Pac-12 Tournament Day One: Higher Seeds Sweep, Blowouts Galore

Mar 5, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of a NCAA Wilson basketball with the 100th anniversary Pac-12 logo during a womens semifinal in the Pac-12 Conference tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of a NCAA Wilson basketball with the 100th anniversary Pac-12 logo during a womens semifinal in the Pac-12 Conference tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pac-12 Tournament
March 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard George King (24) shoots the basketball against Washington State Cougars forward Brett Boese (33) during the first half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Game 2: #5 Colorado Buffaloes vs. #12 Washington State

Like in the first game, the Colorado Buffaloes jumped out to a sizable early lead, and didn’t look back. The Cougars struck first, going ahead 4-3 in the first few minutes, but Colorado answered with a 10-2 run to take a 13-6 lead. Wazzu buckled down and kept it close, within six to eight, for a lot of the first half, but the Buffaloes would stretch the edge into double-digits with about seven minutes to play before the break. The lead continued to stretch, eventually to 19, at which point the first half ended. Colorado sat comfortably ahead 41-22.

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Colorado opened the second half hot as well, doubling Washington State up a few minutes into the half, 52-26. The advantage stretch even further, getting up to 29 points, and the game was never in any real jeopardy. The effort was in place for Wazzu, but there wasn’t enough talent to overcome a strong Buffaloes’ roster. When the final whistle sounded, Colorado advanced to the second round with an 80-56 win.

Sophomore George King led the Buffaloes with 21 points, but there was a very balanced offensive attack behind him. Junior Josh Fortune was the only other Colorado player to score in double-figures with 13, but six other players scored at least six points. Tory Miller and Xavier Talton tallied eight, Thomas Akyazili added seven, and Josh Scott, Dominique Collier, and Tre’Shaun Fletcher all put in seven.

In day two’s second game, the Buffaloes will be pitted against the number-four seed, the Arizona Wildcats. During the regular season, Colorado knocked off the then-ranked eighth-ranked Wildcats in Colorado, 75-72. On away and neutral courts this season, Arizona went 7-6, while the Buffaloes went 6-9.

Next: Game Three