The University of Colorado men’s basketball team was able to get revenge and keep their Pac-12 tournament dreams alive after beating Oregon State on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, 74-68.

The Buffs had played the Beavers on Saturday for Colorado’s last home game, losing 58-64.

CU head coach Tad Boyle says that the team was looking to get the win after OSU beat them at home.

“Having them come into our building and beat us on senior day got our guy’s attention,” Boyle said. “We’ve got respect for Oregon State. You put their record aside and look at their players; they have great players.”

The win takes the Buffs into the second round, where they will face No. 4 seeded Arizona. Sophomore guard Spencer Dinwiddie says he is just taking it game by game and trying not to look at the whole picture.

“We came here with one goal in mind and that was to beat OSU and survive and advance,” Dwinddie said. “We did that first step and we are just going to try to move forward form here.”

Boyle says that is what their team tries to do, focus on the next game first.

“We don’t talk about winning four games in four days,” Boyle said. “It is not on our minds.”

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It was not the Buffs’ best offensive game, as they shot only 43.8 percent from outside the three point line and 39.3 percent inside. Sometimes you are going to have off games, Boyle said.

“Sometimes in tournament basketball, you got to win ugly and today, offensively, we did not have our best game,” Boyle said. “But our program is defense and rebounding, [because of] games like this.”

The Buffs struggled and were outrebounded last Saturday in their loss against the Beavers, but were able to out-rebound OSU Wednesday 43-30, with junior forward Andre Roberson back in the lineup. Boyle says it felt good to see him back on the court.

“It was not his best outing, but we are certainly a better team with him than without him,” Boyle said. “It is good to have him back.”

The first half went back and forth, but the Buffs took a lead and closed out the half 32-26 after a buzzer beater from Dinwiddie.

“That half-court three at the buzzer is the reason why we won the game,” C-Unit fan Mike Ryan said. “We had the momentum.”

The Beavers stuck with them throughout the second half. And with three minutes left in the second half, Oregon State started to foul just to keep them in the game. Dinwiddie was able to make his free throws, and close the game for the Buffs.

“The game got kind of close, so we did not do a good of a job as we could have,” Dinwiddie said. “But like coach said, we had just enough to survive tight basketball.”

C-Unit fan Liam Enright says that he was nervous the whole game but he knew his Buffs would pull out the win in the end.

“They made me hold my breath the whole way, but in the end, I knew they could do it,” Enright said.

Boyle was pleased that the team hung on and pulled out the win against the Beavers.

“To get this win against a talented team and be able to live for another day and play Arizona, we are excited about that,” Boyle said.

The Buffs will face No. 4 Arizona on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Las Vegas.

Contact CU Independent Sports editor Jillian Arja at Jillian.Arja@colorado.edu.

Sports Co-Editor Scott Annis

My favorite Buff basketball player of all time has to be Chauncey Billups. He was a hometown kid born in Colorado who chose CU over the likes of Kansas and Cal. Billups was electric for the Buffs and was good enough to get his picture added to the wall at the Coors Event Center. In college, he averaged 18 points per game and led the Buffs to their first NCAA tournament appearance in over 30 years. Billups only stayed two years, as he was drafted to the NBA in 1997 after being named a first-team All-American his sophomore year. Billups has remained a hometown favorite, as he spent five years playing for the Denver Nuggets. Billups is still in the NBA and plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

(Josh Shettler/CU Independent Illustration)

Sports Co-Editor Jillian Arja

It was hard to select just one favorite CU men’s basketball player. However, if I could choose one, I would choose sophomore guard Askia Booker. As a sophomore, he has already grown to be a great asset for the Buffs. He was named the Charleston Classic Tournament MVP at the start of this season and has been named the Pac-12 Player of the Week. Throughout the season, head coach Tad Boyle has pushed him to work harder and do more with his game and effort. I believe he has done this and shown just how much of a team player he is. His work ethic and attitude are reflected in the leadership role that he plays on the court. We are lucky to have him as a Buffalo for two more years.

