The Colorado Buffaloes’ only shot at an NCAA Tournament invitation hinges on a Pac-12 Tournament championship this week in Las Vegas. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for CU and the rest of the field.
No. 8 Colorado (16-14, 8-10) vs. No. 9 Arizona State (20-10, 8-10)
1 p.m. Wednesday; T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: KDSP-AM 760
Three story lines
1. Back-and-forth: The Buffs stunned then No. 4-ranked ASU in their Pac-12 home opener, but the win doesn’t pack the same punch since the Sun Devils’ slid from the top-25 — and ASU later beat CU by 14 in Tempe. Both teams struggled down the stretch with four losses in each of their last five games.
2. Sixth-men. The Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year award was split between ASU’s Remy Martin and CU’s Dominique Collier. Martin, a freshman, averaged 9.6 points and 2.9 assists per game. Collier, a senior, ranks second in the league for 3-point shooting percentage (.48) in Pac-12 play.
3. Wildcats next. Should CU advance past ASU on Wednesday, its path to the title doesn’t get any easier with top-seeded Arizona awaiting the winner at 1 p.m. Thursday. Pac-12 Player of the Year Deandre Ayton, a freshman, averaged 19.9 points and 11.4 rebounds in leading the team to a 24-7 (14-4 Pac-12) record.
Wednesday matchups
3:30 p.m.
No. 5 Stanford (17-14, 11-7): After a 7-6 start to conference play, Stanford has now won four of its last five games.
No. 12 California (8-23, 2-16): A tough season for first-year head coach Wyking Jones as California enters the tournament with seven consecutive losses.
— Winner plays 3:30 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 4 UCLA (20-10, 11-7): Junior guard Aaron Holiday leads the Pac-12 in scoring (20.1).
7 p.m.
No. 7 Washington (20-11, 10-8): Huskies coach Mike Hopkins was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
No. 10 Oregon State (15-15, 7-11): Sophomore forward Tres Tinkle is the only Pac-12 player to score in double figures of every game this year.
— Winner plays 7 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 2 USC (21-10, 12-6): Guard Jordan McLaughlin and forward Chimezie Metu earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
9:30 p.m.
No. 6 Oregon (20-11, 10-8): Oregon has reached 20 or more victories in eight straight seasons.
No. 11 Washington State (12-18, 4-14): Junior forward Robert Franks was named the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player this season with 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
— Winner plays 9:30 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 3 Utah (19-10, 11-7): Utah has won six of its last seven games.