LAS VEGAS — Colorado will end its era in the Pac-12 as it began: competing for a conference championship.

The No. 3-seed Buffaloes beat second-seeded Washington State 58-52 in the Pac-12 semifinals on Friday to advance to the championship game. The win is their eighth in a row.

Colorado will play Oregon, the No. 4 seed, in the title game on Saturday. The Buffaloes won their lone Pac-12 championship in 2011-12, their first season in the league.

“I think it’s appropriate that we’re in the game in the last year of the Pac-12 and we won it the first year of the Pac-12,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.

The win didn’t come easily.

Colorado’s largest lead was nine points, as neither team led by double digits. The Buffaloes led by just three with 13 seconds remaining, but they made a couple free throws in the final moments to ice the game. CU held Washington State to a 21% clip on 3-pointers and forced 19 turnovers.

“(It was a) hell of a college basketball game,” Boyle said. “It was a little bit ugly at times, but we had teams out there battling and getting after it. Big-time win by some big-time players”

Colorado went 2-3 in its first five Pac-12 games. The Buffaloes were 7-7 in conference play before the start of the lengthy winning streak.

With the win, Colorado (24-9) matches its best win total in program history. The Buffs also won 24 games in 2010-11, their final season in the Big 12, and 2011-12, their first in the Pac-12.

“We’re clicking pretty good,” Boyle said. “We have a group of guys in that locker room that think winning is the most important thing. It’s not individual performances. As long as we can keep that mindset, we’re going to have a lot of fun in the next two weeks.”

Another win during the eight-game streak came against Oregon. The Buffaloes beat the Ducks 79-75 in Eugene on March 7 to sweep the regular-season series.

But that win — or Colorado’s other 23 victories — doesn’t matter to Boyle now.

While Colorado is likely safe in the NCAA Tournament field following Friday’s win over WSU and Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Utah, Oregon is not. The Ducks (22-11, 12-8) are not listed in the first four out or next four out in Joe Lunardi of ESPN’s latest bracketology prediction.

And because of that, Boyle expects them to be amped for Saturday’s title game, which would give the winner an automatic bid to the tournament.

“They’re well coached and have a lot of good players,” Boyle said. “We’re just going to have to find a way.”

Oregon upset one-seed Arizona — ranked No. 6 in AP — to clinch its spot in the title game. The Ducks have won three games in Las Vegas after losing three of their last four regular-season contests.

“We’re going to have to play a hell of a game tomorrow to win. It won’t be easy, but we’ll be ready.

“As long as we can keep our mindset, we’re going to have a lot of fun in the next two weeks.”