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March Madness is fast approaching and the Buffs are sitting pretty
We’re officially less than a week away from Selection Sunday, which means it’s time for one final bracketology update before it’s too late. We finally have a good grasp on the tournament situation for both Colorado’s men and women, so allow us to break it down.
Things were looking bleak for a minute for Colorado’s women. After losing 5 of their last 6 regular season games, the Buffs fell to #13 Oregon State in a game they led for over 40 minutes at the Pac-12 tournament in Vegas. 23
With that loss to the Beavers, it felt as though Colorado had squandered their opportunity to host tournament games at home, falling all the way from a one seed to a five seed in the final two months of the season. Ranked 18th in the AP Poll and predicted to be a five seed by ESPN going into Monday, the Buffs looked for outside help to secure a 4 seed and the right to host tournament games.
Thankfully, outside help is exactly what they got. Monday couldn’t have gone any better for the Buffs. #17 Oklahoma was upset by Iowa State in a 17 point blowout loss, while #16 Kansas State fell to #5 Texas in the Big XII tournament.
All of a sudden, Colorado found themselves right back into consideration for the last two host spots. Those spots are likely between Indiana, Oklahoma and Colorado. ESPN posted a bracketology update Monday night with the Buffs as a 4-seed over the Sooners, but we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if the selection committee agrees.
After both K-State and OU’s losses, Colorado’s NET ranking sits at 16. A NET ranking in the top-16 paired with the amount of Q1 success that the Buffs have is a recipe for a top-4 seed in the NCAA tournament. If I was a betting man, I’d predict that Colorado will likely snag a host spot over Oklahoma on Selection Sunday. Needless to say, playing in Boulder would be a massive advantage for the Buffs as they have their eyes set on the Sweet Sixteen and beyond.
As for Colorado’s men, things are looking the best they have since their win over Miami in December. After exhausting their full margin for error, the Buffs ripped off a casual six-game win streak to close the regular season, including a Q1 road win over the Ducks in Eugene to bolster their resume in the process.
All of a sudden, CU is on the right side of the bubble and a good spot going into the Pac-12 tournament. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Colorado in his last four in, playing Virginia for the right to make the tournament as an 11-seed. CBS also has the Buffs in their last four in, but playing Rick Pitino’s St. Johns instead.
Tad Boyle and his team will head to play in the Pac-12 tournament in Vegas this week and in an advantageous position on the bracket Their three seed ensures they’re on the opposite side of one seed Arizona. They will likely play the injury-ravaged Utes on Thursday.
The Buffs have a likely Q2 win over Utah lined up and another Q1 matchup with Washington State in the semi-finals after that. Sportsbooks currently have Colorado pegged with the second highest odds to win their conference tournament.
By beating the Utes and Cougs, the Buffs would move themselves out of having to play a potential play-in game to a 9- or 10-seed. At the bare minimum, a win over Utah likely locks them into the tournament with an at-large bid.
Overall, both of Colorado’s hoops squads are in good spots right now. The women look like they’ll be hosting home tournament games, while the men are just happy to go dancing. March is shaping up to be an eventful month for Colorado Buffaloes athletics and we’ll keep you in the loop every step of the way.
by RylandScholes
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