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Survive and advance. That’s all that matters.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ goal of making their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament is one step closer to fruition after beating the Arizona Wildcats 61-58 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship.

This contest was do-or-die for both the Buffs and ‘Cats, as Arizona entered the matchup listed on ESPN’s first four out and Colorado entered off ESPN’s bubble entirely. The winner would move on to bolster their tournament resume ahead of selection Sunday, while the loser would have their dreams of dancing shuttered.

Colorado would end up the victor, but it wasn’t an easy talk. Beating Arizona required a miraculous comeback by some unexpected players.

Immediately after tip-off, it didn’t look as though the Buffs would even have a chance to win the game. CU’s offense got off to one of their worst starts of the season, making only one of their first eight shots from the floor.

The Buffaloes’ turnover bug from yesterday seemingly carried over to the first quarter, when they set their new season-high in turnovers with 33 against Houston. Against Arizona, Colorado coughed up the ball six times in the first quarter and allowed the Wildcats to covert those into 12 easy points.

Colorado fell into a 3-14 hole early but began to dig themselves out of it by the end of the period. After two big buckets from Jade Masagayo and Sara-Rose Smith, CU headed to the second quarter trailing 7-14.

Whatever JR Payne said to her players before the start of the second quarter worked, as the Buffs looked like a completely different team from then on. Sara-Rose Smith came off the bench for Colorado, providing a much-needed spark after drilling a three-pointer early in the period. Fueled by Smith’s spark, the Buffs proceeded to rip off a 12-2 run, capped off by a Johanna Teder three-pointer to give Colorado a 22-21 lead.

A switch seemingly flipped for the Buffaloes, as their turnover woes began to slow in the second quarter. Colorado turned the ball over only four times in the second quarter, which Arizona was only able to turn into two points.

After trading more buckets, Colorado and Arizona entered halftime tied up at 26-26, with nearly identical first-half stats.

Very comparable half’s between the #CUBuffs and Arizona Wildcats. pic.NOPE/LgbcOF8sb2

— Ryland Scholes (@rylandscholes) March 6, 2025​

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Colorado’s third quarter didn’t quite go as planned. The Buffs’ defense let Arizona’s shotmakers get the looks they wanted, as the Wildcats ripped off a 6-0 run early to take the lead.

Colorado would battle back by hitting some buckets, like a Tabitha Benson three-pointer to cut the lead to only one point with 6:34 to play in the third, but that wasn’t enough. Arizona worked Colorado off the boards, snagging nine rebounds in comparison to CU’s three. The Buffaloes entered the third quarter down 40-48 with their backs against the wall and their season on the line.

Enter Kennedy Sanders and Tabitha Betson, two of Colorado’s promising freshmen. When CU needed someone to step up and fuel a comeback, their youngsters answered the call.

Sanders was nearly unstoppable in the fourth quarter, drilling a clutch three-pointer and two additional jumpers from mid-range for seven points in the period. Betson was a force to be reckoned with all day, drilling almost all of her jumpers and standing her ground in the paint.

Sanders and Betson got some help from their senior leaders too, as Lior Garzon came alive to carry the Buffaloes across the finish line. Garzon, who had a quiet day to that point, erupted for nine points and hit four clutch buckets, including a three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

With the help of Sanders, Betson and Garzon, Colorado outscored Arizona 21-10 and only turned the ball over once in the fourth quarter, taking home the narrow three-point victory.

Betson and Sanders were Colorado’s stars in Kansas City on Thursday, combining for 30 points and nine rebounds. Betson finished with 16 points, while Sanders finished with 14. Garzon didn’t score until the fourth quarter, but her nine points made her CU’s third-leading scorer and were pivotal to the victory.

With their victory over Arizona, Colorado now moves on to face #8 TCU and superstar Hailey Van Lith in the quarterfinals. If the Buffs can pull off the upset and send the Big 12 regular season champs packing, they’ll have a compelling case to make March Madness. If they lose, their season will come to a close.

Fans can tune into Colorado’s matchup with the Horned Frogs at 12:30 pm MT on Friday on ESPNU.

by RylandScholes
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Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Buffs couldn’t keep up with #9 Texas Tech

Don’t let the 91-75 loss to Texas Tech fool you, the Buffaloes actually played a pretty good game against the ninth-best team in the country.

Considering they were without Julian Hammond, CU’s starting point guard and leader in both scoring and assists, Colorado put up a more than valiant fight. CU hit their shots and got the whole team involved, but the better team won in Lubbock on Wednesday night.

Texas Tech being the “better team” might even be the understatement of the season. On their senior night, the Red Raiders had that big iron on their hip ready to shoot. None demonstrated that better than Chance McMillian, the one-time Tad Boyle transfer target playing his final home, as he scored 10 of Tech’s first 14 points on a bevy on jumpers.

