ESPN Men's Basketball

BOULDER, Colo. -- Leo Lyons wasn't about to miss out on all the fun like last time.

The senior forward, who missed Missouri's 45-point blowout of Colorado last month while serving a one-game suspension after his arrest on traffic violations, posted a double-double in leading the Tigers (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) to a 66-53 victory in the rematch Saturday.

Lyons had 13 points and 15 rebounds, helping the Tigers (23-4, 10-2 Big 12) reach double figures in conference wins for the first time in nine years.

"He didn't play against us last time, he came to play today," Colorado forward Austin Dufault said.

Lyons missed Missouri's 107-62 blowout of the Buffaloes in January, something he said, "didn't stick with me at all."

"I just knew that they hadn't seen me this year. And you could kind of tell at the beginning. They were trying to double Demarre [Carroll] but they were letting me go 1-on-1," Lyons said.

Big mistake.

While holding Carroll, the Tigers' leading scorer, to 10 points, Colorado couldn't keep up with Lyons on either end of the court. He pulled down four crucial offensive boards in the first half, helping the Tigers build a 37-26 halftime lead.

"So, me not playing kind of helped me a little bit," said Lyons, who set the tone with 11 rebounds and nine points in just 11 minutes in the first half.

"We talked about how they were small and they were the worst rebounding team in the league. So, I tried to get out there and take advantage of that," Lyons said.

Marcus Denmon added 11 points for the Tigers, who won their sixth straight conference game.

For a few minutes, it looked like this was going to be a repeat of Missouri's rout of the Buffs last month in Columbia, Mo. The Buffaloes (9-17, 1-11) fell behind 10-1 before rallying behind Dufault, who had 15 points, and Cory Higgins, who added 14.

The Buffs, coming off a 46-41 loss at Nebraska that was their lowest point total in 49 years, were helped by some uncharacteristic lapses and foul trouble from the rusty Tigers, who hadn't played in a week.

Still, the Tigers were never really threatened, regaining control at 33-20 late in the first half thanks to a 9-0 run capped by Matt Lawrence's uncontested 3-pointer and breakaway layup.

The Buffs got within nine points twice in the second half, the last time at 54-45 on Trey Eckloff's basket with 6:40 left. The Tigers responded with an 8-0 run to put the game away.

Lyons has 25 rebounds in his last two games after averaging 3.9 in his previous 10, including just one against Kansas. He credited a pep talk from coach Michael Anderson.

"Coach got on my in practice about rebounding. I haven't really been rebounding. Last year it came as a streak and everybody thought I was going to do it this year and I kind of was a letdown on the glass a little bit," Lyons said.

Anderson wasn't even bothered by Lyons fouling out for the first time all season because he played so well, especially on defense.

"I think maybe not playing, he was a little hungry," Anderson said. "He played well here last year, so maybe he had some flashbacks."

So did the Buffaloes, who have lost seven straight, their longest skid since an eight-game streak in 1995-96.

"We are not yet collectively strong enough or tough enough for all 40 minutes," Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "They need to grow up, they'll win when they get tired of losing."