Bet on it: The Colorado Buffaloes will need Josh Scott on Thursday

LAS VEGAS — There’s no such thing as a sure bet in Sin City, no matter the odds in one’s favor. Even for the Colorado Buffaloes, facing a Washington State team riding a 16-game losing streak, their demolition-style win on Wednesday wasn’t guaranteed.

But here’s an insider tip, one that you can head towards your nearest sports book and cash in right now: Senior Josh Scott will need to reach double-figures on Thursday afternoon against Arizona in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament, if the Buffaloes hope to beat the Wildcats for the second-straight time.

Using a barrage of double-teams, the Cougars found a way to limit Scott’s effectiveness from the opening minutes, holding him to eight points and five rebounds. In fact, Scott logged fewer minutes than front court mates Wesley Gordon and Tory Miller.

To be fair to head coach Tad Boyle, the Buffs had plenty of firepower even without his prized big man, who was recently named First Team All-Conference, in addition to making the all-defensive team. As Washington State head coach Ernie Kent pointed out after the loss, CU is plenty capable of adapting when teams focus their entire game plan on stopping Scott.

“I think we did a good job of banging with him a little bit,” he said. “Limiting him, we gave up ten threes. You kind of pick your poison with that.”

Poisons indeed, as the Buffs shot 40-percent from deep with so much attention paid to their big man. Boyle noted that Scott’s five assists, a team high, were as important to the win as anything.

“To me Josh Scott was so good for us tonight because he played so unselfish,” said Boyle in his post-game press conference. “He didn’t finish like he’s capable of tonight…we played through him and he demands so much attention that he makes life easier for these other guys.”

The last time that Colorado and Arizona squared off, Scott dropped 26 points and nine rebounds, dominating for stretches at a time in the most important of moments. He was difference on a night where the Buffs beat the Wildcats for the first time in more than two years. In the Pac-12’s inaugural conference tournament, then held in Los Angeles, CU beat UA in the title game, earning the conference’s auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament and kicking off what many thought to be a budding rivalry between the two programs. Since then, it’s been all Arizona in the postseason.

If that streak is to end, Scott will need to bounce back from what is now a two-game stretch of pedestrian offensive output. He shot just 3-for-13 against the Utes in Colorado’s regular season finale.

One could certainly make the argument that he’s primed for a breakout performance, as Boyle told reporters that limiting Scott’s minutes was a conscious decision, once CU’s lead blossomed above 20 points, to keep him fresh for tomorrow.

“Tory and Josh and Wes, when we can spread their minutes out like we did tonight it makes it easier on all of them,” he explained. “In a perfect world you’d like to have the minutes like they were tonight.”

Gordon led the way with 26 minutes, despite his battles with foul trouble throughout, a rare luxury for Boyle, as his team had yet to truly finish off an opponent in the second half. Thanks to the day’s balanced arsenal, in particular George King’s 21 points, Scott finally got to finish off a game on the bench, smiling, and looking up at a favorable scoreboard.

“We can hurt you in a lot of different ways,” said Boyle. “When we’re all clicking offensively, we have a chance to be really, really good.”

While no one on the Colorado sideline—or even in the stands—would complain about similar balance from the Buffs’ lineup, there’s one thing that it is certain. When the seats of MGM’s Garden Arena fill up before the 2:30 p.m. PST tip-off, likely in a sea of red from the traveling Arizona faithful, betting on Colorado’s road black uniforms will take a belief in Scott’s ability to bounce back.