It’s Thursday, March 14, 3:02 p.m. PST at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Colorado Buffaloes are off to a fast start in their quarterfinal matchup against the Oregon State Beavers. It’s 20-8 before junior guard Shane Gatling hits a three-point shot to extend CU’s lead to 23-8.
Fresh off their 78-75 win over the USC Trojans that happened just an hour before Gatling hits his three-point shot to give the Buffs a 15-point advantage over the Beavs, Washington Huskies senior star Matisse Thybulle emerges from the Huskies’ locker room and sits just a few feet away from me, courtside on the Buffaloes’ defensive baseline.