Salt Lake City, Utah – While the Colorado men’s basketball team (15-7, 6-5) avoided the falling snow in Boulder, another frigid shooting afternoon from the Buffs led to a 73-68 victory for the Utah Utes (15-7, 6-5).
Both teams came into the contest in similar situations, only to leave the arena with the same exact records. Utah’s big home win came on the shoulders of Deivon Smith’s near triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) and Gabe Madsen’s 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Colorado head coach Tad Boyle was once again dealing with injury problems, missing Cody Williams, Luke O’Brien, and Bangot Dak. KJ Simpson played all 40 minutes of the contest while Julian Hammond III started in place of the missing star freshman.
With the Buffs’ limited rotation, Utah head coach Craig Smith played nine players, his bench receiving a combined 52 minutes to Colorado’s 23. It was former Buff Lawson Lovering who led the bench unit, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Buffs kept the game close due to their advantage on the glass (43-34, 16 second-chance points) and Simpson’s game-high 25 points. CU’s starting point guard came alive in the final three minutes, scoring 14 points of the Buffs’ final 16. In addition, Utah’s star center Branden Carlson was also held to five points on 2-of-10 field goal shooting.
Despite this, the Utes held the Buffs to a .379 field goal percentage. Tristan da Silva once again struggled on the road, shooting 3-of-15 from the field and 2-of-5 from the charity stripe before fouling out. Eddie Lampkin Jr., who had a double-double, was also accountable for eight of Colorado’s 14 turnovers.
As poor as Colorado played and shot, they kept the game tied at 31 heading into the break. J’Vonne Hadley, wearing a mask due to a facial fracture, led the way with 12 points in the first half.
However, the second half began with a 19-8 run for the Utes. Ironically, the Buffs’ only two field goals in the first 10 minutes of the half came on two 3-point makes from da Silva.
Colorado had to play from behind the rest of the game, leading several 5-point runs in their final efforts. Every time the Buffs saw a glimpse of a potential lead, though, the Utes repeatedly pushed back. In the Buffs’ final attempt at a victory to end their three-game road trip, featuring two Simpson 3-pointers and a dunk, escaping traps and making free throws sealed the deal for a Utah team in need of a win.
The near triple-double from Utah’s starting point guard was the main factor in the Utes’ win, but it was Madsen’s 15 second half points making the difference. As Utah’s backcourt led the way, the supporting cast followed despite Carlson’s off-game.
With the Buffs heading back to Boulder for their second meetings of the season against Arizona State and No. 11 Arizona, they need to get back on track as they seek a bid for the NCAA tournament. Tipoff against the Sun Devils is set for 6 p.m. MT on Thursday (February 8) at the CU Events Center.
Cover photo by @CUBuffsMBB/X
コメント