Senior forward Tristan da Silva brings the ball up the court during the game against Pepperdine University on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder men’s basketball team defeated the No. 15 Miami Hurricanes 90-63 at the NABC Brooklyn Showcase on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Buffaloes win at the Barclays Center was their highest ranking win of the year, as the team moved to 7-2 on the 2023-24 season.
Tristan da Silva led Colorado in almost every aspect, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals as the Buffs gave the Hurricanes their second loss of the year.
“A helluva win against a really good basketball team,” CU Boulder head coach Tad Boyle said after the game. “We have a lot of respect for Coach (Jim) Larrañaga and other players. They went to the Final Four last year and we knew it was gonna be a dogfight … to shoot 70% and share the ball and move the ball the way we did … our guys gutted it out. I’m just really proud of these guys.”
CU Boulder got out to an early lead, but felt constant pressure from Miami throughout the entire first half. They were able to get their lead up to seven points, but after 20 minutes the Buffs were hanging on to a one point lead, 37-36 as the game went to break. Both teams found success scoring the ball, but the Buffs were able to dominate the inside with 26 points in the paint, 11 coming from transfer center Eddie Lampkin Jr.
To start the second half Colorado looked like they had reverted to the type of play that was shown in their previous losses. For a few minutes they were caught making careless passes resulting in turnovers and allowing offensive rebounds, and allowed the Hurricanes to take their first lead of the game at 39-37. However unlike in previous losses, Colorado quickly changed gears, and went on one of their best runs of the season.
Led by da Silva and K.J. Simpson, the Buffs ended the game on a 43-17 run, consistently grabbing offensive rebounds and using their size to score points in the paint. Colorado outscored Miami by almost double in the second half and made more than two thirds of their shot attempts in that span. By the final few minutes with a lead of 20 points, the Buffaloes were able to walk out of the Barclays Center with their seventh, and perhaps most notable win of the early 2023 college basketball season.
Senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr. looks for someone to pass to during the game against Pepperdine University on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
“Going into the second half we knew that we kind of gave up a little run towards the end of the first half,” Simpson said. “We needed to come out and start with our defense. Once we got our defense going, it was like we couldn’t miss on offense.”
The trend for the University of Colorado this season has been good shooting and passing, and their win against Miami was no different. CU Boulder finished shooting 59% (37/63) with 53 of their points coming in the paint, as well as 28 assists as a team compared to only 11 for the Hurricanes. The Buffaloes also dominated the rebounding battle 33-21 and finished with a total of 11 steals.
da Silva was everywhere on the court for Colorado on Sunday afternoon, as the senior finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. With Colorado having a significant size advantage against Miami, the 6’9” da Silva found much success in all aspects of the game, finishing as CU’s team leader in the scoring, rebounding and assists in the game. Much like da Silva, Simpson also had a great showing, finding ways to impact the game on both sides of the floor as well. Simpson finished with 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals in the win.
“I told myself before the game I can’t rely on my shot too much,” da Silva said. “It’s a mentality thing really. And even when I wasn’t making shots, I just kept rebounding and sharing the ball. I felt like that’s another way I can get my team energy.”
Colorado came into the game against the nationally ranked University of Miami without five star freshman Cody Williams with a wrist injury, but were able to pick up the extra load in what was a stellar all-around team effort. Six players for Colorado scored more than 10 points in the game on Sunday. Along with da Silva and Simpson, J’Vonne Hadley, Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Julian Hammond all scored 11 points, and Luke O’Brien finished with 13.
“To me, Luke O’Brien and Tristan da Silva are what college basketball should be about,” Coach Boyle said. “They have ownership … Ownership in the program is to me what it’s all about, creating that culture, and our freshmen learning from guys like this.”
Senior guard Luke O’Brien goes up for a shot during the game against Pepperdine University on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
When looking at the University of Colorado’s 2023 schedule, this game against last year’s second place team Miami was one of their biggest tests of the year. In the test, they proved that they can play well on the road and play as a team when they are without one of their best players. The Buffaloes finished ahead of the Hurricanes in just about every statistical category, and held the lead for all but five minutes of the game.
Colorado will leave the Big Apple with a crucial win under their belt, but their road continues as they look for a spot in the end of season March Madness tournament. CU Boulder will have two more games before Pac-12 conference play starts, both of which will be in Boulder. At 6pm MST on Dec. 15, the Buffaloes will host Northern Colorado and at 5pm MST on Dec. 21, they will host Utah Tech, both games at the CU Events Center and live on the Pac-12 Network.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Eli Gregorski at eli.gregorski@colorado.edu
