Sophomore guard KJ Simpson makes a basket during the game against Cal at the CU Events Center on Thursday, February 2, 2023. (Rachel Glazer/CU Independent)
On Feb. 11, the Colorado men’s basketball team lost to the University of Utah Utes 73-62, dropping their record to 6-9 in the Pac-12 and 14-12 overall. After winning their last two games against Stanford and Cal, the Buffs came up short on Saturday night in Salt Lake City, falling to a 1-8 record on the road. The team is now tied for seventh with Washington State in the Pac-12.
Colorado had a season-low of six turnovers; however, the team’s 37% shooting couldn’t compare to the Utes’ 50% shooting and plus-12 rebound advantage. Colorado struggled to make shots later in the game when it mattered most.
“Their defense was better than ours, and their rebounding was better than ours,” said head coach Tad Boyle. “They were the better team. They were the tougher team. That’s a little bit disheartening [when we] came into a game like this with a little bit of momentum. We just can’t get over the hump on the road because our defense isn’t good enough.”
After a poor start to the first half, Colorado was already down 7-0 in the opening minutes. Utah made their first three shots from long range and dominated the rebounding battle, putting the Buffs in a bad place early in the game. By the middle of the first half, Utah had brought their lead up to 10. However, the Buffs finished out the half on a great defensive effort. To end the half, they held the Utes to one of eight shooting, bringing the score to 32-38 after the first 20 minutes.
The second half played out in a similar way, with Utah coming out early with a 12-2 run. Colorado struggled to put any points on the board in the second half, only making 11 of the 32 shots they took. With the Utes’ lead getting up to 18 points at eight minutes left, the Buffs’ chances of catching up continued to dwindle. Though they tried to put pressure on their opponents in the final minutes, the Buffs only made one of their last eight shots, sealing the win for Utah.
“They had guys step up and make shots,” Boyle said. “We couldn’t finish our possessions. Even when we got our stops, we couldn’t finish, and there were too many times that we couldn’t get stops.”
In the 11-point loss, KJ Simpson once again led the stat sheet for Colorado. The sophomore finished with 14 points from five rebounds and five assists and made one block and two steals. On the other hand, his scoring partner Tristan da Silva only had six points and two rebounds, making only three of his 12 shots during the 37 minutes of play. After five consecutive games of over 20 points, Utah’s defensive plan consisted of taking the junior out of the game and forcing everyone else on Colorado to make plays — a strategy that worked out well for them.
“Tristan has got to understand that other teams are going to do that,” Boyle said. “But, he made some nice plays for his teammates, and he didn’t get much support. We didn’t have anybody play up to the level they’re capable of playing, on offense or on defense. When that happens, it’s tough to win.”
With junior transfer J’Vonne Hadley out for the season with a hand injury, Boyle’s nine-man roster has to step up to replace the team’s leading rebounder and third-highest scorer. In his absence, Luke O’Brien and Julian Hammond stepped up to take more significant roles on Saturday night. O’Brien finished with ten points from six rebounds and three assists, while Hammond had 11 points and four rebounds, making all six of his free throws.
With turnovers being perhaps the biggest issue for this year’s team, CU improved their ability to control the ball on Saturday night. With only six turnovers (far lower than their season average of 13.7 per game), the team looked more confident about making extra passes. However, despite having fewer turnovers, the Buffs still couldn’t compete against the Ute’s 41-29 rebounding margin and their 12% better shooting, as they made four more shots on seven fewer attempts.
“They were tougher than we were, especially on the glass,” Simpson said. “They had second chances. It’s tough when our offense isn’t where we want it to be. We’re having trouble getting them off the glass. [When] they’re hitting tough shots and threes, and we’re not scoring, it’s hard to get over that hump.”
After losing to Utah in Salt Lake City, the Colorado men’s basketball team will continue their roadtrip to Arizona this week. They will first play the Arizona State Sun Devils at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16 and then the Arizona Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Eli Gregorski at eli.gregorski@colorado.edu.