Colorado could have gone down early and no one would have batted an eye, but they had their own shots to fire. RJ Smith hit a three, Elijah Malone worked his way into the paint and Bangot Dak herked and jerked his way to a few points. The Buffs had forced enough stops and made enough baskets to hang in, as they trailed just 25-22 after 15 minutes of play.

Those shots continued to fall at a reasonable clip, but CU was mostly making twos while the tortilla throwers were hitting threes. Although Colorado fought hard on defense, it’s tough to stop an offense as relentless as Grant McCasland’s squad. They play with tremendous pace and space, attack the basket at will and are a smart, unselfish team finding open shooters. Around halftime it became a math, and after that it was a beatdown.

Colorado hung around, but the second half deficit always stayed in that 10-20 point range. Not quite a blowout, not quite a comeback, but a liminal space where you just have to appreciate the Buffs refusal to go down.

The Buffs play one final regular season game on Sunday afternoon when they host the TCU Horned Frogs. This season hasn’t been great, but the players deserves everyone’s support when they take the court for the final time in 2024-25.

by RylandScholes
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Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It wasn’t pretty, but Colorado’s moving on.

Colorado’s time in Kansas City on Wednesday ended up being a lot more stressful than anticipated. Despite 33 turnovers, the Buffaloes managed to survive the Houston Cougars, winning by a score of 66-58 to move on to the second round of the Big 12 Championship.

Houston, the far and away worst team in the Big 12 with a conference record of 1-17, stuck around late thanks to some help from the Buffaloes. Colorado was borderline insistent on giving the ball to the Cougars, setting their new season high in turnovers at 33, handing Houston a whopping 29 points off giveaways. CU’s fourth quarter was particularly ugly, turning the ball over 14 times alone in the period and allowing the Cougars to claw back into the game.

How do you still win a game when you have 30+ turnovers, you ask? Easy answer. You completely dominate your opponents off the boards, and that’s just what Colorado did.

CU managed to snag 48 rebounds, as opposed to Houston’s 22, winning the rebounding battle by a decisive margin of +26. If a ball was up for grabs, you can bet the Buffs used their significant size advantage over the Coogs to pull it in.

With Frida Formann and Sara-Rose Smith out due to injury, Jade Masagayo stepped up in a big way to carry Colorado across the finish line. Colorado’s forward proved why she’s one of the most efficient shooters in the nation, making seven of her nine attempts from the floor and cashing in for 14 points and six rebounds.

Lior Garzon proved to be CU’s offensive motor, acting as the deep threat against the Coogs. Garzon drilled three triples and an additional three shots from the floor, along with hitting all six of her attempts from the line, to finish with a game-high 21 points.

After narrowly hanging on to survive Houston, Colorado moves on to round two of the Big 12 Tournament to face the Arizona Wildcats in a do-or-die bubble bash. With both teams on the bubble for an at-large bid to March Madness, the winner of this showdown will boost their resume and the loser will have their hopes of dancing crushed.

Fans can tune into Colorado's game against Arizona on Thursday at 12:30 pm MT on ESPN+.

by RylandScholes
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Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images

Colorado’s March Madness streak is in serious jeopardy

JR Payne and the Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Hoops squad are headed to Kansas City to face their biggest challenge of the season thus far: survival.

After a late-season skid due to injuries to key players like Frida Formann, Sara-Rose Smith, Lior Garzon and Kindyll Wetta, the Buffs’ three-year streak of making it to March Madness is in serious jeopardy.

With an overall record of 18-11 and 9-9 in conference play, Colorado heads to the T-Mobile Center in the City of Fountains ranked 57th in NET. CU’s fight to make the NCAAT is certainly an uphill battle, but it’s far from impossible.

The Buffaloes’ work is cut out for them: win three games at the Big 12 Tourney and you’re more than likely in. Winning a Big 12 title would be a nice cherry on top, but the Buffs have stacked some impressive quadrant one wins, so it wouldn’t be required to make it to The Big Dance.

CU enters the Big 12 Tournament completely off ESPN’s bubble. After suffering a tough overtime loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, the Buffs are locked in as the nine-seed, meaning they’ll forgo any byes and participate in first-round action on Wednesday. To win the conference crown, they’ll have to win five games in five days.

