If there is such a thing as dignity in defeat, that will certainly be applicable to the Buffaloes following Friday’s 82-72 loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
Squaring off against the first-seeded and No. 2-ranked Wildcats for a shot at the league title game, Colorado came out swinging from the jump, making it rain from long range and taking a lead as big as eight points in the first half.
But Arizona shot 52% from the floor on the night, sucking the air out of the repeated comeback efforts Colorado made throughout the game and in particular, down the stretch of the second half.
With 4:07 to play, a layup by Evan Battey trimmed CU’s deficit to six, but just over a minute later, UA’s Dalen Terry drilled a three, which proved to be the dagger of the game.
From there, the Wildcats increased their lead to double digits, and things stayed out of reach for the Buffs over the final two-and-a-half minutes of play.
“Arizona was terrific tonight,” Tad Boyle said following the loss. "They played like a No. 1 seed and a top-five team in the country. I’m really proud of our guys for the way we fought and competed.”
A key contributing factor to the Buffs’ losing was their peculiar offensive performance.
For as hot as Colorado was from deep (16-of-32, 50%), it conversely was ice cold on two-point field goals, posting an 8-for-30 (27%) make rate.
In addition, CU didn’t shoot its first free throws of the game until less than a minute remained in the first half. In total, the Buffs got to the charity stripe 10 times, making eight of those shots.
Arizona capitalized considerably from its plentiful appearances on the free throw line, going 24-of-25 (96%).
“We couldn’t get to the foul line and we had trouble finishing against (Arizona’s) length,” Boyle said. “...We weren’t able to get to the foul line for whatever reason and we weren’t able to finish.
“In the first half, when you make nine threes, and you’re down nine — that’s all defensive.”
Jabari Walker started off the game in a manner that brought back memories of his explosive performance last year vs. Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.
Against the Hoyas, Walker scored 24 points and was 5-of-5 from deep. Similarly, Walker was 5-of-5 from long range but in the first half, scoring 17 points.
However, Arizona all but neutralized Walker in the second half, limiting him to one lone shot and two points, both of which came from the free throw line.
Given CU’s struggles at the rim and hitting short to mid-range shots, Walker’s essential disappearance in the second half, exacerbated somewhat by foul trouble (both he and Battey had four with over 10 minutes left in the second half), further hampered the Buffs’ comeback efforts.
“The big guys were closer to me, so I didn't get the same three-point opportunities,” Walker said. “I just wanted to become a better playmaker in the second half. I got some other guys some good looks, but they doubled me in the post a couple times. The dynamics of the game just changed in the second half.”
Walker’s 19 points led Colorado, while Keeshawn Barthelemy (12 points, 4-of-7) and Battey (10 points, 4-of-9) also made notable offensive contributions.
After going down early, Arizona stabilized about midway into the first half, re-taking the lead from Colorado en route to a nine-point advantage by halftime.
CU turnovers helped the Wildcats’ cause, and a three-point play by U of A’s Azuolas Tubelis in the final seconds, who stole the ball from K.J. Simpson and was fouled at the other end on a successful layup try, put the Buffs in a far-from-favorable position at halftime.
By then, the score read 47-38 in favor of Arizona.
However, the Buffaloes proved to be far from finished, beginning the second half with four quick three-pointers — two from Battey and one from Nique Clifford and Julian Hammond III.
With 16:16 to play, Battey’s second three-pointer trimmed Arizona’s lead to one, 51-50.
Colorado would come within one point of the Wildcats two more times in the ensuing minutes.
The game remained well in reach for the Buffs until a three-pointer by Terry with 7:27 to play put the Cats up by seven, 69-62.
From there, CU wouldn’t come within six points of UA.
Heading into Friday night, the Buffaloes, who sat at No. 70 in the NET rankings, needed at very minimum to advance to the Pac-12 title game to have a legitimate chance at being selected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
With that off the table, the Buffs will instead await Selection Sunday for a place in the NIT.
Before Friday’s game vs. Arizona, Colorado had been projected as high as a No. 2 seed.
With the first, second and quarterfinals round of the NET held at the higher-seeded school’s campus, the Buffaloes will be guaranteed at least one more game at the CU Events Center in Boulder, with the potential for more, if they advance.
“Our season’s not over, we don’t believe,” Boyle said. “(We’re) probably not going to be in the NCAA Tournament, but hopefully we’ll get a chance to play in the NIT. We’ll relish that — that’s not guaranteed either — but hopefully we’ll have that opportunity and we’re going to make the most of it and finish this thing strong.”
