Win streak continues as CU Buffs men’s basketball tops Oregon – BuffZone

Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad (3) drives to the basket as Colorado guard KJ Simpson (2) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

Fast break

Why the Buffs won: CU overcame a slow start to shoot .552 overall and outrebound the Ducks 36-24.

Three stars:

1. CU’s J’Vonne Hadley: Made all four of his 3-point attempts before finishing with 20 points and a CU career-high 12 rebounds.

2. CU’s Tristan da Silva: CU senior hit three 3-pointers and posted a team-high 22 points.

3. Oregon’s N’Faly Dante: Ducks big man went 10-for-10, recording a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Up next: CU will attempt to complete a much-needed road sweep on Saturday at Oregon State (3 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Network).

EUGENE, Ore. — Facing a must-win situation on the road, the Colorado men’s basketball team came through in the clutch.

In a stirring effort in a high-stakes showdown, it was the Buffaloes who made the crucial plays down the stretch, as CU extended its late-season winning streak to five games with a 79-75 victory on Thursday night at Oregon.

The Buffs clinched third-place in the Pac-12 Conference, as well as a first round bye at next week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas. More importantly, the win gave CU a key Quad 1 victory as it attempts to solidify its NCAA Tournament credentials during the final weekend of the regular season.

CU also completed just the second two-game, regular-season sweep of the Ducks in 13 seasons in the Pac-12.

A much-anticipated season has perhaps not unfolded the way the Buffs and their fans would have preferred. A season-long struggle with injuries continued in Eugene, as CU once again played without freshman Cody Williams (ankle) and key reserve Julian Hammond III (knee). Yet with five consecutive wins, plus just the third win at Oregon in 11 Pac-12 games in Eugene, all of the Buffs’ postseason goals remain firmly on the table.

“It’s a testament to how hard we work and how deep we really are,” CU guard J’Vonne Hadley said. “We battled injuries all season. Different guys coming out, but we also have a bunch of guys stepping up.”

The Buffs scored the game’s first basket but endured a rough start, as Oregon reeled off the next 11 points while eventually pushing its lead to 12 points. CU answered with its own 11-0 run to get back in the game, and after battling to within a point on seven different occasions, the Buffs finally took their first lead at 33-32 on a Tristan da Silva bucket.

The game was tied 37-37 at halftime and the back-and-forth affair remained tied at 61-61 with less than 5 minutes remaining when CU put together a commanding 9-0 run, capped by a driving layup from Hadley, that pushed the Buffs’ lead to 70-61 with 3:22 left.

CU had to withstand a final assault, as Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard followed a driving layup…