Buffs look to gut out another win against Washington State
CU likely without da Silva, Williams yet again Sunday
Such has been the lofty standard set by KJ Simpson so far this season that Tad Boyle experienced a thought he admitted seemed absurd moments later.
The Colorado men’s basketball team had just finished off Washington for a 73-69 victory on Friday in the Pac-12 Conference opener while playing without senior leader Tristan da Silva, who rolled an ankle late in Thursday’s practice.
Simpson didn’t exactly put the Buffaloes on his shoulders, as he had plenty of help in the form of a doubledouble from Eddie Lampkin Jr. and double-digit scoring games from J’vonne Hadley, Luke O’brien and Julian Hammond III.
Still, it is Simpson whose game has taken a monumental step forward so far this season, playing like one of the top guards in the nation through the nonconference schedule. He did so again to lead the way against the Huskies, yet given Simpson endured just his second sub.500 shooting performance of the past 10 games, finishing 6-for-14, the effort left Boyle wanting.
At least for a few minutes. “KJ Simpson, he spoiled us,” Boyle said during his postgame press conference. “I felt like after the game, ‘God, KJ can play so much better than he played.’ And he has 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and one turnover, three steals. The kid’s amazing. And he’ll be the first to probably tell you he wasn’t at his best (Friday). But man, he had a hell of a line. The kid’s a warrior.”
After the entire lineup logged heavy minutes in a shorthanded rotation — Simpson fell just 49 seconds shy of playing the entire 40 minutes against UW — the Buffs likely will have to do it again on Sunday as they look to open Pac-12 play with a home sweep against Washington State.
It was Simpson’s second career double-double, and he became the second CU player this season to flirt with a triple-double, following da Silva’s 22-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist showing in a win against Miami on Dec. 10.
Even with the slight offnight from the floor against UW, Simpson will take a .563 field goal percentage into Sunday’s date against Washington State, along with a .479 mark on 3-pointers. Simpson committed the first of CU’S 15 turnovers
Colorado guard KJ Simpson dribbles through a crowd against Washington in Pac-12men’s basketball in Boulder on Friday.