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TUCSON, Ariz. — If you missed the Colorado Buffaloes' 68-61 win at Arizona State on Thursday night, you missed one of the grittier efforts of the
Tad Boyle era.
The 20th-ranked Buffs didn't play especially well on offense, shooting barely 40 percent for the game (21-for-52). They didn't rebound particularly well, as ASU had a 42-40 edge on the boards, including a 17-8 margin on the offensive end.
They weren't even especially careful with the ball, finishing with 13 turnovers that helped the Sun Devils to a 17-16 edge in points off miscues.
But when push came to shove, the Buffs leaned on one of Boyle's foundational fundamentals — defense — and that was enough to produce a road win.
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In short, it was a true team effort — and it's exactly what the Buffs (14-3 overall, 3-1 Pac 12) will need again Saturday when they square off with Arizona (12-5, 2-2) in a 12:30 p.m. game at McKale Center (Fox).
A win would give CU a Pac-12 road trip sweep, something the Buffs have accomplished only twice in their nine years in the conference: a sweep of the Oregon schools in 2012-13 and a sweep of UCLA and USC last year in Los Angeles.
"This team loves challenges," Boyle said after Thursday's win. "We've risen to a challenge and Arizona is the toughest place to play in the Pac-12, without a doubt. We know that. Our guys love challenges and it's time to go down there and let it all hang out and compete."
Arizona's McKale Center is indeed one of the more difficult places in the nation for visiting teams to collect a win. Since Sean Miller took the reins of the program in 2009, the Wildcats are a sparkling 159-20 at home (with five of those losses coming last year). That home record includes seven straight wins over the Buffs dating back to CU's entrance into the Pac-12 in the 2011-12 season.
This year, UA is 9-1 at home, with the only loss an 84-80 defeat at the hands of Gonzaga in mid-December.
But the Buffs have been solid away from home this year. CU is 4-0 in neutral court games, including a 78-76 overtime win over Dayton; and 2-1 on the road, with the only loss a 72-58 defeat at Kansas.
"Championship teams have to win on the road," CU's Wright said after Thursday's win in Tempe. "Our end goal is a Pac-12 championship. It starts here, it starts on the road. We got one, we'll try to get one more on Saturday."
The Wildcats have been a mercurial bunch this year. While they have played well at home, they lost a pair on the road last week, falling to Oregon and Oregon State before rebounding for a 93-77 win over Utah on Thursday at home.
There is no question, however, about their talent. Arizona has three freshmen — 6-3 point guard Nico Mannion, 6-6 guard Josh Green and 6-11 forward Zeke Nnaji — who are all projected as first round picks in next summer's NBA draft, along with a veteran big man in 6-10 senior Chase Jeter. Throw in a sharpshooter along the lines of senior grad transfer Max Hazzard, who hit six of Arizona's 15 3-pointers in Thursday's win over Utah, and it's a formidable lineup.
"We have to take them out of transition and we have to be rock solid in our ball screen defense," Boyle said. "We have to guard them. They're a terrifically talented team, an explosive team."
The Wildcats are currently third in the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage, hitting 38.1 percent of their attempts from long range (129-for-139). That includes a 15-for-29 effort against Utah.
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If the Buffs can play defense like they did Thursday against ASU, they will have a chance to come home with a rare road sweep.
"We're halfway done," Bey said. "We beat Arizona State. We have one more to take care of business and go home."
TIPOFF: The game is set for 12:30 p.m. at McKale Center.
THE SERIES: Arizona holds a 19-14 edge in the all-time series, including a 10-3 lead in Tucson. The Wildcats have won all seven on their home floor since the Buffs joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12. This will also be one of the rare occasions that Colorado will visit Arizona as a ranked team while UA is not ranked. The last time that happened was 1962.
BROADCAST: The game will be televised by Fox with Kevin Burkhardt and Steve Lavin. The radio broadcast will be carried by 850 AM and 94.1 FM KOA, with Voice of the Buffs
Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke.
UP NEXT: The Buffs return home next week for a pair of games at the CU Events Center, beginning with an 8 p.m. game Thursday against Washington State, followed by a 7 p.m. matchup Saturday against Washington.
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