SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado Buffaloes were cruising, on a 16-0 run, up 14 with just over eight minutes remaining. Then, just as they did against Utah the first time and in the infamous loss to USC on the road, the Buffaloes absolutely collapsed.

Utah answered that 16-0 run with a 19-0 run of their own in less than six minutes, taking a five-point lead with just over two minutes left and eventually holding on to a 57-55 win.

As they so often are, the Buffaloes weaknesses were put under the microscope on the road.

“Free throw box outs and turnovers, those are the Achilles heels of this team,” head coach Tad Boyle said to 850 KOA after the game. “We didn’t do either right in crunch time. . . We have to handle ourselves better in crunch time. You’re not going to get the same whistle on the road.”

The meltdown was eerily similar to the one in Southern California, in which Colorado was up 15 with nine minutes left and blew it as well. In that game, many, including Boyle himself, put the blame on the head coach for not taking his timeouts. In this one, it didn’t seem there was anything Boyle could do.

“We didn’t make enough plays down the stretch,” Boyle said. “Really, really, really dissipating game. I let them play through it tonight, I tried calling timeouts tonight.”

In the end, it was the execution that doomed the Buffaloes, unable to find the bucket or stop Utah from doing so. The collapse rips the Buffs of an opportunity to set the program record for regular season wins and, more importantly, rips them of the opportunity to notch a resume builder that not many teams in the country have — a road win against a top 10 RPI team. The win could’ve potentially catapulted the Buffaloes to the six-seed line.

Alas, the Buffaloes were unable to notch the win and while it doesn’t help the resume it also doesn’t hurt. In terms of the Pac-12 tournament, it literally makes no difference at all, Colorado was locked into the fifth seed as soon as Arizona State lost to Cal earlier in the night.

” We’re not getting any respect on the national level,” Boyle stated. “Now we’re getting an opportunity in postseason play to make a name for ourselves on a national stage.”

The post-season begins on Wednesday for the Buffaloes when they take on the Washington State at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Jakob Poeltl

After being rendered ineffective by Josh Scott the last time these two teams met, Poeltl was on the winning side of the matchup tonight. The projected first-rounder had 16 points on 6-of-12 from the field, with 13 rebound to go with it. On the other side, Poeltl and the Utes held Josh Scott to 3-of-13 from the field.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

Boyle: We let them get away, we had this game won.

— Jake Shapiro, but festive 🎁 (@Shapalicious) March 6, 2016

BY THE NUMBERS

12: Colorado only made 12 two-point field goals in the game.

24-10: The run Utah ended the game on.

31: The combined field goal percentage of the two teams.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Buffaloes head to Sin City where they will take on Washington State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament (3:30 MST, Pac-12 Networks)