Colorado Basketball: Season ends in NIT quarterfinals after Texas defeat
By Andrew Dill
Colorado Basketball’s exciting 2018-19′ campaign came to a close Wednesday night in Austin as the Texas Longhorns pulled away with a dominating victory, 68-55.
The Buffaloes seemed at but doomed the moment after tip-off. Colorado Basketball forward Evan Battey picked up two quick fouls as if they weren’t already undersized in this matchup. Texas senior center Dylan Osetkowski made the most of the opportunity, tallying 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field.
Texas guards Matt Coleman III and Courtney Ramey added eight and six points respectively, pushing the Longhorns lead to 44-19 to end the first half. The guards shot 4-of-6 from distance while the Longhorns as a team went 7-of-13 (53.8%).
Colorado couldn’t seem to get anything going on the offensive end as sophomore forward Tyler Bey shot just 1-of-7 from the field. Texas can attribute their first half success to the swarming defense they displayed against Colorado’s young team. The Buffaloes shot just 7-of-24 from the field (30.4%) while turning the ball over nine times — not a recipe for success.
The second half was better but not enough. Colorado outscored Texas 36-24 but the damage was done. Longhorns senior guard Kerwin Roach II provided the spark off the bench with 14 points.
On the bright side, Tyler Bey got his game going in the second half, picking up another double-double as he finished the night with 18 points and 13 rebounds. McKinley Wright IV and D’Shawn Schwartz each added 11 points apiece.
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Texas will go on to face the TCU Horned Frogs in the semifinals April 2 at Madison Square Garden.
Although the Buffaloes came up short of their goal to win an NIT Championship, their young squad battled to the very end. This tournament served as a springboard for the team entering the 2019-20′ campaign. With high hopes and a team filled with a majority of returning freshman and sophomores, you’d have to think Colorado is on the verge of something good.