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It’s always good to win on senior day.
Winning is always good, but winning on Senior Day is even better. The Buffaloes sent their seniors off right, beating the TCU Horned Frogs 76-56 in their final regular season game.
Nearly everything went right for the Buffaloes from the get-go. Colorado got off to a hot start, fueled by two quick three-pointers from Javon Ruffin on his senior day. Trevor Baskin, another one of CU’s five seniors to be honored on Saturday, also got in on the action. Baskin got to work early, making two buckets and snagging multiple key rebounds early, to put the Buffaloes up.
Something must’ve clicked for the Buffs in practice this week, as they were slinging the rock around unlike we’ve seen this season. Five of CU’s first 12 buckets were assisted and the Buffaloes took full advantage of that ball movement to find good looks.
To go along with some stellar ball movement, the three-point shot was working wonders for the Buffs. Javon Ruffin got CU started with his two makes from deep, but it didn’t stop there. Julian Hammond, RJ Smith and Trevor Baskin wanted in on that action as well, each making one three-pointer.
An unfortunate side effect of that ball movement proved to be the turnover bug. Colorado turned the ball over eight times in the first half, allowing TCU to hang in with CU’s offensive burst. The Buffs would take a 37-31 lead into halftime, looking to go out on a high note.
Right out of halftime, Ruffin would open the half by drilling another three-pointer and Elijah Malone set up shop in the paint as his teammates fed him down low, slamming three dunks in three minutes to start the second half.
Following a Hammond three-pointer to put CU up 51-39, the Buffaloes began to unravel. As we’ve seen too many times this year, the turnover bug bit the Buffaloes yet again. Colorado turned the ball over five times in a 3:30 minute stretch midway through the half, fueling an 11-0 TCU run, cutting CU’s lead to only 51-50 with 10:11 to play.
With the thought of losing on Senior Day looming, the Buffaloes bounced back in a big way. RJ Smith hit two quick buckets, as Baskin and Hammond decided to follow suit. Colorado’s defense hunkered down, forcing TCU’s streaky offense into bad looks, resulting in enough bricks to build a house.
In no time at all, the heroics of Smith, Baskin and Hammond led the Buffaloes to an 11-0 run of their own directly after TCU’s run, showing that the Buffaloes meant business.
From here on out, it was smooth sailing to the Buffs to the finish line. After some clutch freebies from Hammond, Felix Kossaras and Bangot Dak, and a Hammond three-pointer and Dak dunk for good measure, Colorado iced out the Frogs.
With a 20-point lead, Tad Boyle got the chance to put walk-on Jack Pease into the game on his senior day for the final two minutes. Pease had yet to enter a game in his four years in Boulder, but he made his time on the floor count. As a cherry on top, Pease was able to enter the scoring column, cashing in on a free throw to end the game.
Hammond capped off his Senior Day with 19 total points and seven assists, a new career high. Baskin would finish with eight points and 16 total rebounds, setting his new career record in boards at any level. Ruffin cashed in for nine points on the day off three triples. Although not a Senior, RJ Smith played a big role, tallying 12 points against the Frogs.
Unfortunately for the Buffs, their Senior Day win over the Frogs has no impact on their seeding in the Big 12 Tournament next week. With the worst record in the conference, the 3-17 Buffaloes are locked in as the 16-seed in Kansas City.
Colorado’s next game will be on Wednesday, March 19th, but we have yet to learn the tip-off time or opponent. The two options are between Utah and TCU, decided by the Utes’ game tonight in Provo. If Utah beats BYU, the Buffs will play the Utes. If not, they’ll get a rematch with the Frogs.
As soon as we know, we’ll keep you updated here at Ralphie Report.
by RylandScholes
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