It wasn’t pretty by any means, but Colorado played well enough down the stretch to beat Boise State in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament First Four on Wednesday.
The No. 10 seed Buffs secured their first March Madness victory since 2021 and will next face the No. 7 Florida Gators on Friday at 2:30 p.m. MT in Indianapolis.
Despite being outrebounded by 10, Colorado forced several timely turnovers and held the Broncos to 2-of-18 shooting from deep. Boise State shot 34.3% on the evening compared to Colorado’s 43.8%.
Tristan da Silva, who has struggled at times this season against tougher opponents, stepped up big with a team-high 20 points, including three made 3-pointers. KJ Simpson scored 19 but was arguably more impressive defensively and on the boards, finishing with two steals and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Colorado now owns 25 wins on the season, a new program record.
Head coach Tad Boyle’s Buffs are now preparing for Florida in the round of 64. The 24-11 Gators fell to Auburn on Sunday in the SEC Tournament championship game.
COLORADO KEEPS DANCING 🕺
The Buffs advance to the first round with a 60-53 victory over Boise State 🦬 pic.twitter.com/ARu1gVvPhq
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2024
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