Oregon St. Vs. Colorado: Buffaloes Defeat Beavers 83-57

As if he read the SB Nation Denver preview for this game, Levi Knutson scored a career high 22 points as the Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Oregon St. Beaver 83-57 in the last installment of the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

Knutson had a hot hand all night going 8-10 from the field including 6-8 from behind the three point arc to lead the Buffaloes (4-3) to victory.

The game was never in doubt as CU got out to an early double digit lead and led 35-18 at half. The second half began as the first ended and CU extended its lead to 28 before emptying their bench.

Alec Burks scored 15 for the Buffs while Marcus Relphorde and Austin Dufault each contributed 12 to the victory. Cory Higgins added a season low 9. Relphorde paced the Buffs with 6 rebounds.

The Beavers (3-4) were led in scoring by Jared Cunningham with 16 and in rebounds by Omari Johnson with eight.

Oregon State vs. Colorado: The Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Invades Boulder

The Colorado Buffaloes are moving to the Pac-12 next season, but before they do they must face their future conference piers in the Oregon St. Beavers. It is almost like being put between a rock and a hard place for the Buffs. On one hand they want to win for their own sake and to show their future conference what they're all about.  On the other hand, a win moves the Big 12 one step closer to securing the series title, meaning the Buffs will help the conference they are leaving defeat the conference they are going to.

Or maybe Alec Burks, Cory Higgins and the rest of the Buffs will put that out of their mind and go out and play like the team all the pundits tabbed as the sleeper team in the Big 12.

But in order to do that, Burks and Higgins need help. The pair is averaging a combined 38 points per game. They also are one and two on the team in assists per game, and second and fourth in rebounds. They are the wonder twins everyone was expecting... and now they just need help from the supporting cast.

Marcus Relphorde is doing his part, and Levi Knutson is helping out as well, but Relphorde, Knutson and the other guys need to help out Burks and Higgins more. They need to understand their roles as second fiddles, but play like the first chair.

This might be the right time for the Buffs to turn it around as Oregon St is 3-3 on the season with losses to the Utah Valley Wolverines, Texas Southern Tigers and Seattle Redhawks. The Beavers only signature win came when they visited the Howard Bison, and that was more for who was in attendance than for defeating the 1-6 MEAC bottom dwellers.

The Beavers are led in points and rebounds by Omari Johnson, who puts up 14.7/7.7 nightly. Their other real scoring threat is 6'2" guard Calvin Haynes.

Tip is set for 8 p.m. MT at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, CO.