LAS VEGAS – After splitting the season series, the No. 3-seeded Colorado Buffaloes bested the No. 6 Utah Utes in their third and final meeting in the Pac-12, handily beating them 72-58 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.
“Really proud of our players,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said after the game. “These guys deserve a lot of credit for what they've done this year, what they continue to do, what we'll continue to do this year.
The late-night win came in front of a rather large Colorado faithful despite the neutral site, helping inject the Buffs with life before the contest even started. Using that energy, the Buffs outscored the Utes 27-13 across the first 10 minutes of the contest, featuring a 13-0 run.
“It was amazing,” KJ Simpson said about the crowd. “The reason why we had a good record at home was – obviously we played good as a team, but credit to the fan base and our fans, they showed out tonight. We heard them throughout the game. And when we get going and we get on runs and they give out like that, that just instills energy within us. So we're going to need them tomorrow, and they're a big part of this group, for sure.”
The run began with a Simpson jumper, who seemingly jumpstarted the Buffs’ momentum whenever they needed it. The Pac-12 Player of the Year finalist tried to show why he should’ve won the award, going for 18 points (7-of-16 FG, 4-of-6 3PT, 3-0f-3 FT), 10 boards, six assists, and a steal in 39 minutes. Eddie Lampkin Jr. helped carry the momentum alongside Simpson with 17 points (8-of-14 FG, 1-of-2 FT), 12 rebounds, and three assists.
“He's a different cat,” J’Vonne Hadley said about Lampkin. “He's an animal. He's a great addition. He brings a lot of energy. And when somebody like that is in the center position it brings a lot of energy.”
Amid the run, Cody Williams checked in for the Buffs, grabbing a rebound and hitting a jump shot in his first minute on the court. The star freshman came off the bench for the first time all season in his first game back from an ankle injury he suffered against Utah that sidelined him for four games. He finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field (0-of-1 3PT) and grabbed three rebounds.
Julian Hammond III (knee) was still unavailable.
However, the Utes weren’t ready to go away so quickly.
Utah halted the run with a string of 3-pointers before outscoring the Buffs 17-6 across the final 10 minutes of the half. Their first half shooting from beyond the arc helped the Utes back from 14 points down to a 33-30 deficit heading into halftime. The Utes shot 6-of-14 (42.9%) from deep, featuring two 3s each from Cole Bajema and Hunter Erickson.
Coming into the second half, Colorado was able to extend the lead back to double digits as Lampkin got going. The big man full of energy brought it to the T-Mobile Arena, scoring multiple and-ones as the Buffs’ fans chanted his first name.
Utah attempted to get back in the game, making it a five-point contest about halfway through the final half as Branden Carlson scored nine points in the first 10 minutes.
Simpson, who decided he didn’t want to lose again this season seven games ago at USC, didn’t let the deficit get any smaller as he nailed two triples to put Colorado up nine with seven minutes to play. Carlson’s scoring spurt was shortlived as the Buffs regained momentum, finishing with 13 points (5-of-8 FG, 0-of-1 3PT, 3-of-3 FT), good for his highest-scoring game against Colorado this season.
“The credit goes to these players,” Boyle said. “They're a veteran group who understand how to win, understand what it takes to win, and they made adjustments at halftime.”
Following Simpson’s 3-pointers, the Buffs refound their energy from the first half and went on an 11-3 run to go up 16 points late in the contest. The run featured more Lampkin layups, who signaled former Buff Lawson Lovering as “too small” amid his big game. It also featured a Tristan da Silva triple, who was the third and final Buff to notch double digits in the scoring column.
Hadley put in an and-one to cap off the run, though only scoring five points. The senior guard found his worth on the defensive end, as he has all year long, holding Gabe Madsen to just nine points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Hadley seemed to be banged up before the and-one but returned to the contest to finish strong.
“At the end of the day, I'm a dog,” Hadley said about the pain. “So no matter what happens, I know that I want to play at the end of the day. So I've got to just toughen up. And like KJ talked about earlier, every team is dealing with injuries, banged up, but at the end of the day, it's whoever wants it more. And I really want it. I know the team really wants to win.”
The Utes tried to fire back, hitting two late 3s. It was too little too late, however, as the Utes failed to channel their hot 3-point shooting from their first three halves of the tournament. In the second half, they shot just 2-of-16 from deep.
Colorado finished the night 28-of-63 from the field along with seven made 3s in their 14 attempts. The Buffs also outrebounded the Utes by ten while only turning the ball over seven times.
The win pushed the Buffs into the semifinals, set for 8:30 p.m. MT on Friday night against the No. 2 Washington State Cougars. The victory should have also secured Colorado a spot in March Madness.
“We're looking forward to the opportunity,” Boyle said about the semifinal matchup. “We're going to get a lot of rest. Get these guys off their feet a little bit. And we'll get a game plan put together. I'm not worried about that.”
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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