Buffs advance to Pac-12 Tournament semifinal

The Colorado Buffaloes took it to the Oregon Ducks in the second half to win a huge neutral site game in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Evan Battey poured in a huge double-double and Jabari Walker continued to dominate the boards. That led to a winning effort for the Buffs.

In the first half, both teams were ICE COLD. With two combined points in the first few minutes, both the Ducks and the Buffs couldn’t put anything into the basket. Nique Clifford picked up two quick fouls and Jabari Walker also had two in the first half to send him to the bench, but not before he rattled the rim. KJ Simpson was also a spark plug off the bench, a familiar presence this year as Simpson grows. The Buffs entered halftime with a six point lead, up 36-30.

In the second half, both teams started prying the lid off of the basket. Jacob Young made all sorts of ridiculous two point shots and Quincy Guerrier continued to terrorize this CU team. Those two both ended with 18 and 25 points, respectively, which is 43 of Oregon’s 69 points. Evan Battey continued to be an offensive engine for CU, pouring in 19 points. Walker continues to do what he does best, grabbing 15+ points and boards. KJ Simpson and Tristan Da Silva both hit double digits to round out the scoring. All in all, the Buffs did what they had to do on offense to pull away from this Oregon team. Dana Altman did not beat Tad Boyle (who was sick for Oregon’s trip to Boulder) this year.

CU has a familiar opponent in the semifinals, facing #1 seed Arizona. That win would be huge and put the Buffs back on the bubble.