BOULDER, Colo. — McKinley Wright IV scored 11 of his 21 points in the final 5 minutes, and Colorado beat another ranked team, taking down No. 4 Oregon 74-65 on Thursday night.
Tyler Bey added 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Buffaloes (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) improved to 9-0 all-time against the Ducks (11-3, 0-1) in Boulder.
Colorado also moved to 2-1 against ranked teams this season. The Buffaloes are 19-32 under coach Tad Boyle versus teams in the AP Top 25 since he took over in 2010-11. He accounts for 30% of Colorado’s 63 wins over ranked opponents since 1949-50.
This was a matchup between the teams picked to finish first (Oregon) and second (Colorado) in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. Round 1 went to Colorado, which despite being unranked was a 1 1/2-point favorite. The noise level was at a frenzied level despite the students being on winter break, and the fans ran onto the court after the final buzzer.
The Buffs held Oregon to 3 of 18 shooting from 3-point range.
Colorado built a 15-point lead early in the second half on an alley-oop, fast-break dunk by Bey. But Oregon began to steadily chip away.
Bey had a big block with 4:34 remaining, but was given a technical foul for taunting. Anthony Mathis made both free throws to make it 57-53. Wright hit a 3-pointer to restore some breathing room and then took over down the stretch. He also had eight assists.
The Ducks had their five-game winning streak halted on a night when they struggled at times to run their offense.
Payton Pritchard had 21 points to lead Oregon, while Chris Duarte added 10.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: Boulder, Colorado, continues to haunt the Ducks, who were out-rebounded 36-34.
Colorado: Defense has been the Buffs’ calling card all season. They fed off of it all evening as they led for over 30 minutes.
THIS & THAT
D’Shawn Schwartz finished with 13 points. … Former Colorado football standout and current Denver Broncos tailback Phillip Lindsay was in attendance and given a round of applause when he was introduced. … The attendance was 10,770.
ELITE COMPANY, PART I
The Ducks have their men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football teams all currently ranked in the top seven of the AP polls.
ELITE COMPANY, PART II
Oregon’s appearance at No. 4 matches its highest ranking in the AP poll, although the Ducks are likely to drop next week. The team also was No. 4 in the Nov. 14, 2016, version of the poll. That team went on to reach the Final Four.
UP NEXT
Oregon: At Utah on Saturday.
Colorado: Hosts Oregon State on Sunday.
