It's do or die time for the Colorado Buffaloes

BOULDER — After an emotional victory on Saturday against Arizona, Colorado will be back in action on Monday.

This week, the Buffaloes will face three conference opponents, starting with a rescheduled game against Oregon State in Boulder. The matchup comes less than 48 hours after the Buffs won an up-and-down game against the rival Wildcats, in which CU held a 19-point lead in the first half, was trailing with under five to go, and Evan Battey hit four clutch free throws to ice the game.

That recap does not give Battey nearly enough credit for the superhuman performance he displayed. Battey was his usual passionate self, but his 21 points on 78% shooting from the floor provided a boost to the offense when they began to sputter. Although they built a large lead in the first half, Arizona began clamping the Colorado offense, with Battey being the only consistent finisher to break the jam.

Then came the moment that will live in program history for years to come.

Late in the game, Colorado regained a slight lead and forced Arizona to begin fouling. They turned to the Buffs big man.

Battey went 7-7 from the line throughout the game, but the two biggest trips of his career came with under a minute to go. He sank his first two attempts, and the Buffs went back to the other end of the floor.

Just a few seconds later, Battey caught a pass and was hit by an Arizona defender, twisting his knee and ankle that he had previously injured.

He laid on the court in clear pain, needing the assistance of his teammates to rise.

As he gingerly hobbled down the court, it seemed as the Colorado coaching staff motioned for him to exit the game.

Instead, as great leaders do, he simply waved them off.

Battey did not want the ball in anyone else’s hands but his own.

He steps up to the line, sinks both free throws, and gives Colorado a large enough lead to close out an important victory.

The last-minute of Saturday’s game speaks not just of Evan Battey, but this entire Colorado team. They are mentally and physically tough; they are not afraid of a fight.

Sure, there are times they make mistakes. And those mistakes may cost them some notches in the win column. But one thing is for certain: the mistakes do not occur from a lack of effort, heart, or emotion.

So, with a key victory under their belt, what does Colorado need to do to continue competing in the conference and elevate their NCAA Tournament seed?

Pac-12 Conference Landscape

The Pac-12 had a late-night game Sunday evening between Stanford and Cal, but now the standings are completely up to date:

1. USC (15-3, 9-2)
2. UCLA (13-4, 9-2)
3. Colorado (14-5, 8-4)
4. Oregon (10-4, 5-3)
5. Stanford (12-7, 8-5)
6. Oregon State (10-7, 6-5)
7. Arizona (13-6, 7-6)
8. Utah (8-7, 5-6)
9. Arizona State (6-8, 3-5)
10. Washington State (11-8, 4-8)
11. Washington (3-14, 2-10)
12. Cal (7-14, 2-12)

Over the weekend, USC knocked off UCLA for the top spot during their first of two regular-season matchups. The Buffs now sit 1.5 games behind both teams but will host the LA schools at the end of the season.

Behind them sits Oregon and Stanford. The Ducks are coming off of another COVID-19 pause, and regardless of record, are not the same Oregon team of years past. Still, playing them on the road will be a tough matchup.

Stanford is playing some of its best ball of the season, with Oscar da Silva looking to lock up Player of the Year honors.

Outside of these five teams, the rest of the conference is simply playing for pride. It would take a miracle for another team, such as Oregon State, to make enough noise to overshadow the Buffs in the final rankings.

The Beavers will have a chance to take the first step toward that miracle on Monday.

Upcoming Schedule

The Buffs will play three teams this week, beginning early Monday evening against the Oregon State Beavers. This will be Colorado’s final home game for a few weeks; therefore, the Buffs need to take care of business in a convincing fashion.

The Beavers are no slouch of a team. While they sit in the middle of the rankings, they have played highly competitive games against Arizona State, USC, Oregon, and UCLA.

If the Buffs want to win, it comes down to limiting OSU’s offense from their two guards: Ethan Thompson and Jarod Lucas. They are the only players scoring in double-digits.

After Oregon State, CU will head to northern California to take on Stanford and Cal.

The Buffs are already having one of their best seasons in road conference play, so a split on this trip would fit the bit. Stanford is sitting in fourth-place, a half-game behind the Buffs, so a win over the Cardinal would be more valuable than a win over Cal.

If Colorado truly wants to challenge for the title, however, they will need to pull off more than just a .500 trip to Northern California.