The Buffs are charging, and they seem to be headed straight to the Big Dance.
On Wednesday, Colorado took to the hardwood in the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. against a tough Iowa State squad that handed the Buffs their 12th loss of the season the week before.
Colorado asserted a strong step toward a potential NCAA Tournament berth and avenged an ugly loss in Iowa, eliminating the Cyclones in nail-biting fashion with a score of 77-75 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship Tournament.
The Buffs are now 2-1 when playing on a neutral court.
Fifth-seeded CU (20-12, Big 12 8-8 ) fought its way to its fifth season with 20 wins in school history, and one man stood next to the triumph with equal bravado: Alec Burks.
Burks, much in the same style as he did against Texas in Boulder, exploded in after the first half, unleashing an offensive siege against the Cyclones in the second half.
Scoring 25 points, Burks led the CU comeback in a match that saw the Buffs trailing on the scoreboard for much of the game. Burks would finish the game with a double-double, posting 29 points with 15 rebounds.
And he was hardly alone on the court.
Freshman guard Andre Roberson also posted 15 boards, making the Burks-Roberson 15 rebound combo the first time two players posted 15 or more rebounds for the Buffs since 2002.
Senior guards Levi Knutson and Cory Higgins also did their part in the win, scoring 12 and 16 points respectively.
The Buffs will face Jacob Pullen and the Kansas State Wildcats on Thursday in the Big 12 Championship Tournament.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Esteban L. Hernandez at Esteban.hernandez@colorado.edu.
