LAS VEGAS — In an almost annual rite of the pre-spring, Colorado is moving on at the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
Overcoming foul trouble and a cold start from the field, the fourth-seeded Buffaloes took control late in the first half and never looked back, posting an 80-69 win against fifth-seeded Oregon in the Pac-12 quarterfinals.
The win marked the 10th time in 11 appearances at the Pac-12 tournament the Buffs have won their opening game. More importantly, the victory sets up a semifinal battle on Friday night against top-seeded Arizona.
It will be CU’s third Pac-12 semifinal appearance in the past four years and fifth overall.
It was a gutsy effort by the Buffs, as most of the starting lineup battled foul trouble throughout the contest. Yet CU’s defense was on-point throughout the game, holding Oregon to a .343 shooting percentage that was the Ducks’ second-worst total of the season, trailing only a .321 mark they posted against BYU in the third game of the year.
“I’m so proud of our guys because we really struggled offensively out of the chute,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “In the past that has kind of gotten into our bloodstream and itap affected us at the other end of the court. But I thought defensively in that first half, to hold them to 30 points and not have your best offense…we missed some shots, but it didn’t affect us at the other end.
“We found a way to break it open and beat a good team. Now we live to see another day.”
Both teams were cold early, with the Buffs missing 10 of their first 11 3-point shots. Oregon led 25-18 with 6 minutes, 3 seconds left in the first half when CU got hot at both ends of the floor, ultimately holding the Ducks without a field goal for a span of 6:38. Offensively, the Buffs reeled off 12 consecutive points to start an 18-5 run that closed the first half, giving CU a 36-30 lead at the break.
CU ended the regular season as the Pac-12’s leader in 3-point percentage (.365) and ranked a close second in free throw percentage (.755), but the Buffs struggled in both areas against the Ducks, finishing 7-for-24 from the 3-point arc and 13-for-19 at the free throw line.
However, CU held Oregon to an 8-for-27 mark from 3-point range and outrebounded the Ducks 55-42. The Buffs steadily pulled away over the six and a half minutes despite foul trouble that saddled starting guard Nique Clifford with two fouls in the game’s first four minutes. Clifford picked up his third foul 50 seconds into the second half and starting forward Tristan da Silva was called for his fourth foul with 11:47 left in the game.
“Coach tells me to be aggressive every night, night in and night out, so I just wanted to give my team a lift coming into the game,” CU senior forward Evan Battey said.
Battey and Jabari Walker gave CU two players with double-doubles for the first time since a home win against USC last year when McKinley Wright IV and Jeriah Horne achieved the feat. For Battey, it was his first double-double of the season and the eighth of his career, as he finished with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Walker didn’t enjoy his best shooting performance (6-for-16), but he still recorded 18 points with a career-high 16 rebounds.
Freshman guard KJ Simpson also turned in a strong effort off the bench, recording 11 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high six assists.
Now the Buffs turn their attention to second-ranked Arizona, which suffered an upset loss in Boulder on Feb. 26.
“This is a time of year I really embrace and enjoy, and I know (Battey) does,” Boyle said. “Christmas break is the best time to be a college basketball player, but this is even better. Because you get to play for something that means something. We’re playing for a championship in this tournament. We figured out a way to get to the semis. Now we’ve just got to figure out how to beat Arizona. Itap not going to be easy.”
Fast break
What went right: CU held Oregon to a .343 shooting percentage, the Ducks’ second-lowest mark of the season. The Buffs also outrebounded Oregon 55-42 and committed only eight turnovers, the Buffs’ second-lowest total of the year.
What went wrong: It was a cold shooting start for CU, which missed 10 of its first 11 3-point attempts. The Buffs also survived a subpar showing at the free throw line (13-for-19).
Star of the game: Jabari Walker. The sophomore forward didn’t have his best game shooting-wise (6-for-16 from the field, 4-for-7 free throws) but he nonetheless extended his Pac-12-leading double-double total to 17, finishing with 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Walker also went without a turnover for the first time in a full game this season.
Whatap next: The Buffs will play in the Pac-12 semifinals for the third time in four years on Friday night against top-seeded Arizona.
Colorado 80, Oregon 69
OREGON (19-14)
Guerrier 8-18 5-8 25, Williams 3-14 3-4 10, Dante 2-4 0-0 4, Harmon 1-6 0-0 2, Young 7-19 3-4 18, Soares 2-5 2-2 8, Kepnang 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 24-70 13-18 69.
COLORADO (21-10)
Battey 6-15 5-6 19, Walker 6-16 4-7 18, da Silva 5-9 1-2 12, Clifford 3-6 0-0 6, Hammond 0-2 2-2 2, Simpson 5-11 0-1 11, Barthelemy 4-12 1-1 9, O’Brien 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 30-74 13-19 80.
Halftime – Colorado 36-30. 3-point field goals – Oregon 8-27 (Guerrier 4-10, Soares 2-4, Young 1-5, Williams 1-6, Harmon 0-2), Colorado 7-24 (Walker 2-5, Battey 2-6, O’Brien 1-1, da Silva 1-2, Simpson 1-3, Hammond 0-2, Barthelemy 0-5). Rebounds – Oregon 42 (Guerrier 13), Colorado 55 (Walker 16). Assists – Oregon 13 (Young 7), Colorado 17 (Simpson 6). Total fouls – Oregon 18, Colorado 16. A – 11,081.
(4) CU Buffs men’s basketball vs. (1) Arizona
Pac-12 Conference tournament semifinals
TIPOFF: Friday, 7 p.m. MT, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
BROADCAST: TV — Pac-12 Network; Radio — 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Colorado 21-10; Arizona 29-3.
COACHES: Colorado — Tad Boyle, 12th season (254-153, 310-219 overall); Arizona — Tommy Lloyd, 1st season (29-3 at Arizona and overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — F Jabari Walker, So., 14.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg; F Evan Battey, R-Sr., 12.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .506 3-point percentage; G Keeshawn Barthelemy, R-So., 10.9 ppg, 2.4 apg; F Tristan da Silva, So., 9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg. Arizona — G Bennedict Mathurin, So., 17.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .383 3-point percentage; F Azuolas Tubelis, So., 14.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg; C Christian Koloko, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, .626 field goal percentage.
NOTES: One key to the matchup will be the status of Arizona starting point guard Kerr Kriisa, who left UA’s quarterfinal win against Stanford on Thursday in the final minute with a right ankle injury…The Buffs are seeking their second consecutive Pac-12 title game berth and their third overall…With his 12 rebounds against Oregon, Battey passed Jim Creighton and Richard Roby to move into 18th on CU’s career rebounds list. The Arizona game also will be Battey’s 132nd with the Buffs, which will tie Cory Higgins for fourth all-time.