Reporter Grayson O’Roark

My favorite basketball player from CU has to be Alec Burks. Burks was, in many ways, the main catalyst for the CU basketball program’s current momentum. When I came to Boulder as a freshman and witnessed Burks and the Buffs have the season they had, especially after Colorado’s disappointing football season, it really had an impact on my opinion of CU. I still wish Burks would have stayed for one more year. His time with Utah indicates he may have left a year early, as well.

Reporter Alissa Noe

After his explosive junior season this year, my favorite Colorado athlete is forward Andre Roberson. He is CU’s clutch defensive player and currently leads the conference in rebounds and steals, a feat that no big man in the Pac-12 has ever accomplished before. He is one of nine players since 1996 to lead any conference in total rebounds and steals and the only player in any major conference to do so. In addition to these incredible statistics, he currently leads the entire NCAA in rebounds, averaging 11.5 per game. Although this is only his third year at CU, he is getting dangerously close to breaking Stephane Pelle’s rebounding record of 1,054. With just two games left in the regular season, not to mention post-season play, he only needs 35 more rebounds to tie Pelle’s record.

Contact CU Independent editors and reporters at Tips@cuindependent.com.

The University of Colorado men’s basketball team took down No. 19 Oregon 74-53 in Coors Events Center Thursday night, claiming their second win against Oregon this season.

Colorado showed how basketball truly is a team sport with their bench contributing 16 points and earning big minutes. Junior forward Andre Roberson sat out with a viral illness, the Sports Information Department said, but his teammates stepped up.

“Me, Ski and Josh all had two fouls so [the bench] was big,” sophomore guard Spencer Dinwiddie said. “They all came in and played really well. Everybody had contributions and helped us win the game.

Missing their top rebounder, the men combined to fill Roberson’s spot. Dinwiddie and sophomore guard Askia Booker took 13 rebounds together.

“When somebody goes out, then you have to pick up the slack in that area,” Dinwiddie said. “We all just had to pick up the rebounds. We all have to pitch in on whatever we are going to lose, like when Andre goes out we knew we would be out 11 points, 11 rebounds.”

The win brings the Buffs’ record to 20-9 and 10-7 in the Pac-12. Oregon moves to 23-7 and 12-5 in the conference.

The Buffs had an impressive first half and finished it up by 16 points, 37-12. Freshman forward Josh Scott started for the Buffs again and scored a couple points for Colorado before getting in foul trouble and having to sit out.

Oregon looked slow by the end of the first, and freshman forward Xavier Johnson said that was their plan.

“That was our game plan: to run them down,” Johnson said. “I mean, we are up here in altitude, we might as well use it to our advantage. Coach said to make them run, so we did.”

Johnson came out strong in the second half. He ended the game with 22 points.  Dinwiddie scored 17.  The Buffs did not give up their lead at all in the second half, they only capitalized on it.

Johnson had a near-perfect night, shooting 7-7 from field-goal range, 3-3 from three-point range, and 5-6 at the free throw line.

“‘X’ has been working on his jump shots, so his performance was big time,” Head Coach Tad Boyle said. “When you make shots it covers up a lot of things and we were able to do that tonight. ‘X’ was a big part of that.”

Colorado had another big crowd in Coors Events Center Thursday night when 11,013 people cheered the Buffs to victory.

The mean’s team plays their last, regular-season home game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Oregon State.

Contact CU Independent Sports editor Jillian Arja at Jillian.arja@colorado.edu.

The Colorado women’s tennis team picked up their fourth loss of dual play this season in Wyoming on Thursday after a close 4-3 decision.

The Buffs’ record drops to 5-4 overall and the Cowgirls pick up their fifth win of the season, bringing their record to 5-3.

The two best doubles teams at CU fell short and ended their winning streaks as a result. Juniors Carla Manzi Tenorio and Winde Janssens lost their first match of the season after falling 8-6 to the Cowgirls. This loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the pair. Sophomore Julyette Steur and senior Erin Sanders were defeated in a close tie-breaker.

