Well, well, well. Who saw that coming?!
The Colorado Buffaloes, a team that spent most of the season as the Big 12’s punching bag, just flipped the script in their conference tournament debut, taking down No. 9 seed TCU in a nail-biting 69-67 win. If you’re a Buffs fan, you’ve been waiting all season for a moment like this—and boy, did they deliver!
The Buffs (13-19) weren’t supposed to be here, at least not in a position to win. They came in as the 16th seed, the last team in the bracket, facing a TCU squad that had already bested them twice this season.
But March is all about throwing the script out the window.
Andrej Jakimovski was the hero of the night, dropping 18 points and knocking down four threes to give Colorado the firepower it desperately needed. Julian Hammond III wasn’t far behind, pouring in 16 points, including clutch free throws in the final 20 seconds that helped seal the deal.
For most of the second half, it looked like Colorado might actually cruise to a comfortable win—something that felt borderline impossible in conference play this year. They led by as much as 13 points with just under five minutes left, but because nothing can ever be easy for this team, TCU went on a 10-0 run to make things terrifying in the final minute.
We were sweating over here.
But with the game on the line, it came down to execution at the free throw line. Hammond calmly drained two free throws to put the Buffs up 67-65, and after a TCU goaltending call gifted the Frogs a bucket, it was Javon Ruffin’s turn to ice the game. Two free throws later, it was a wrap. Buffs win.
With the win, Colorado advances to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, where they’ll face No. 8 seed West Virginia same time tomorrow. Another upset? Don’t rule it out. The Buffs are finally playing like they have nothing to lose—because, well, they don’t. If they keep this kind of fight and energy, they might not be done shocking people just yet.
For now, though, let’s just soak this one in. The Buffs are dancing in Kansas City, and it feels so good.