Colorado Beats Oregon St. 74-68, Will Face Arizona Tomorrow

The Buffaloes didn't play their best basketball, but with the return of Andre Roberson and a strong defensive effort, Colorado beat Oregon St. 74-68. Spencer Dinwiddie led the way for Colorado as he added 20 points while Xavier Johnson had 16 points and eight rebounds. With the win, it's likely that Colorado solidified their chances to make the NCAA Tournament, but if the Buffs want to advance to the semifinals, they'll need a more complete performance against Arizona tomorrow.

Things the Buffaloes did well:

The defense was critical for Colorado. Roberto Nelson and Eric Moreland shot a combined 11-of-30 for 34 points and the Buffs limited the Beavers to 28 percent shooting from three and 39 percent shooting from the field. They gave up second chances as Oregon St. grabbed nine offensive rebounds, but for the most part, Colorado forced the Beavers to take difficult shots.

Offensively, Colorado was better against the zone than their last game against Oregon St. They got the ball to the free throw line and into the post setting up some easy looks for Josh Scott. The Buffaloes were much more efficient from three as they shot 43 percent and they were less stagnant around the perimeter driving and kicking to set up open looks from behind the arc.

Andre Roberson came out aggressively and despite foul trouble played well. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds and was one of the only players to constantly be at the free throw line moving around trying to break the 2-3 zone. Josh Scott only managed seven points, but his 10 rebounds, with five of them coming on the offensive side of the ball, helped Colorado battle Oregon St.'s length and size inside. Xavier Johnson had a lackluster game defensively, but he was crucial inside scoring on second chances. Off the bench, Jeremy Adams provided scoring with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with:

Colorado is capable of a much better performance than that. They got the victory, but had 11 turnovers, and all of them seemed careless. Whenever Colorado had a chance to put it away, they committed inexcusable fouls letting the Beavers back into the game. Additionally, the Buffs missed way too many layups and easy shots. The free-throw shooting was a problem as Colorado shot 23-of-32 with some key misses coming down the stretch. Ultimately, it was the little things that were the problem today for the Buffaloes.

Up Next:

Colorado is in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament and will take on Arizona tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. MT. Arizona will have the advantage energy wise as they haven't played a game since Saturday, but this still remains a very intriguing matchup. Colorado won't be seeing any zone from the Wildcats and will be able to play their style offensively. More importantly, will be Colorado's defense. If Andre Roberson can limit Solomon Hill and Spencer Dinwiddie can get the best of Mark Lyons, the Buffs could be headed to the semifinals.