Three takeaways from the Buffs' 70-66 win over USC

BOULDER — Colorado now sits alone atop the Pac-12 Conference.

While it is tough to not have one eye in Arizona this weekend with Oregon creeping behind in the conference standings, the Buffaloes took care of business in their 70-66 win against a strong USC team.

While they were outscored in the paint 42-24 behind two strong performances from Nick Rakocevic and Onyeka Okongwu, Colorado found success from the perimeter. With the bigs bullying down low, the Buffs hit 11 threes at a 42% clip to ultimately build their lead.

While they had six more turnovers than the Trojans, Colorado’s success came from great ball movement around the court. Their 16 assists led to great looks that helped to counter the slow start to the game, as they got USC moving on defense and found lanes to the basket or kicks behind the arc.

Here’s what went down Thursday night:

Colorado’s backcourt can win in a variety of ways

The combination of McKinley Wright IV, Shane Gatling, and D’Shawn Schwartz was on full display tonight.

Wright played his role as distributor perfectly, notching 15 points with six rebounds and seven assists. While he was unable to hit from deep, his quickness allowed him to penetrate towards the basket and opened up lanes for Bey inside or the other players around the arc. While his five turnovers and 0-4 mark from deep are not ideal, once he found the way to beat the Trojans, he did it over and over.

Speaking of kicking the ball outside the arc, Gatling was hot from deep. It was clear early in the contest that Colorado would have trouble directly pushing inside, so Gatling began using the pick-and-roll to get his open looks. Behind his five makes from the floor was a key block early on, as well as a steal, that pumped energy into the building when the Buffs needed it most.

And what better way to pump up the crowd than a flashy, driving dunk? That’s where D’Shawn Schwartz comes in, as he wanted to build off his disappointing game at Oregon State where he partially fractured his nose. Even that distraction was not enough to sidetrack the upstart junior, as Schwartz hit three deep balls of his own for 11 points as well as notching three rebounds and two assists, giving the Buffaloes a strong presence on the perimeter.

Colorado overcame USC shutting down Battey

While Tyler Bey finished with another double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, it was tough for Colorado to get the ball inside.

Evan Battey finished with just one point, going 0-2 from the field with five rebounds. Battey was not playing bad basketball but was just somewhat irrelevant as the Trojans had several inches on him below the hoop.

The good news is Colorado has one more big that can play strong on defense but contribute differently on offense, and that production comes from Lucas Siewert. His three makes from deep helped push his total to 11 points, giving the Buffs just another source of firepower when he came onto the court.

While it is disappointing that Evan Battey has struggled against some of the taller players in the conference, it is encouraging to know how quickly Colorado can analyze this mismatch and use it to their advantage. Often times, Battey was more a decoy than the primary option, setting a screen at the top of the key and rolling away just to drag a defender away from the driving McKinley Wright.

This should also not take away from the dominant night that Tyler Bey had, as his efficiency and consistency on both ends of the floor has been vital to Colorado’s incredible season. While he did not have the turnaround jumpers fans have been accustomed to in the last few months, Bey got back to basics by playing strong defense, taking open drives, and having highlight reel put-back dunks.

When an opponent shows how they plan on beating the Buffaloes, the Buffs come back with a completely different offensive approach to neutralize their disadvantage, ultimately leading them to a 21-6 record.

The Pac-12 will finish in a wild fashion

With Oregon traveling to the Arizona schools, fans are excited at the possibility of a sweep and sequential drop in the standings for the Ducks.

Oregon may be the least of Colorado’s problems moving forward.

The Wildcats and Sun Devils are extremely hot and now sit at No. 2 and No. 3 in the standings, respectively. While Colorado owns the best conference record at 10-4, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, and UCLA now all sit just behind them with nine wins. USC is just behind this group with eight wins.

While it feels good to be atop this crowded pack, the Buffs cannot get comfortable. They have four games remaining and with a conference as crowded as the Conference of Champions, the Buffaloes cannot afford to give up any of the limited breathing room left.

Looking ahead

Saturday will be the last home game for the Colorado Buffaloes as they play host to UCLA. Tad Boyle noted in his postgame presser that the seniors should be sent out of Boulder the right way, but the Bruins will do their best to play spoiler.

UCLA has won seven of its last nine games before this weekend and is one of the hotter teams in the conference, as their big win against Utah earlier tonight gives them a tie for third in the Pac-12.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., with senior day festivities beginning earlier in the day. The game is at the CU Events Center and televised on CBS.