Nicole Kenneally talks to one of her doubles teams at the Millenium Hotel Harvest House at a match against Air Force. The Buffs dropped to 5-4 after losing in Wyoming this weekend. (CU Independent/Annie Rumbles)

The Buffaloes had more success in individual play after Steur, Janssens, and Tenorio walked away with decisive singles victories.

Steur improved her individual play winning streak to three matches when she defeated Veronica Popovici, one of the top five players in the region, 6-4 and 7-5. With this win, her overall record this spring stands at 12-6.

Tenorio and Janssens overcame first set losses to defeat their opponents for the fifth time this season.

Tenorio won her third match in a third set tie-breaker. She came back after losing the first set and had an easy 6-1 victory in the second set to take her into the third. She would be tested again and have to play a tiebreak for the third, but came out on top 7-4.

Janssens extended her streak to five victories in individual play and has a record of seven wins and one loss overall.

The Buffs come back to Boulder for their next three matches and will take on No. 73 Princeton on Saturday.  They begin their Pac-12 play in a match against Arizona on the following Friday, March 8.

Contact CU Independent staff writer Alissa Noe at alissa.noe@colorado.edu.

Sports editor Scott Annis and reporter Grayson O’Roark
In the 2013 Outback Bowl, pitting South Carolina vs. Michigan, sophomore defensive tackle Jadeven Clowney broke through the Michigan line to lay one of the biggest hits I’ve ever seen on Michigan running back Vincent Smith. The previous play should have given South Carolina the ball but after a wrong call by the refs Clowney took matters into his own hands and got the ball back by himself. It was the biggest hit in college football this year and maybe ever. Don’t blink or you might miss it.

Sports editor Jillian Arja
Whether you consider NASCAR racing a sport or not, it certainly takes guts for the drivers, and this year the fans needed some as well. A fan is there to simply watch and enjoy the event, thinking the athletes will be the only ones in harm’s way. However, in a pre-Daytona 500 race, 33 fans were left the event injured. After a crash on the track, some debris from one of the cars came and landed in the stands. The car was going 180 mph, causing the debris to go hurling into the astonished fans. Those fans might want to choose higher seats next time they go to the racetrack.

Reporter Jessica Malknecht

Nate Robinson’s dunk against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 21, 2008 was one of the best dunks I have ever seen live. This 5’9” guard can fly higher than you think so players never expect little Nate to dunk the ball. His ability to jump that high off the ground is indescribable. The entire crowd went ballistic. The energy in the gym was ridiculous and I was completely baffled. The same goes for his amazing dunk over Dwight Howard in the NBA dunk contest. Nate Robinson may not be a Spud Webb, but he comes pretty close.

Reporter Alissa Noe

During this season’s Notre Dame-Louisville game that went into five overtimes, Russ Smith definitely lived up to his nickname, “Russdiculous.” According to an Urban Dictionary definition that was created by a Cardinal fan, the word represents “an adjective describing an absurd basketball play that could be great or maybe not.” Smith did just that during the longest game in NCAA regular season history.  With 12 seconds left in the first overtime, he chose to wait until time ran out before he took a wild three-point shot from 27 feet away. The shot, though it only missed by inches, sent the game into its second overtime.  For the remainder of the game, Louisville fans flirted with a nervous breakdown every time Smith got the ball and tried to shoot-which was frequently and mostly inaccurate. The Cardinals learned a valuable lesson that night:  never trust Russ Smith to make a crucial game-winning shot. At least that’s what happened at the end of regulation and in 4 of the 5 overtimes during the game that night.

Contact CU Independent sports editor Jillian Arja at Jillian.arja@colorado.edu.

Senior runner Joe Morris made the right choice by transferring to the University of Colorado his sophomore year. In his three years as a Buff, he has accomplished a lot and has many goals left that he is hoping to achieve.

Morris says he tries to follow his teammates’ example, but once he’s on the track, he likes to lead.

Joe Morris of the Colorado track and field team. Morris is headed to the MPSF Championships this weekend. (Andrew Tawil/CU Independent)

“I let others take the lead,” Morris said. “When we go up to compete, then I will do my leading, which is performing. Once you start winning, then that is a good leader position to be in.”

He is certainly capable of winning.

