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Writer's pictureOliver Hayes

KJ Simpson and the Buffs keep March Madness hopes alive, best USC in two overtimes


J'Vonne Hadley and KJ Simpson celebrate their 16-point comeback win over USC. (Photo by @CUBuffsMBB/X)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Down 16 points to the USC Trojans (10-15, 4-10 Pac-12) with nine minutes and 52 seconds left in regulation, KJ Simpson and the Colorado Buffaloes (17-9, 8-7) shifted the energy in front of a hostile Galen Center.


Before the Buffs' big comeback, Simpson only had 11 points. By the end of the night, he had 30 (9-17 FG, 6-9 3PT, 6-8 FT) and a win for his team.


Colorado’s starting point guard added five assists, one of which was to Luke O’Brien for a game-tying dunk at the end of regulation. However, the two-and-a-half-hour game featured tons of fantastic guard play, some of which was not present the first time around in Boulder. USC star freshman Isaiah Collier scored 25 points along with nine assists and three steals while his senior counterpart Boogie Ellis matched Simpson with 30 points of his own (10-19 FG, 5-9 3PT, 5-6 FT), both of which sidelined for USC's first meeting with the Buffs.


The first half of the game started fast for both teams, featuring more than ten lead changes in the first 10 minutes. Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams led the early scoring for CU while Kobe Johnson’s 12 points led USC. 


After back-to-back 3-pointers by Ellis gave the Trojans a 28-25 lead, USC outscored the Buffs 11-6 across a frigid eight final minutes of the first half. Colorado turned the ball over nine times in the half while the Trojans nailed seven of their 13 attempts from 3-point range. 


Colorado’s 13 field goals on 26 attempts while outrebounding the Trojans by 11 kept them at a six-point deficit going into the break. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, though, a 26-16 USC run had the Buffs on the ropes. Collier had come alive for the Trojans, scoring eight points and dishing out five assists in the big run. 


With a chance at NCAA tournament consideration slipping away, Colorado looked toward their Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. Simpson took charge while the Buffs started their comeback, scoring 16 points in the second half, and adding eight more in the overtime periods. 


Following the Bronny James alley-oop that put the Trojans up 65-49, the Buffs outscored USC 17-3 over the ensuing six minutes. O’Brien jumpstarted the much-needed run with a straight-on 3-pointer and da Silva, Simpson, and Williams rode the momentum.


The Buffs had gotten within a possession after the run, but a Collier layup just past the three-minute mark gave flashbacks to the Thursday night affair against UCLA that wasn’t meant to be. 


Having the fate of the season in his hands following a trade of empty possessions, Simpson made it a one-possession game once more. As he crossed half court and the shot clock ticked past 25, the rim came to his sight with four 3-point makes already to his name. The Los Angeles native lined up 3-ball number five, releasing the shot multiple feet behind the 3-point line before the scoreboard read 70-69 with a minute and 59 seconds to go in regulation.


Following some USC free throws, a da Silva layup, and more USC free throws, the Buffs had 11 seconds to force overtime or win a game they then trailed 73-71. Head coach Tad Boyle drew up a play for his best player, getting Simpson the ball on a handoff on the right wing going downhill. As Simpson drove, the defense collapsed, allowing O’Brien to find the open crevasse and Simpson to find him for the game-tying dunk. 


Tied at 73 apiece, the Buffs rode the energy of their comeback yet to be completed. They jumped out to a four-point lead on a corner 3-pointer by da Silva, one that was a long time coming after the brutal finishes against Cal and UCLA. 


Not going away, however, USC’s duo of Ellis and Collier would score four points in the final minute with the freshman forcing another overtime with just four seconds left to play.


As the “Pac-12 after dark” affair continued, Simpson banked in a magical sixth 3-pointer from the same spot he hit his fifth to give Colorado the edge to start overtime. USC responded with a pair of layups, but CU's aggressive drives drew fouls on the other end. 


With Simpson at the line with just over a minute left in the second extra period, he would nail both free throws to go up 92-89. Both teams traded empty possessions in the following minute, but the Trojans ended up getting the final possession of the ball game. 


Down three, coming out of a timeout, USC failed to get off a competent shot before the buzzer expired. Ellis, despite scoring 30 points, air-balled the final 3-pointer of the game, one that would’ve rewarded USC with another five minutes of play.


Colorado secured their seventeenth win of the season and their second true win on the road. Simpson arguably played his best night of basketball of the season in a career-high 48 minutes while his supporting cast did everything they were supposed to down the stretch. 


Da Silva (46 minutes) scored 18 points and reeled in eight rebounds while Williams (41 minutes) added 14 points on another game featuring just one miss from the field. O’Brien came up huge in his 30 minutes, nailing a 3-pointer and slamming home the game-tying dunk in the waning seconds of regulation. J’Vonne Hadley (47 minutes) notched his second double-double of the season too, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 boards.


With the Buffs' hot-shooting and late heroics willing them over the Trojans, they head back to Boulder to face the Utah Utes (15-10, 6-8) in a rematch next Saturday (Feb. 24). The 7 p.m. tipoff marks the beginning of a three-game home stretch where the Buffs must play almost perfect basketball for a chance at March Madness.


Cover photo by @CUBuffsMBB/X

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