Outside of KJ Simpson and J’Vonne Hadley, not enough Buffs stepped up when needed on Saturday in a key Pac-12 road game at Utah.
With Luke O’Brien, Cody Williams and Bangot Dak all sidelined due to injury, Simpson and Hadley combined for 40 points, but the beaten-up Colorado men’s basketball team didn’t receive enough from others, ultimately falling 73-68.
Tristan da Silva suffered his worst shooting performance of the season (3-for-15 from the field) and Eddie Lampkin Jr. committed eight turnovers — three more than his previous season-high. Colorado’s bench, which was limited to Javon Ruffin and Assane Diop, also went scoreless.
Colorado made things interesting late, cutting Utah’s lead to three with under 30 seconds remaining, but couldn’t close the deal.
Heach coach Tad Boyle’s CU team is now 15-7 overall, 6-5 in the Pac-12 and 1-6 in true road games. With No. 34 Utah only three spots behind No. 31 Colorado in the NET Rankings, the Buffaloes could’ve used this win to boost their increasingly shaky NCAA Tournament resume.
Check out some of the best pictures from Colorado’s trip to the Jon M. Huntsman Center: