Colorado dusted in the desert, fall to No. 10 Arizona 97-50

Tad Boyle's team is now 0-12 in Tucson since joining the Pac-12

Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes had no answer for the No. 10 Arizona Wildcats Thursday night at the McKale Memorial Center, falling 97-50.

The Wildcats (11-2, 2-1 Pac-12) entered the game with the number two scoring offense in the country (92.3 PPG) and it showed right from the start. Arizona built a 10-point lead within the first four minutes of the game and led 50-23 at halftime behind hot shooting from guards Kylan Boswell, Caleb Love, and Pelle Larsson.

Colorado (11-3, 2-1 Pac-12) entered the contest as one of the hottest shooting teams in the country. The Buffs ranked 12th or better nationally in field goal percentage (51.8), three-point percentage (40.8) and free throw percentage (78.0). Thursday night, the Wildcats held the Buffaloes to 36.4 percent shooting on 20-55 from the field. 

KJ Simpson, who was coming off a 34-point performance against Washington State, was held to a season-low 10 points. He also had eight turnovers. Javon Ruffin led the Buffs with 11 points off the bench. The Wildcats were 40-71 from the field, including 11-20 from three-point range. Larsson led all scorers with 18 points.

Colorado was without starters Tristan da Silva (ankle) and Cody Williams (wrist) for the third straight game. The senior da Silva was named to the Wooden Award preseason Top 50 watch list and Williams, a freshman hailing from Gilbert, Ariz., is projected by many to be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft.

With the loss, the Buffaloes fell to 0-12 in Tucson since joining the Pac-12 conference in 2011. The Buffs will next travel to Tempe to take on Arizona State on Saturday, January 6. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU.