Arizona will play Colorado in second round of Big XII Tournament

Colorado earned a spot in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament with a 66-58 win over last-place Houston on Tuesday. Arizona will get a second chance to play Colorado after losing 56-47 in Boulder on February 5. Arizona and Colorado are both bubble teams needing to earn wins to have a chance for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Colorado was 16-6 after beating Arizona last month and is 19-11 entering their Big 12 Tournament game on Thursday. Arizona dropped to 14-10 when it lost at Colorado and is 19-12 entering the game with the Buffaloes. The Wildcats finished the season with four consecutive wins versus a favorable schedule.

As the score would indicate from the last time Arizona played Colorado both teams struggled offensively. Arizona shot 32.7 percent from the field and made only six of its 22 three-point attempts in Boulder. Colorado Colorado shot 40.4 percent and made three of its 15 three-point attempts.

Colorado had a 43-27 rebounding advantage, a 10-0 edge in second-chance points and outscored Arizona 34-24 in points in the paint. Arizona forced 21 Colorado turnovers that included 15 steals but committed 16 of their own. The Wildcats outscored the Buffaloes 18-13 in points off turnovers.

Isis Beh and Skylar Jones who each scored 12 points in the last game versus Colorado were the only Wildcats in double figures. Jada Williams scored nine points on 3-14 from the field and 3-10 on three-point attempts. Colorado was led by Jade Masogayo with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Lior Garzon with 12 points.

Arizona is currently the second team out in the ESPN Bracketology by Charlie Creme. The Wildcats almost definitely need a win over Colorado on Thursday to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The winner between eighth Arizona and ninth-seeded Colorado will play top-seed and regular-season champion TCU on Friday in the quarterfinals.