Determining where Colorado fell on the NCAA tournament seed lines before Wednesday night’s win over Arizona was a crapshoot at best, with some wondering if they’d make it at all. With the Buffaloes knocking off the Wildcats in Boulder, 75-72, it would appear that their ticket is punched.
Josh Scott, the senior from Monument, Colo. and one of the Buffaloes’ best big men in recent history, had what felt like a career night. His 26 points and nine rebounds fueled CU’s efforts to withstand runs from Ryan Anderson and UA, as the two teams battled back and forth for much of the second half. At one point, Scott scored on five straight possessions for Tad Boyle’s group, taking Sean Miller’s bigs off the bounce or even squaring up for jumpers.
In the end, it was Scott’s performance that made the difference.
The win for Colorado doesn’t just put them at the 20 win mark for the season, but it gives the team another signature win to put on their resume. Having beaten Oregon at home earlier in the conference season, yet missed opportunities against Iowa State and SMU in the non conference, Tad Boyle’s group was looking for another win to stamp their resume’s validity. They got that against UA, who should finish in the top 25 of the RPI.
As for the Buffs’ RPI, they’re back within the top 30, and barring a total collapse against Arizona State and a road loss to Utah (though the road loss looks likely), they’ll finish inside of the top 40 before the Pac-12 Tournament, raising the question of where they’ll land in the NCAA Tournament seed lines as opposed to if they will at all.
Want to give your comments about this article? You can either leave them here or you can join us on the Get More Sports Forum and talk about this article and many more! Brag about your favorite team, argue about an athlete’s performance or tell us about a game you saw. Join a new community of sports fans who live and breathe sports and sports entertainment. It’s free! Join now!