Pac-12 Basketball: Can Colorado Get Back Into The Pac-12 Race?

Do you think Colorado can bounce back and contend for the conference title?

Parker Baruh, Ralphie Report: No, I don't think Colorado even has a chance at this point to contend for the conference title. The Buffaloes still cannot win on the road and have a struggling offense. They're unlikely to play as poorly as they did earlier in the conference season going forward, however, they just are not in the same class as Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona and won't contend for the conference title.

Jack Follman, Pacific Takes - Yes, I think they are almost just as talented as anyone in the conference and showed it outside of the conference. They get seven of their last 12 at home, and they will get two shots at Oregon and a home rematch with Arizona. They are the kind of team that I could see making a run in the conference tournament again.

NorcalNick, California Golden Blogs: I have a very hard time seeing Colorado climb back to towards the top. They are four games in the loss column behind Oregon, and the Ducks don't have to play Arizona or UCLA the rest of the way. Just catching Oregon is tough enough, even if you assume that UCLA and Arizona can be caught in the process.

Even if the leaders were to drop enough games, Colorado has yet to prove that they can win on the road. Last year the Buffs won just three road games, over three teams (Arizona State, USC and Utah) who were amongst the worst teams in conference history. This year they are just 1-3 on the road. Some of the work done last year analyzing altitude teams playing away from home was eye opening. Until Colorado can prove they can win away from the altitude, I'll be skeptical of their title chances.

Andy Wooldridge, Building The Dam: Yes, and I'm speaking of the Conference Tournament win that gets the automatic berth, not the regular season title, which we have learned is only good for an NIT guarantee. I don't think the Buffs will overcome all the teams ahead of them in the regular season, but come tournament time, its a whole new deal.

Jack Blanchat, Rule of Tree: I think they can battle their way back to the top four or five if all things go right. Eight of their last 12 conference games are against teams in the lower half of the Pac-12 standings, and therefore they have a chance at at least getting a good seed for the conference tournament.

Adam Butler, PacHoops: No. But they can contend for a spot in the dance. I still believe these guys can play some ball but they really need to make some sort of adjustment on offense or start heating up or something! They play terrific defense and it certainly leads to great offense. But since the moment the refs waved off that three in Tucson (a commentary that will haunt the Buffs until they do something about it) they're an abysmal 13-74 from three point land. They made 10 threes in regulation against the Wildcats. Point is, the Buffs have to hope this is a slump and will bounce out of it. They still have eight games remaining against teams ahead of them in the standings and a real tidy 18th rated RPI. Colorado controls its own destiny but really needs to do something about it. Namely: not lose.