Colorado is first in a crucial stretch

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Naturally, the weight of anything feels heavier as time goes on. Circumstance will do that, especially in a basketball game with time and score always looming.

That seems to be the feel as UCLA approaches the final three games of the regular season, starting with a road game at Colorado at 7 p.m. tonight in Boulder on ESPN2.

UCLA (17-5, 13-3) and Colorado (18-7, 12-6) are coming off comfortable victories. The Bruins took down Utah 76-61 on Thursday night. The Buffs handed USC an 80-62 drubbing for the Trojans’ worst loss of the season.

Next week doesn’t get easier as the Bruins travel to Eugene to take on Oregon (155, 10-4) on Wednesday before their season finale March 6 against USC (19-5, 13-4) in Pauley Pavilion.

Colorado is sitting in third place, just two games back of first place in the Pac-12 with two games to play. A win over UCLA would be huge in regards to making up ground, especially when considering Colorado’s final game of the season is at home against struggling Arizona State. The pressure is on. “We’ve beat (Colorado) three times in a row,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We aren’t going to sneak up on them. They’re battling for the conference, battling for the NCAA Tournament ... I think we’ll take their best shot for sure.”

The most recent game between the two teams ended in a 65-62 Bruins victory Jan. 2 at Pauley Pavilion. It was UCLA’s first game without Chris Smith, who tore his ACL against Utah the game prior. In that game, the Bruins held Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV to just 12 points. Wright leads the Buffs in scoring, assists, steals and free throws made.

In last year’s game in Boulder, UCLA took down Colorado 70-63 on its senior night.

“They’re a great team with great players, they play physical,” UCLA junior wing Jules Bernard said. “We know it’s not going to be a walk in the park.

Bernard added: “We need to come with energy and play with heart, that’s the most important thing.”