BOULDER – The Colorado men's basketball team made multiple headlines after squeezing into March Madness.
After trampling the Boise State Broncos in a "play-in round," the Buffs worked their way past the No. 7-seeded Florida Gators and into the round of 32 for a chance to make the Sweet 16. But their chance slipped away with the black and gold ultimately falling to Marquette, 81-77.
Not long after the loss, three critical players for the Buffs announced they would be entering the transfer portal: Eddie Lampkin, Luke O’Brien and J’Vonne Hadley. All of them played a huge part in the Buffs' historic 26-win season this year.
Fan favorite Lampkin averaged 10.6 points a night and led the team in rebounds with a 7.0 average. Lampkin, who stayed in Colorado for one year, made an equally quick departure in the portal and is now committed to Syracuse.
Conversely, O'Brien, a four-year Buffalo and local talent, notched 6.7 points per game alongside 3.8 rebounds his senior year. O’Brien’s announcement to enter the transfer portal was followed by a statement saying, “I will represent the box state wherever I end up”.
The last Buffalo to enter the portal was Hadley. Hadley was the glue for the Buffaloes and played the second most amount of minutes a Buff has ever played in a season. Even though he only averaged 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, Hadley made a name for himself as one of the Buffs' best defenders.
The trio aren't the Buffaloes expected to leave; Tristan da Silva will declare to test his luck in the NBA draft. While KJ Simpson and Cody Williams haven't officially declared they are expected to do the same.
Head coach Tad Boyle created an impressive roster this season. But with six of his top players leaving Boulder, the future for the Buffaloes is uncertain. Boyle has some large spots to fill but looking at his history it's a feat he has completed before.
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