Pac-12 Tournament: Colorado beats WSU, sets up quarterfinal clash with Arizona

The Pac-12 tournament is underway in Las Vegas but the Arizona Wildcats have the day off, as the tournament 4-seed, patiently awaiting the winner of today's 5-12 matchup. The wait is over and things went as everyone expected. The Colorado Buffaloes were all over the Washington State Cougars from the start and defeated the Cougs by a score of 80-56.

Washington State hung around with the Buffs for the opening 11 minutes of the game, but a 9-0 run by CU extended the lead to 14 and the lead would never drop down to single digits again. Colorado was so dominant in the first half that they took a 19-point lead to the break at halftime without their leading scorer, senior big man Josh Scott, even scoring a point.

Scott would finish with six points, five rebounds and five assists. Colorado's victory was highlighted by the play of guard George King, who led the way with 21 points.

The loss ends what has been a rough year for the Cougars, as they finish the season with 17 consecutive losses.

Next up for Colorado is a rematch from just two weeks ago, squaring off with Arizona on Thursday afternoon. In the two teams' lone meeting of the season, Colorado was able to outlast the Wildcats, 75-72, in Boulder. Josh Scott was a major contributor in that game with 26 points and nine rebounds. Arizona allowed the Buffaloes far too many second-chance points and that was a huge key to the Wildcats' loss.

These are the two best rebounding teams in the Pac-12. It will be interesting to see if Arizona's day off makes a difference on the glass Thursday afternoon. The action tips off at 3:30 on Pac-12 Network.