BOULDER, Colo.—As much as they enjoyed the festivities, Colorado’s seniors don’t want to play another game at the Coors Events Center if they can help it.
Put the NIT hopes on hold, the NCAAs might beckon yet.
Marcus Relphorde, Levi Knutson and Cory Higgins celebrated senior night by leading Colorado past Nebraska 67-57 Saturday, and two other seniors played meaningful minutes in crunch time.
Relphorde scored 19 points, Knutson added 13 and Higgins chipped in 12 as the Buffaloes (19-12, 8-8 Big 12) kept alive their slim hopes for an NCAA bid.
In clinching an upper-division finish in conference play, the Buffs secured the fifth seed in the conference tournament in Kansas City. On Wednesday they’ll face 12th-seeded Iowa State, which handed them a potentially lethal blow to their postseason plans with a 95-90 setback on the heels of Colorado’s big win over No. 5 Texas last week.
“We’d all like to play them again considering what happened last week,” Relphorde said.
With 10 points each, Toney McCray and Lance Jeter led the balanced Cornhuskers (19-11, 7-9), who were denied their first 20-win regular season since 1992-93.
This was the last Big 12 regular season game for the both schools. Colorado is headed to the Pac-12 next season and the Cornhuskers are bolting to the Big Ten.
An NIT bid notwithstanding, this was the last home game for the seniors—and maybe the farewell performance for super sophomore Alec Burks, who will weigh a jump to the NBA after the season.
Each time Burks, who scored 12 points, stepped to the line, the crowd chanted, “One more year!”
Another, seldom-used senior, Trent Beckley, played meaningful minutes and hit a hook shot, his first points of the year, giving Colorado a 42-38 lead.
A fifth senior, Javon Coney, played two minutes, also when the game was on the line.
“I’m glad he put them in the game because they’re obviously not going to hurt us,” Higgins said. “They’re going to bring energy. So, I wasn’t surprised when they were in there, they deserved it and they’ve helped this team so much throughout their careers.”
Just the way Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle drew it up.
“Senior night, five young men that have meant a lot to this program and each in their own way,” Boyle said. “You want it for them so bad on senior night. You hope they’re ready to play.”
They sure were.
“The way Marcus came out, the way Cory came out, they were dialed in. Levi hit some early shots, too,” Boyle said. “Then, you look at Javon Coney and Trent Beckley, I got them in the rotation, they produced when they came in.
“So, it was kind of a feel-good night for those five guys, as it should be.”
The Cornhuskers twice got within a point but couldn’t take their first lead.
“Bottom line is we got the ballgame back to 42-41 and we took three quick shots and turned it over three times,” Cornhuskers coach Doc Sadler said. “That’s just a recipe to get beat on the road.”
Knutson’s 3-pointer put Colorado ahead 55-48 and Andre Roberson’s tip-in made it a nine-point game with just less than five minutes remaining.
Higgins was trapped by a double-team near midcourt when he swept around his defenders and drove to the basket for a lay-up that gave the Buffaloes a 59-50 lead. And the Buffaloes iced it at the free throw line after that.
“It’s a tough loss,” Jeter said. “I feel like we played our hearts out to get back into the game in the second half questionable shots. They took advantage of the fast break and transition, got some easy baskets.
“Instead of making them work on defense, we took quick shots and they made us pay for it, they made us work on defense and I guess they kind of wore us out.”
The Buffaloes jumped out to a 14-3 lead by hitting their first seven shots. They cooled off and shot just 26 percent the rest of the first half, taking a 33-28 lead into the locker room.
The Buffs set school single season records with their 15th home win and their fifth sellout at the Coors Events Center.
“It means a lot to end on a win here,” Knutson said. “We’re going to miss this place, but we’re not done yet.”
