Five takeaways from Colorado’s 76-55 loss at No. 6 Arizona

The Colorado Buffaloes couldn’t hang on in the second half against the No. 6 Arizona Wildcats in their toughest test since No. 13 Tennessee. It was a rough start for the Buffs in Tucson, but they managed to battle back to keep the game within reach at halftime.

The Wildcats’ second half effort was too much for Colorado to handle, however, resulting in a 76-55 victory for Arizona. The Buffs showed flashes of promise throughout the game, but it proved to be another sign that Colorado might not be ready to hang with the big dogs quite yet.

Here are five important takeaways from the loss.

K.J. Simpson's strong outing kept the Buffs alive

By far the best player on Colorado’s roster last night, K.J. Simpson kept the Buffs’ hopes alive with a 17-point and three-rebound performance. Simpson, who was once recruited by Arizona, was the only Buff to reach double digits in scoring, with 14 of his points coming in the first half.

This Colorado team still has a lot to prove

An 11-4 record is nothing to scoff at, but this young Buffs team still has some room for improvement if they really want to turn themselves into an NCAA Tournament team. That’s not to say the Buffs haven’t gotten better this year, which they certainly have. But after Thursday’s loss to No. 6 Arizona, Colorado remains winless against top 25 teams.

The Buffs will have a couple of more opportunities to snag wins against ranked opponents when they host No. 5 USC and No. 3 UCLA in Boulder on Jan. 20 and 22, respectively.

Rough night for Jabari Walker

Jabari Walker had just four points last night. With the exception of his scoreless game against Cal State Bakersfield in which he left early with an injury, it was a season-low. He also had four turnovers but managed to snag five rebounds.

Look for Walker to have a strong bounce-back performance against Arizona State on Saturday night.

Buffs' McKale Center struggles continue

Thursday marked Colorado’s 11th trip to the McKale Center, and it also marked the Buffs’ 11th loss in the building. Their last road win against Arizona came in 1965 at the Bear Down Gym, where the Wildcats played their games until 1973.

Colorado couldn't get shots to fall

Among many other issues last night, Colorado’s shooting wasn’t effective enough to stand a chance against a very talented Wildcats team on the road. The Buffs shot a season-low 32.8% from the field and went 4-for-20 behind the arc. Even if they had been firing on all cylinders, it’s tough to win when shooting that poorly.

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