch and slowly climbed back into the game. CU put together its own 11-0 run to close the gap and the score was tied at 37-37 at the break.
Neither team managed to create anything resembling a big lead for much of the second half as there were seven lead changes. But Colorado finally took the lead for good with a 9-0 run that gave the Buffs a 70-61 edge with 3:20 to play.
Oregon then battled back to close the gap to one, 76-75, in the final minute. But the Buffs got a big bucket from Hadley with 13 seconds remaining, then notched a defensive stop and added one more free throw from Luke O'Brien with 2 seconds left to clinch what is arguably CU's biggest win thus far this season.
The Buffs were once again missing starter Cody Williams (ankle injury) and Julian Hammond III (knee) but CU still had enough firepower for the win. Colorado shot 55 percent from the floor (32-for-58), including 8-for-17 from 3-point range, and the Buffs had a dominant 36-24 edge on the boards.
Oregon finished 32-for-60 from the field but hit just seven of its 24 3-point attempts.
Colorado had an uncharacteristic off night from the free throw line, hitting just 7 of 13 attempts — but the Buffs made just enough of them in the final minute to come away with the win.
"Our guys showed unbelievable grit and toughness, especially getting off to the start that we did," Boyle said. "Oregon scored on the first five possessions but we just didn't get our heads down. We just kept battling, kept battling, and got back in the game. Just a gut-check win and it was not easy. Our guys really executed down the stretch and I'm really proud of them."
The Buffs were among the nation's leaders this year in games lost to injury. Williams missed his 12th game Thursday and Hammond missed his sixth. Simpson and Eddie Lampkin Jr. are the only starters who have been available for every game this season.
But despite those issues, the Buffs are now in good position to earn their sixth NCAA Tournament bid in Boyle's 14-year tenure (with another erased by the Covid pandemic in 2020).
"We get that first-round (Pac-12) bye and with all the things that we've had to overcome to get there, that's what I'm most proud of," Boyle said. "It's not where we are, it's what we had to overcome to get there."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After trailing by 12 early, the Buffs battled back to tie the game at 37-37 by halftime.
The two teams then traded the lead five times over the first nine minutes of the second half. Colorado took a 47-46 lead on a Hadley 3-pointer and then grabbed a 50-48 edge on an O'Brien offensive board and putback.
Hadley then unleashed a hot streak. He hit his third 3-pointer of the half to give the Buffs a 56-52 edge midway through the half, grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to end a mini-Oregon run a minute later, then drained another trey to give Colorado a 61-57 lead with eight minutes remaining.
"J'Vonne Hadley was the player of the game," Boyle said. "You can't say enough about him. He had 20 points, 12 rebounds and he hit those big threes in the second half."
Oregon then hit a pair of buckets to tie it up at 61-61 but the Buffs answered with their decisive 9-0 run to take a lead they never relinquished.
Da Silva hit a 3-pointer from the win off a nice feed from O'Brien before Simpson recorded a steal and layup to give the Buffs a 66-61 edge with 4:10 to play.
That run prompted an Oregon timeout but the Buffs kept the pressure up after the break. Simpson grabbed a long defensive rebound and cashed in a transition layup and Hadley drove to the hoop to extend CU's run to 9-0 and the Colorado lead to 70-61.
Oregon, though, didn't go away quietly. The Ducks shaved CU's lead down to four with a 3-pointer and finally pulled to within two with 40 seconds remaining on an N'Faly Dante bucket.
Colorado pushed its lead back to four with two Simpson free throws with 40 seconds remaining before the Ducks answered with a Jermane Couisinard 3-pointer to cut Colorado's lead to 76-75 with 36 seconds to play.
But CU took care of business in the final seconds. After a block by Dante sent the ball out of bounds on CU's ensuing possession, Hadley delivered again with a bucket off a Simpson assist to give CU a 78-75 lead with 13 seconds on the clock.
Oregon then missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and O'Brien grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The CU senior hit one free throw with two seconds left to clinch the critical win.
"We were aware (of what was at stake)," da Silva said. "But once you step on that floor, if you worry about anything else other than that possession then you're probably not locked in enough. Our focus has to be on every single possession in the game and it was tonight."
Colorado started slowly as the Ducks raced out to an 18-6 lead less than eight minutes into the game. CU committed five turnovers in the early stretch to help fuel Oregon's run.
But the Buffs righted themselves and battled back. Da Silva had six points in an 11-0 Colorado run and CU trailed by just one with 11 minutes left in the half.
Colorado then stayed close over the next nine minutes. Bangot Dak and Simpson had back-to-back buckets to close the gap to one again with four minutes remaining and CU finally took a 33-32 lead on two straight buckets from da Silva.
The two teams then traded the lead three more times over the final two minutes of the period before a Simpson jumper knotted the score at 37-37 headed into intermission.
DECISIVE MOMENT: With the score tied at 61-61 with 6:39 remaining, the Buffs put together a 9-0 run. CU never trailed again and held the Ducks off in the final seconds for the win.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado not only clinched a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament, the Buffs also collected what may have been a decisive win for their NCAA Tournament resumé.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot 55 percent from the floor (32-for-58), including 8-for-17 from 3-point range … CU had a dominant 36-24 edge on the boards … Oregon finished 32-for-60 from the field but hit just seven of its 24 3-point attempts.
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up their regular season Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network). They then open play in the Pac-12 tournament next Thursday with a 9:30 p.m. (MT) game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against the winner of the No. 6 and No. 11 seeds.
