Somebody pinch me, because that just happened!
The Colorado Buffaloes pulled off an absolute stunner, taking down No. 8 seed West Virginia 67-60 in the Big 12 Tournament’s second round. That’s right, folks—our Buffs, the 16-seed underdogs, just sent the Mountaineers packing!
West Virginia came into this game thinking they had a free pass to the next round. And honestly, it looked that way early on. Javon Small came out firing (per usual), racking up 13 points in the first 12 minutes as the Mountaineers stormed out to a 27-14 lead. At that point, it felt like this might be another tough one for the Buffs.
Then, the magic happened.
Colorado turned up the intensity, forcing turnover after turnover while chipping away at the deficit. Then came the game-changing 15-0 run in the second half—an absolute masterclass in heart by Tad Boyle's squad. Suddenly, the Buffs had flipped the script and led 52-46 with just over five minutes to go. And from there? They never looked back.
Forward Elijah Malone was sensational, dropping 12 of his 14 points in the second half when the Buffs needed him most. RJ Smith added 13, and the whole squad played like their season depended on it—because, well, it did. The Buffs’ defense became suffocating, forcing WVU into awful shots and making them look completely lost. They were even seen arguing with each other in frustration towards the end of the game.
Meanwhile, our guys stayed cool, draining 18 of 22 free throws. West Virginia? Not so much. The Mountaineers went 12-of-18 from the stripe, missed open looks, and couldn’t buy a three-pointer until the final minute.
The biggest stat of the night? Turnovers. West Virginia coughed it up 15 times, leading to 17 points for Colorado. That’s how you flip a game on its head, folks.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Buffs aren’t done yet. Oh no, we’re just getting started! Next up: No. 1 Houston in the quarterfinals. Another massive challenge? Absolutely. But this team has heart and they have fight.
So it's on to the Houston Cougars. Let’s keep this Cinderella story rolling.