Pac-12 in NCAA tournament: Colorado Advances
Colorado barely made it into the NCAA tournament field, but the Buffaloes are still alive after eliminating Boise State 60-53 in a preliminary-round, First Four, game in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday night.
The 10th-seeded Buffaloes (25-10) set a school record for wins in a season with their 10th victory in their last 11 games, and they assured the win with excellent free-throw shooting down the stretch.
Colorado advances to the first round where the Buffaloes will face No. 7-seed Florida (24-11) in Indianapolis on Friday.
The three other Pac-12 teams in the NCAA tournament -- Arizona, Oregon and Washington State -- will play their first-round games on Thursday. No. 2-seeded Arizona takes on Long Beach State, 11th-seeded Oregon goes against South Carolina and No. 7 seed Washington State plays the final game of the day against Drake.
Tristan da Silva was the star for Colorado on Wednesday. He scored 20 points, and hit three three-pointers in the second half, the last one coming with 4:17 left that reduced a four-point Boise State lead to one point.
Buffaloes guard K.J. Simpson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and his two free throws with 3:42 to go put Colorado ahead to stay.
Colorado was 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final four minutes, and that includes 6-for-6 in the final 24 seconds to preserve the lead.
This Eddie Lampkin's bucket to beat the shot clock in the final minute was critical.
Tyson Degenhart, a first-team all-Mountain West selection who was Boise State's top scorer at 17.0 points per game, was limited to six points on 3-for-10 shooting.
Cover photo of KJ Simpson by Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports
Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport
