Buffs beat Florida on Simpson buzzer-beater, lose to Marquette in second round

The University of Colorado Boulder’s K.J. Simpson hit a shot near the sideline with less than three seconds left to take the 102-100 win against the Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For the Buffaloes, it was their high point of the season, finishing with a school record in wins and making it to the second round of March Madness for the first time since 2022. 

“Well, can’t ask for much more out of a game in March than the one you just saw. These guys and the way they battled,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said after the game-winner by Simpson. “Just enough at the end, great execution, great play by KJ. Every one of our players that played made plays, [the] bench was great. Just a hell of a game in March. What else can you say?”

The win against Florida came after the Buffaloes defeated Boise State in the First Four opening games of the tournament. Winning 60-53, CU Boulder struggled to score, an issue that they normally don’t seem to have trouble with. Both teams shot below 45% from the field, but Simpson’s 19 points and 11 rebounds along with Tristan da Silva’s 20 points, they walked away victorious. As a team, the Buffaloes finished with 10 fewer rebounds than the Broncos but held them to 2/18 three-point shooting and 34% shooting overall. The game stayed tight all 40 minutes, but the Buffaloes made all but one of their 15 free throws, including multiple that helped seal the win. 

“I feel like kind of trusting our defense has helped us a lot. Defense and rebounding is what Coach stresses the most,” da Silva said after the opening-round win. “And down the stretch this game I feel we got the stops, the rebounds we needed. So I’m super proud of our guys, the job they’ve done on defense.”

Against Florida in the No. 7 versus No. 10 matchup, the Buffaloes played their highest-scoring game of the season. However, they started the game shooting below their season average, as CU Boulder saw themselves down 14-24 after the first seven minutes of the game. Once in the deficit, the Buffaloes found a groove, putting together multiple first-half runs to tie the game at 45-45 at the half. The matchup once again stayed close, but the Buffaloes’ efficient shooting throughout the second helped them build a strong lead. With less than eight minutes to go the Buffaloes had made their last nine shots and held an 82-72 lead, their biggest of the game. 

Though they looked dominant, the team then went on to struggle against the Gator’s full-court press and eventually saw the lead disappear. With less than five minutes to go, Florida put together a stunning 19-6 run with multiple steals and three-pointers to retie the game at 100-100 with 11 seconds left. In the final play of the game, CU Boulder’s Simpson caught the ball in the corner with six seconds left. The junior made a move and took a fadeaway shot, which bounced multiple times off the rim before slowly falling in the basket with 1.7 seconds left. Florida tried a last-chance full-court shot, but missed, giving the Buffaloes their second tournament win in three days. 

“It was just another one of those times where we had to execute. Obviously it was a play that was set up. There was multiple actions out of it, happened to break free and was just looking to drive, create something, whatever was the best play, and noticed the defender got a little bit off balance, and that’s a shot I shoot a bunch of times,” Simpson said after his game-winner. “My team is the reason that I have so much success. They find me when I’m open. They always encourage me when I have off games.”

The Buffaloes had a seven-point lead with less than 90 seconds left that was almost fumbled, but somehow managed to win with Simpson’s shot in one of the highest-scoring games in tournament history. By the final whistle, CU Boulder shot 63%, making six of their 10 three-pointers and 28/33 free throws. The team also had 27 rebounds and 48 points in the paint in their second-highest-scoring game of the season. Simpson led the team with 23 points along with Eddie Lampkin Jr.’s 21 points, but every single starter for the Buffaloes finished with at least 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

Following their most dramatic game of the year against Florida, the Buffaloes then matched up against the No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles. Opposed to their battle against the Gators, they struggled to score and defend the high-ranked Marquette offense, finding themselves down by 11 at halftime due to poor shooting and defending. Coming out of the break the Buffaloes put together a 10-2 run and eventually retook the lead at 55-54. The lead was short-lived, but they were able to stay only a few points behind for most of the second half and were even able to retie the game again with three minutes left. In the final stretch of the game, the magic seemed to run out for the Buffaloes as their missed shots added up. In the final three minutes of the game, CU Boulder only scored one point while Marquette hit their free throws, giving them the 81-77 win in the second round of the tournament. 

For the Buffaloes it just wasn’t their day, shooting 47% compared to the Golden Eagles’ 62%. They did have chances to retake the lead in the final minutes, but couldn’t find any easy shots, getting outscored by 12 points in the paint. Simpson led the team with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds playing every single minute of the game, but it just wasn’t enough. Following the electrifying win against Florida, the Buffaloes couldn’t keep their momentum going, losing in the second round for the second time since 2021. 

“We didn’t have much of an answer for them defensively all night. I would just say that when a team shoots 61 percent against you for the game, almost 62 percent, and you’ve still got a chance at the end, it means you’re doing something right,” Coach Boyle said after the loss. I thought we had our chances at the end. Had some good looks, didn’t go in. It’s disappointing… But I love this team, I love these guys. I love those guys in that locker room. They’ve got nothing to hang their heads about.”

