Following the loss to Iowa State on Wednesday, the Buffs (19-12, 8-8) knew their chances to make the tournament were shrinking. Nonetheless, the Buffs stormed out of the gate against the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-11, 7-9) on Saturday night, who look stunned by the explosive start by the Buffs. The Buffs ended the night by beating the Cornhuskers 67-57 in Boulder to keep their “Big Dance” dreams alive.
After some delays due to scoreboard issues, seniors Levi Knutson and Marcus Relphorde got off to a quick start, giving Colorado a commanding 14-3 lead at the start of the first half.
“We wanted to come out and punch them in the mouth,” Cory Higgins said when asked about their good start.
The Buffs shot 42 percent from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc. The defense smothered the Cornhuskers, limiting them to shooting a lowly 38.5 percent from the field in the first half. The Huskers could never overcome the Buffs’ lead, which Colorado held on to the entire game.
Nebraska managed to get within three points, midway through the second half, finishing the night with shooting 44 percent from the floor. The Buffs managed to keep their lead, in part to poor free throw shooting by the Cornhuskers who shot 46.7 percent.
Senior forward Relphorde led the team in scoring with 19 points. He went perfect from the 3-point line, making all three of his attempts. Senior guard Knutson scored the second most points with 13, shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc.
Higgins and sophomore Alec Burks contributed too, each adding 12 points to strengthen the Buffs’ lead.
This game is possibly the last home game the seniors will play in the Coors Events Center. The seniors said that the crowd played a large part in their success.
“It was awesome. The crowd has been really supportive all year,” Higgins said.
Head Coach Tad Boyle, who said he was displeased with the way his team performed against Iowa State, praised their performance after the game.
“Tonight was a great night for Colorado basketball in a lot of different ways and on a lot of different levels,” Boyle said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”
Boyle said he was proud of the way the team performed, especially the seniors, who rose to the occasion on their special night.
“It was nice to see them step up tonight. It was nice to see them get this opportunity,” Boyle said.
Coach Boyle acknowledges the hype surrounding the tournament, and is aware of the impact it has on his players, but he said he is more concerned about getting through the next game.
“We have talked about post-season play,” Boyle said. “That has been the goal of this team since day one. Post-season play is our goal.”
With this win, the Buffs were able to secure the 5th seed in the Big 12 championships, where they’ll be looking for revenge against Iowa State in the first round on Wednesday.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Shay Knolle at shay.knolle@colorado.edu