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BOULDER, Colo. -- Colorado coach Tad Boyle made an innocent comment after a sluggish performance at the start the season: Play like that again and Xavier would beat the Buffaloes by 20.His players received the message. They made sure it didnt go down like that.Derrick White scored 23 points and had a crucial block with 13 seconds remaining to help Colorado hold off No. 13 Xavier 68-66 on Wednesday night.Its not like I said they were going to, I said they could, Boyle said when reminded of his comment. If were not ready to play, this team will come in and take your heart.I have a lot of respect for Xavier. Thats why this is a big win for our program, for our league. We talked a lot in film sessions, in practice, in meetings about players having to make plays.White certainly did that. This was just the sort of game Boyle envisioned when White transferred in from Colorado-Colorado Springs (he sat out last season). He made big jumper after big jumper down the stretch and had the key block.Thats the Derrick White Ive been talking about, our fans have been expecting to see, Boyle said. You can have all the plays in the world, all the defensive concepts in the world, but if you dont have the players who can make plays down the stretch, youre not going to win games like this.Xavier Johnson added for 18 points for the Buffaloes (7-2), who posted consecutive wins over ranked teams for the first time since 2013. They knocked off a ranked Texas team at the Legends Classic in New York last month.Colorado was 1-5 against ranked teams last season.Trevon Bluiett scored a career-high 27 points for Xavier (7-2), which has lost two straight.Were not going to pack our tent and quit playing, but weve gotten a reality check the last couple of times, Xavier coach Chris Mack said. Were willing to go on the road and play in games like this. You get penalized too, so our team has got to grow up from these types of experiences because theyre not fun.Spurred on by the shooting of White and Johnson, the Buffaloes went on a 15-0 run midway through the second half. They kept Xavier scoreless for more than 6 minutes during the pivotal stretch.It was a frenzied ending, though, with Xavier getting several good looks. White swatted one of those away -- his only block of the game.It was all about stops, White said. Thats the most important part.BIG PICTUREXavier: The Musketeers had a nine-point lead early in the second half, but struggled from the field. They shot 37.7 percent for the game. ... Xavier outrebounded Colorado 41-36.Colorado: The Buffaloes have won three of their last four over ranked teams. ... Johnsons 3-pointer with 9:19 remaining was the 100th of his career. ... George King finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.POLL IMPLICATIONSXavier fell out of the Top 10 this week after a loss to No. 4 Baylor and figures to take another dip.LINEUP SWITCHMack juggled around his starting lineup, going with RaShid Gaston, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.I just tried to deliver, Gaston said.NO PLACE LIKE HOMEThe Buffaloes are 93-16 at Coors Events Center under Boyle. They lost last week at home to Colorado State.We wanted to get this one back from the Colorado State loss. So, yeah, this made it up, Wesley Gordon said.SALAAM TRIBUTEThe basketball team held a moment of silence for 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, who was found dead Monday night in a park in Boulder. The park is less than 2 miles from Folsom Field, where the tailback etched his name into the schools record book from 1992-94. Police said foul play wasnt suspected.UP NEXTXavier: Hosts Utah on Saturday.Colorado: Travels to BYU on Saturday.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Dale Hawerchuk Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Josh Gorges Jersey . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. http://www.cheapsabresjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-jack-eichel-jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Marco Scandella Jersey . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Jason Pominville Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. It says much about Songbird that the words brilliant and dominant havent been able to do her real justice for quite some time if you want to accurately describe her qualities as a race horse, and her position vis a vis her contemporaries. For Songbird, those words just seem so weak now.Sensational still works, though, and Songbird was every bit of that winning Saturdays Cotillion Stakes at Parx.The Cotillion was supposed to be a test for Songbird, I mean, in a relative sense for a 1-5 shot. She made another cross-country trip after the two most demanding outings of her career in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama at Saratoga to compete on a new surface that is deeper than what she is generally accustomed to, against an