The wait from the final buzzer to Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show wasn’t all that long for Colorado, about 18 hours, but it probably felt like a couple of days.

“I was tight, I’m not gonna lie,” head coach Tad Boyle said about his nerves heading into Sunday afternoon. “Experience has taught me that we’ve had teams that are worthy of being in — our first year at Colorado, 14 years ago that went to the Final 4 of the NIT was an NCAA Tournament team. There’s no doubt about it ... I knew in my heart that this was an NCAA Tournament team this year without a doubt and they deserved to be in. I’m just glad we are.”

The Buffs controlled their own destiny last Saturday but couldn’t get the job done against Oregon to secure the Pac-12 Championship, leaving them at the mercy of the committee. When the dust settled, the Buffs just snuck into the field by the skin of their teeth, landing in the First Four play-in games in Dayton against Boise State.

“It means everything,” said point guard KJ Simpson, who will be playing in the Big Dance for the first time. “When I saw our name pop up on the screen, I kinda was stuck in the moment. I was really excited. More than anything, I’m just glad and grateful that we’re in this position.”

While it will be Simpson’s first tournament, the Buffs do have some postseason experience in their rotation. Seniors Tristan da Silva and Luke O’Brien were freshmen on the 2021 team that made the round of 32. O’Brien played just three total minutes in the two tournament games, while da Silva played 15 in a reserve role.