Senior guard Derrick White set a CU record in Pac-12 postseason play with 31 points, but it wasn’t enough to get by No. 7 Arizona. Colorado earned the right to face the Pac-12’s No. 2 seed with a hard-fought win on Wednesday, but the rested and ready Wildcats proved too much for Tad Boyle‘s Buffs in the quarterfinal round.
White’s 31 points were the fourth-most by a CU Buff all-time in postseason play. Xavier Johnson scored 20 of his own and George King added 11, but that’s where the CU scoring ended. While all five Arizona starters scored in double-figures, White, Johnson and King were the only Buffs to score multiple field goals.
Arizona held Colorado to just 39.3 percent shooting to advance to face the No. 3 team in the Pac-12 and No. 3 team in the country, UCLA in the semifinals. The Buffs hung tough through the first half, trailing by only one point at the break, but Arizona exploded for 54 points in the final 20 minutes to cruise to a 92-78 final.
Colorado will now await a long-shot invite to the NCAA Tournament. More than likely, the Buffs will find themselves headed to the NIT after finishing the season 19-14 (8-10). Colorado defeated three top-25 teams, including No. 10 Oregon, but a seven-game losing streak to open Pac-12 play dashed any realistic chance of earning a bid to the big dance.