opponent in Cathryn Sophia who might have been the best she had yet faced, and who had home court advantage.Test? Ha. What a joke.Songbird walked away from the Cotillion with her 11th blowout victory from as many career starts, her 10th graded stakes win, and her seventh Grade 1 stakes score. Oh yeah, Songbird also negated any scenario there might have been in regard to her claim on the 3-year-old filly championship. Another divisional title is hers. It doesnt matter what happens in the Breeders Cup when it comes to that.Cathryn Sophia, as fine a filly as the Kentucky Oaks winner is, isnt in the same league as Songbird. She had perfect early striking position, but had no answer when asked on the far turn, and wound up third, beaten a staggering 12-1/2 lengths.I feel bad for Cotillion runner-up Carina Mia because in almost any other year, she would be a prime candidate for a divisional championship. But for 3-year-old fillies, this is not any other year. Anyway, Carina Mia set the pace Saturday, just as she did in the CCA Oaks, and was as game as you could want a horse to be. But Carina Mia, who was beaten by 5-1/4 lengths in her first try against Songbird, finished 5-3/4 lengths away from her this time.As noted, Songbird had to work hard in her two victories at Saratoga, even if she won those races by lopsided margins. Her Cotillion, however, was anything but demanding. Songbird never appeared to draw a deep breath. That makes her a scary proposition going forward, as does the fact that this one-time front-runner has become so adept at rating kindly just off the early lead.Songbird now sets her sights on the Breeders Cup Distaff, and a meeting with three-time champion Beholder, and last years Eclipse Award winning 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind. The Distaff will be a classic autumn battle between a very special 3-year-old and truly top-class older opponent. It will be, in a word, sensational.Pennsylvania Derby result flatters ArrogateSaturdays other big race was the Pennsylvania Derby, also at Parx, and the big winner out of that event was Arrogate. And Arrogate didnt even run in the Pennsylvania Derby.Arrogate, the eexplosive winner of the Travers, had his path to the 3-year-old male championship cleared somewhat by the losing performances in the Pennsylvania Derby from Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, and Preakness and Haskell winner Exaggerator.dddddddddddd.Yes, Arrogate now has a clearer path to a divisional title even if the Travers was his first and only start in a stakes race. Before Saturday, Arrogate probably would have had to have also won the Breeders Cup Classic to be champion 3-year-old male, and a Classic win could well make him Horse of the Year, too, depending on how California Chrome performs. But now, after the repeated failures of Nyquist and Exaggerator, maybe Arrogate only has to run well in the Classic, and not necessarily win, to take his divisions title.The other reason why Arrogate was the symbolic winner of the Pennsylvania Derby is four of the 12 starters in the race came out of his Travers, and three of them finished first, second, and fourth, beaten just a neck for third.I dont want to give short shrift to Pennsylvania Derby winner Connect and runner-up Gun Runner, who finished that way thanks to the significant edge in ground saved by Connect (yes, unlike the other 11-1/2 months of the year, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the rail at Parx on Saturday). But the Arrogate influence, and the losses by Nyquist and Exaggerator were, in this instance, of equal import.Nyquist finished sixth Saturday, beaten five lengths, without any excuse whatsoever. He worked out the most perfect stalking trip that you could have drawn up for him, looked like a potential winner nearing the stretch, only to run out of gas late. He seems far removed from the impressive form he showed winning the Kentucky Derby, and though he might remain a divisional title contender despite three straight losses, he has become an unpalatable one.Exaggerator was dismal yet again on a dry track Saturday, finishing seventh, seven lengths behind Nyquist. And despite his wins in the Preakness, Haskell, and Santa Anita Derby, all achieved in the slop, its difficult, for me, taking Exaggerator as a serious Eclipse Award contender. Not when he has been so heavily reliant on wet tracks plus golden pace setups, and not with losses in the Belmont Stakes, Travers, and now Pennsylvania Derby that were just plain dreadful.Finally, since we talked about Arrogate flattery, lets also mention that Drefongs Kings Bishop victory got a boost with the result of the Gallant Bob Stakes on the Cotillion undercard.The two starters of 11 in the Gallant Bob who came out of the Kings Bishop -- Noholdingback Bear and Mind Your Biscuits -- ran first and second. Noholdingback Bear was clearly best in victory, and is an intriguing sprint prospect on any surface. ' ' '