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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffs blew out the Beavers in Corvallis.
The Colorado Buffaloes may have secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament with their win over the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday afternoon.
Colorado won 73-57 in a road contest that was never really in doubt. The Buffs could have overlooked their middling opponent, just as the Utah Utes did on Thursday, popping their bubble in the process. But the Buffs, who were effectively down to a six-man rotation, played with intensity on both sides of the floor.
The Buffs won the game in part to their success in the possession battle. Colorado limited turnovers to just seven — a point in emphasis in their six-game win streak — and dominated on the offensive glass. Thanks to Eddie Lampkin and his sizable ass, CU had 15 offensive rebounds and 21 second chance points.
It also helped the Buffs efforts that all five starters got into a good rhythm, shared the ball and hit their shots. This is a very good offensive team that is legitimately great when they keep the turnovers in check. Hopefully this continues as they bring back Cody Williams and Julian Hammond, whenever they’re healthy.
As noted above, this was a huge win for the Buffs’ tournament resume. Colorado has now won six straight after their road sweep of Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks constitute the Buffs’ best win of the season, while the Beavs were a potential bad loss they couldn’t afford. (Utah lost to both, lol.)
Colorado finishes the regular season 22-9 and third place in the Pac-12 standings. That should be enough to make the tournament, but they will want to secure their berth when they take on the winner of Utah/Arizona State in the conference tournament. If the Buffs win that, they will likely play Washington State in the semifinals, another opportunity to build an underrated resume.
The Buffs will begin their challenge for the Pac-12 title on Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
by Sam Metivier
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