Morris will be heading to the MPSF Championships this weekend to compete in the 60 meter, 200 meter and 4×400 meter relay. His personal bests this season are 6.80 in the 60 meter, 21.53 in the 200 meter and 3:15.50 in the 4×400 meter relay.

Morris says it feels good to win, but his biggest competition is not another person on the track.

“I enjoy running faster every time and beating the clock, which is a funny competitor,” he said. “I guess it is what it is.”

There will be around 30 CU athletes going to the MPSF Championships this weekend to join fifteen teams from around the country.

The event will only take the top 24 runners to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Therefore, depending on how his times align, Morris could either be running in the NCAA Indoor Championships or racing again in a Last Chance Qualifier to get his times up.

Morris’ best chance to compete is in the 60 meter race, which happens to be his favorite run.

“I like the 60 meter because it is the shortest and for some reason, I am good at that one,” he said. “A lot of people wouldn’t say that for some reason. It is the short one, but if you make one mistake, it can all go downhill.”

He hopes that can get a championship, whether it happens this weekend or in March at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“I need a championship,” he said. “But you can’t just go out and say it like that. You have to go out and say I want to run a perfect race, as perfect as possible and get a time. The wins will come after.”

As a senior, he is starting to face the end of many things. Rather than being sad, though, Morris is using this to motivate himself to push harder.

“This season has been a little interesting as far as last indoors; to me it is a whole lot of last everythings,” he said. “It is my senior year, and I feel like I have to keep making huge steps and reaching goals. This semester has been full of goals.”

Indoor season lasts through the beginning of March, when outdoor begins. The runners do not get a break, but Morris says that does not matter because it is one thing he is going to use to make himself stronger.

“After an indoor season, you may feel like you want a break, but for me that is another level that I need to step up to,” he said.

Morris has many goals left outside of CU, as well. He hopes to make the USA team and qualify to go to Worlds. He says, though, that he is going to use his coach’s advice before he gets started.

“Other than that, what my coach will tell you, we need to start at the beginning, which is run a time and see if you can improve on that time,” Morris said.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jillian Arja at Jillian.arja@colorado.edu.

After falling and hitting his head during the Arizona State University game Saturday night, freshman guard Josh Scott’s condition was questionable.

On Monday, Head Coach Tad Boyle told CUBuffs.com that nothing has changed, and they are still trying to treat him day to day to see if he can play by Thursday, when the team takes on Utah at 7 p.m. at home.

Josh Scott, 40, is cheered off the court after obtaining a concussion during Saturday night’s game against the ASU Sundevils. (Haleigh Jacobson/CU Independent)

For now, it is unsure whether Scott will be joining his team on the court.

The game is important for the CU men’s team if they want to remain competitive in the Pac-12 .

Viable options to replace Scott are junior guard Shane Harris-Tunks and freshman guard Xavier Johnson.

Johnson also took a beating on Saturday, but his condition is unknown at this time.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jillian Arja at Jillian.arja@colorado.edu.

University of Colorado women beat Arizona State University 71-63 Sunday afternoon in Tempe, Arizona after being down at half.

They beat ASU in January as well, 57-43.  The women are now 20-5 overall and 9-5 in the Pac-12. Arizona State is 11-15 overall and 3-11 in the conference.

Although the score stayed close in the first half, ASU was able to pull away and led by eight at the buzzer.

Redshirt freshman forward Arielle Roberson ended the first half without a bucket, but came out strong in the second half and ended the game with 16 points. She had eight rebounds in the second half.

Sophomore guard Ashley Wilson drives to the basket during the second half of the women’s game against Utah earlier this year. The Buffs beat the Arizona State University Sun Devils 71-63 Sunday night in Tempe. (CU Independent/James Bradbury)

Senior guard Chucky Jeffery had a great game and received her 28^th career double-double. She got 12 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday.

This win gives the Buffs their first on-the-road sweep since joining the Pac-12. They beat University of Arizona on Friday.

The women will come home this week and play Washington State at 7 p.m. Friday and University of Washington at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jillian Arja at Jillian.arja@colorado.edu.