For the Buffaloes, it was anything but a bad season. They made it to the second round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, and most importantly finished with a school record 26 wins. The team also went 16-1 at home for the first time, made it to the conference championship game, and finished third in the Pac-12 standings. With a shortened roster due to injuries, the Buffaloes made the most out of their majority seven-man lineup, going toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country, and falling just short of their most postseason success ever. They also ended the year as the only team in the top 10 in the country in shooting, finishing seventh in field goal percentage, 10th in three-point percentage and sixth in free-throw percentage. 

 Simpson was the leader and face of the Buffaloes 2023-24 team, doing just about everything for them and finishing with multiple honors. The junior ended the season averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals on 47.5%, 43.4% and 87.6% shooting splits. It was one of the best statistical seasons for any individual player in a CU Boulder uniform, setting the school free throw percentage and minutes played records both this season. Simpson finished as one of the best shooting players in the country and runner-up for the Pac-12 Player of the Year award.

“KJ has been like that all year. He’s the ultimate competitor. I wouldn’t trade KJ Simpson for any point guard in America,” Coach Boyle said after the loss. “I’ve sung KJ’s praises all year long. I’ll continue to do it because he’s a hell of a player, and I told him in the locker room after the game, I’ll go to war with him every day of the week, twice on Sundays, because he’s a special player.”

da Silva finished his senior season averaging close to his junior year averages, with 16 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Though the 6’9” forward didn’t leap this year that many expected, he provided a key second option for the team in a year dominated by Simpson. Da Silva finishes his career with the Buffaloes 15th in all-time minutes played, featuring in 124 games and scoring 1456 total points. Both Simpson and da Silva are expected to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft this June. 

J’Vonne Hadley was the under-the-radar player for the Buffaloes this season, filling in the gaps for Simpson and da Silva in an undersized forward position. The 6’6” senior finished the year averaging 11.6 points, six rebounds and 2.4 assists while also breaking the all-time minutes record, but just short of Simpson’s mark this year. Playing all but one game, Hadley had multiple big nights that helped the Buffaloes late in the season, including a 20-point, 12-rebound game in a four-point win against Oregon. 

Cody Williams came to Boulder as the highest-ranked prospect in school history, a five-star recruit out of high school who played in the McDonald’s All-American game. His season was drastically cut short by injuries, but when he did play, Williams showed signs of being a future star. Throughout the season, Williams only played in 24 of the team’s 37 games and came off the bench for many of them following an injury. Williams averaged 11.9 points, three rebounds and 1.6 assists per game on 55% shooting from the field. Though he looked raw at times, Williams proved in his one season with the Buffaloes that he has potential, he just had to fall in line behind Simpson, da Silva and Hadley coming into the program as a freshman. Williams is also expected to declare for the upcoming NBA Draft. 

Eddie Lampkin Jr. was the sparkplug and emotional rock of the Buffaloes all year, as the 6’11” senior transferred to CU Boulder from TCU before the start of the season. Lampkin Jr. was the only true center on the team this year and provided key rebounding and defense for a team that was mostly focused on offensive output. Lampkin Jr. finished the year with averages of 10.6 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. His passing was also a key piece of success for the Buffaloes this year, Lampkin having the ability to make behind-the-back passes like a point guard all while being the biggest man on the floor. 

Luke O’Brien was crucial for the Buffaloes coming off the bench this year with a limited roster and finishing the season averaging 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists, playing all but two games this year. Julian Hammond missed much of the season due to injury but averaged 7.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in the 24 games he did play. Assane Diop and Bangot Dak were two other freshmen who saw minutes under Boyle this year, only seeing action due to injuries or foul trouble, but both looked to be promising players if they stay with the Buffaloes. 

“I love these guys,” Coach Boyle said. “It’s a no-excuse mentality and the leadership from guys like Luke O’Brien, KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva, that kept this team afloat when things got tough.”

Following the loss to Marquette, it was announced that Hadley, Lampkin and O’Brien all entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining for each. Along with the loss of those three, if Simpson, da Silva and Williams all go pro, next year’s team could look a lot different than the group that fell just short against the Golden Eagles and a run to the Sweet Sixteen. 

Though how it ended might leave Buffaloes fans with a bitter taste in their mouth, the achievements of this year’s team were undeniable, reaching peaks that many didn’t expect when the season started in November. It will be a much different squad that we’ll see next year, but the accomplishments made by this year’s team will be remembered for years to come. 

“Great year, 26 wins,” Coach Boyle said. “Something to be proud of.”

The University of Colorado Boulder men’s basketball team finished the 2023-24 year with a 26-11 record, losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They finished third in the Pac-12 standings and made it to the conference championship game while being one of the best shooting teams in the country with three potential first-round picks. 

 

Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Eli Gregorski at elgr9735@colorado.edu