March Madness hopes dwindle for Colorado after falling to West Virginia

Freshman Logyn Greer sets up for the free throw against West Virginia. Greer ended the night with 11 points. (Photo by Brody Rector/Sko Buffs Sports)

With the Colorado Buffaloes (15-8, 6-5 Big 12) suffering a 61-55 loss to No. 20 West Virginia (19-5, 9-3 Big 12) on Wednesday night, its hopes for seeing March Madness have dwindled. 

Missing the opportunity to secure a Quad 1 win, Colorado is still in the First Four Out according to ESPN’s March Madness Bracketology. 

Colorado entered this game on a three-game win streak, including two big wins in Kansas against Kansas State and Kansas. The Buffs were able to prove that they are capable of finishing tight fourth quarters in these games.

However, CU fell into its old habits of not being able to execute close games in the fourth quarter. With 13 points, 4 turnovers, and only hitting 3-13 from the field, they were not able to execute. 

“I think when we turn on the film, we will see that there was a lot of missed opportunities that were us,” head coach JR Payne said. 

Despite Colorado’s loss, it did show some promise, tying West Virginia in paint points (32) and leading West Virginia in bench points (25) and second chance points (7). 

As the Buffaloes look ahead to face their next opponent, the No. 14-ranked Texas Christian University (21-3, 9-2 Big 12). This Quad 1 game could give the Buffaloes the momentum they need to create a successful March Madness campaign in the next three weeks. 

“I think the biggest lesson is just organization over everything," Payne said. "Playing fast is great, and we want to play fast, but we have to be organized; our opponents are just too good.”

Payne addressed what they hope to fix, looking ahead to TCU. 

Colorado is a team that typically plays up to its opponents and is no stranger to ranked upsets at home. As they defeated No. 19 Iowa State earlier in the season. If they can minimize turnovers and make shots late in the game, they have a chance to upset TCU. 

While Colorado’s loss to West Virginia puts a dent in their plans to compete in March Madness, all hope is not lost. If the Buffaloes can defeat TCU at home this Sunday and secure a few more road game wins, they could still compete in March. 

The Colorado Buffaloes will face Texas Christian University at the CU Events Center this Sunday, Feb. 8. The game starts at 1 p.m. MT and will be streaming on ESPN+.