A nearby team — not KU or K-State — has owned recent Big 12 tourneys. Will they do it again?
When Colorado fell to Kansas on Feb. 11, the Buffaloes fell to 0-13 in Big 12 play.
A few victories began to trickle, not enough to avoid the cellar and the No. 16 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, but they gave Colorado hope.
The improved Buffaloes are on full display in the postseason. They grabbed their second victory at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, defeating No. 8 seed West Virginia 67-60 in the second round.
Colorado (14-19) advances to the quarterfinals and will meet top-seed Houston on Thursday at 2 p.m.
The odds of continued success are stacked against the Buffs, but coach Tad Boyle said he team was due for a reversal in fortune.
“We’ve had a rough year, coming up short in a lot of these games, and these guys have stuck together,” Boyle said.
West Virginia led by as many as 13 in the first half. But the Mountaineers couldn’t recover from a 17-1 Colorado run after halftime. Guard RJ Smith scored all 13 of his points in the second half as the Buffs shot 61% from the floor.
West Virginia (19-13) remains hopeful for an NCAA Tournament spot, but Wednesday’s effort won’t help the resume.
Iowa State 76, Cincinnati 56
The Cyclones tend to find their stride in the Big 12 Tournament. The defending champion ran away from the Bearcats down the stretch and moved into a quarterfinal contest against fourth-seeded BYU at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Iowa State (24-8) has won five of the last 10 championships and is undefeated in the championship game (6-0).
Wednesday, the Cyclones were terrific on the inside with Joshua Jefferson’s 19 points, a double-double from Dishon Jackson (10 points, 15 rebounds) and 13 points from Milan Momcilovic.
“They had a toughness and a physicality to them that really led our team,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
The No. 5 seed Cyclones will look to avenge a double overtime loss to BYU in Ames on March 4.
“They came in and smacked us in the mouth at the beginning of the game,” Jefferson said. “So coming out with a sense of urgency will help us get it done.”
Cincinnati (18-15) could be headed to the College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas later this month.