Men’s basketball to go dancing

The University of Colorado men’s basketball team is about to slide into their dancing shoes. The Buffs beat the University of Arizona Wildcats 53-51 in the Pac-12 Championship to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This is their first trip to the NCAA since 2003.

The Buffs won four games, against Utah, Oregon, Cal and Arizona, in four straight days to take the title in their inaugural year in the Pac-12. In pre-season polls, CU was picked to tie for 10th in the conference.

In the championship game, freshman Spencer Dinwiddie led the team with 14 points, going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Senior transfer Carlon Brown followed right behind with 13 points. After being snubbed from the Big Dance last year, Andre Roberson showed up big in this Pac-12 Championship. Roberson rounded out the big three with a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds), three assists, three steals and two blocks.

While the Buffs had more turnovers than Arizona (eight and seven respectively), CU outrebounded U of A 35 to 23. Both teams shot below 40 percent from the field, but the Buffs shot a solid 62.5 percent from the free throw line.

More information to come; statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Marlee Horn at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu.