Arizona vs. Colorado score predictions

Will the Wildcats complete the road sweep?

The Arizona Wildcats (12-3, 2-0 Pac-12) will complete their first Pac-12 road trip Saturday against the Colorado Buffaloes (9-6, 1-2) in Boulder at noon MST on the Pac-12 Network.

Arizona beat the Utah Utes 94-82 in the first leg of the trip.

The Wildcats have won nine straight, but the Buffaloes are coming off an impressive overtime win against No. 4 Arizona State.

Still, Arizona is given a 79 percent chance of beating Colorado, per KenPom, with a projected score of 79-70.

And here is what we think will happen in Boulder on Saturday:

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Ryan Kelapire — Arizona wins 88-71

I was really surprised Colorado beat ASU because the Buffs had been terrible this year. They lost to both Oregon schools by double digits and had zero quality wins heading into that game against the Sun Devils.

And while the Buffs did enough to beat ASU, I just don’t see them stringing two performances like that together to sweep the Arizona schools.

Arizona is playing too well right now and is too talented to lose to Colorado, in my opinion.

The type of team that is going to beat Arizona is one that shoots lights out from 3, and Colorado is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, making just 33 percent of its long balls.

Alec Sills-Trausch — Arizona wins 85-58

This isn’t going to be close. Colorado gave ASU everything they had and the Saturday matinee game is going to be thrashing. Like Ryan said, I was pretty shocked the Buffs pulled that one out but welcome to being a ranked team in January.

UA is playing too well and all pieces falling into place to lose this game. I mean Allonzo Trier hadn’t scored in the second half until the last two or so minutes and the Cats still were leading. Rawle Alkins had a ridiculously quiet 20+ point performance and Deandre Ayton, well, what can we even say right now?

Christopher Boan — Arizona wins 77-65

No one enjoys playing in the oversized dump that is the Coors Events Center, not even the Mighty Buffs of Colorado. The place looks like an outdated convention center from the outside, and isn’t much prettier inside either.

That said, it has been a house of horrors of sorts for Sean Miller and company, including their 2016 debacle, when Arizona lost 75-72, after Gabe York famously dribbled the ball off his own foot for the game-deciding turnover.

This year, though, the Buffs lack many of the key players they’ve relied on in the past, such as 14-year college sensation Xavier Johnson, and don’t have nearly the offensive punch that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. I expect Trier to rebound from his woeful 2-5, 7 point performance against Utah, and for Ayton to serve up some thunderous dunks in the town by the Flatirons that Beatniks and California washouts built.

It’ll be a good game for 30 minutes, before Arizona’s size and depth wears down an overmatched CU roster, resulting in their 10th consecutive win.

Matt Sheeley - Arizona wins 89-73

Colorado hasn’t been this confident all season and are coming off their biggest win, a huge upset of Arizona State.

But Arizona is a whole other animal, coming off of a 94-point performance where they ran downhill toward the rim for 40 straight minutes. As impressive as the Buffs were on Thursday night, I just don’t see how they don’t get blown out here against the far more talented Wildcats.

Arizona makes quick work of Colorado in this matinee and make it ten wins in a row.

Scott Moran - Arizona wins 84-69

This just plain isn’t a good match-up for the Buffaloes. They’re best on the defensive end, but it’s hard to imagine them slowing down the powerful UA offense enough for their not-great offense to keep up.

Colorado could be coming off a lot of momentum, with a huge overtime victory over the number four team in their previous game. It’s not like Colorado is an awful team, if the crowd is loud and they play well again, an upset could happen.

I just can’t see that happening though. Arizona is roughly equal with ASU as of now this season, and CU winning against the Devils took the best game of the season for them. They can’t repeat that against an even more talented team, especially at noon. Give me the ‘Cats.

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