Rodney Purvis, Daniel Hamilton and a stifling defense carried Connecticut back from an 11-point first-half deficit, giving the Huskies enough for a first-round victory over Colorado on Thursday in Des Moines and keeping Kevin Ollie unbeaten as a head coach in the N.C.A.A. tournament.
Purvis scored 15 of his 19 points after halftime, Daniel Hamilton had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the No. 9-seeded Huskies (25-10) advanced to the second round of the South Region.
Josh Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 8-seeded Buffaloes (22-12), finishing 0-3 in the tournament in his career.