With the way the Big 12 Tournament bracket is situated, the Buffaloes already know what three teams they’ll need to beat to go dancing. Their first test will be against the lowly Houston Cougars, who are far and away the worst team in the conference with a record of 5-24. Next, they’ll battle an Arizona team that’s also fighting for their NCAAT lives. With the Wildcats currently listed as the second team to be left out by ESPN, the loser of this showdown will have their hopes of going dancing squashed. Lastly, with a win over Arizona, Colorado would face the Big 12 regular season champ TCU Horned Frogs, who are ranked #8 in the AP Poll and led by superstar and Olympic bronze medalist Hailey Van Lith.

Here’s a look at the bracket to the Big 12 WBB Championship ahead of Colorado’s game tomorrow against the Coogs.

Buffs likely need to beat Houston, Arizona and TCU to keep their three-year NCAAT streak alive. #CUBuffs pic.NOPE/vua8ZPWM0P

— Ryland Scholes (@rylandscholes) March 5, 2025​

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Colorado should easily beat Houston on Wednesday, but both Arizona and TCU will be tough tests. In regular season play, the Buffs took care of business against the Wildcats in Boulder, beating them 56-47 in early February. The Horned Frogs are another story, as CU fell to Van Lith and company 50-63 in Fort Worth on New Year’s Day.

Some good news for Colorado is that they’re finally starting to get healthy again before they play for their lives in Kansas City. Garzon and Wetta both made their return to the floor over a week ago, while Smith made her return in Lubbock on Saturday.

The status of Formann, Colorado’s undeniable best player, is still unclear. CU’s all-time leader in three-pointers suffered a stress fracture in her right foot playing against BYU in Provo on January 29th and hasn’t seen the floor since. Payne said the team is “hopeful” that Formann will be back in time for Big 12 Tourney play but didn’t provide any concrete updates on her status ahead of their trip to KC.

With Formann, Smith and new additions this season like Jade Masagayo and Johanna Teder, this Colorado squad has proven that they’re capable of anything. With wins against #14 West Virginia and #10 K-State, CU is a serious threat if they get hot at the right time. If the Buffs can find their footing, stay healthy and hit their shots in Kansas City, anything is possible.

Colorado’s do-or-die action starts on Wednesday when they tip off against Houston at 12:30 pm MT. Fans can tune in ESPN+.

by RylandScholes
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Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A look at the two Buffs who took part in the 2025 NFL combine drills

This past Saturday, two Colorado Buffaloes had their chance to impress NFL scouts at the 2025 NFL Combine.

After stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter opted to skip drills at the combine, the eyes of Colorado fans all turned to how CU’s receivers would grade in Indianapolis. Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester both participated in several key drills, looking to boost their draft stock and showcase their athleticism in front of league executives. With the wide receiver class being incredibly deep this year, every drill mattered for CU’s two dynamic playmakers as they aimed to separate themselves from the competition.

Both players put their explosiveness on display, proving why they were key contributors to Colorado’s high-powered offense. However, while they showed flashes of elite athletic traits, there were also areas where they likely wished they could have posted slightly better numbers. With the draft approaching, every measurable and drill result will be scrutinized by NFL teams looking to add speed and versatility to their offenses.

So, how did Horn and Wester stack up in the drills? Let’s break down their performances.

40-Yard Dash​

Both Horn and Wester ran identical times of 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash. While this is still a solid time for receivers, many expected Horn—who is known for his top-end speed—to push into the 4.3s. Wester’s time was about what was expected, but for Horn, scouts may have wanted to see just a little more burst.

10-Yard Split​

The first 10 yards of the sprint are crucial for evaluating acceleration, and both Buffs posted strong times. Wester clocked in at 1.53 seconds, while Horn was right behind him at 1.54 seconds. To put that in perspective, both times were only .05 seconds off the fastest mark of the entire combine, posted by Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten. This confirms that both players have elite short-area quickness, which will be key in route-running at the next level.

Vertical & Broad Jump​

Horn showed off his bounce, posting a 38-inch vertical jump, which tied for 10th among all receivers. Wester, on the other hand, recorded a 32-inch vertical, a number that may not stand out but is still respectable. In the broad jump, Horn again showed his explosiveness, leaping 10 feet, 8 inches, while Wester posted a 10-foot, 1-inch jump.

Shuttle Drill​

Only Horn participated in the short shuttle drill, where he finished with a time of 4.41 seconds. While not an elite mark, this still helps showcase his agility and lateral movement.

Final Thoughts​

Both Horn and Wester had solid showings, with Horn flashing the better overall explosiveness. While neither player ran the blazing 40-yard dash time that some might have hoped for, their acceleration, jumping ability and quickness were all on display. Colorado fans should expect Horn’s draft stock to receive a slight bump from what it was thought to be, while Wester’s draft stock more than likely stayed the same for most teams.

Now, both players will look forward to pro days and private workouts to continue making their case to NFL teams.

by Jacob.Thompson
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