Even when it has put big numbers on the scoreboard, Colorado has won with its defense. The Buffaloes will face Washington State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament Wednesday night and hope to bring similar defensive intensity to the Jan. 23 victory over the Cougars in Boulder. Junior guard McKinley Wright IV and junior forward Tyler Bey, both All-Pac-12 defensive team selections, will look to reestablish the Buffs’ defensive identity in Las Vegas.
“It starts with (me and Tyler),” Wright IV said. We’ve got to turn it up…we’re going to go out and showcase that we can defend at a high level and get the other guys to run with us.