Print edition: 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Wichita State can forget digging out of the losers bracket in morning games in this tournament. The Shockers are playing in the feature game against a ranked opponent tonight on ESPN2.
Consider that a hurdle cleared for WSU, which last opened a regular-season tournament with a win in 2003. The Shockers defeated Colorado 67-58 on Thursday at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico and move into the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
"You can't win the tournament if you don't win the first game," WSU coach Gregg Marshall said.
WSU hasn't won a regular-season tournament since the 1998-99 season, and hasn't won one away from home since the 1963-64 season.
Winning this one won't be easy. Next up is No. 16 Alabama, the team the Shockers defeated 66-57 for the National Invitation Tournament title in March.
"They've got incentive, because we won the last time they played on the national stage," Marshall said. "But this is also a big game, and our guys understand that."
Staying out of the losers bracket wasn't easy. Colorado (1-1) played aggressive, physical defense and refused to let WSU (2-0) get on a roll. Almost every time the Shockers threatened to pull away, the Buffaloes rallied.
WSU committed too many turnovers — nine in the second half — to sustain a run. Colorado missed too many free throws — 8 of 15 in the second half — to grab the lead.
"We didn't make free throws when we had to make free throws," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.
The Shockers led by 11 early in the second half. Colorado ran off seven unanswered points. WSU led 50-40 with 12:26 to play and the Buffaloes scored the game's next seven points.
Two key sequences kept WSU in control.
Up 53-49, WSU's Toure Murry rebounded his own miss from behind the arc and floated in a basket for a six-point lead. Colorado rushed up the court and WSU's Joe Ragland stole the ball, getting it to Demetric Williams for a three-point play and a 58-49 lead with 6:11 remaining.
"We didn't box out," Boyle said. "If we secure that ball and score, then it's a two-point game."
CU made its last push late in the game, started by an Askia Booker three-pointer to cut the lead to 62-57 with 1:45 remaining.
The Buffaloes then got the stop they needed only to watch WSU's Garrett Stutz follow in Ben Smith's miss for a 64-57 lead with 1:23 to play.
The Shockers scored 11 second-chance points in the second half, grabbing eight offensive rebounds. The teams were tied at 14 rebounds at halftime. WSU ended the game with 10 more.
"Depth shows, sometimes, in games like this," Boyle said. "We had some breakdowns in boxing out. Sometimes their best offense is offensive rebounds."
Stutz did his best work in the second half, scoring 10 of his 14 points and grabbing seven of his 11 rebounds after the break.
"We realized that we pride ourselves on rebounding and we worked on that and our offense just went with it," Stutz said.
Smith and Murry both scored 17 points for WSU.
Carlon Brown led Colorado with 15 points.
