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KJ Simpson will never have to buy a drink in Boulder ever again
Colorado Buffaloes basketball has its new crowning moment. After taking down the Florida Gators in a fast-paced slugfest, KJ Simpson’s miraculous buzzer-beater sent Colorado to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 102-100 victory.
Yep, you read that final score right. Friday’s game was a historic offensive display, being the first time both teams scored 100+ points in a tournament game in over two decades. Florida coach Todd Golden challenged the Buffs to “run with” the Gator’s ridiculously fast tempo of basketball and Colorado was up for the challenge.
Florida dictated the pace all night, but the Buffs didn’t miss a beat. Colorado went shot for shot with the Gators for the vast majority of the game, as both teams racked up an insane amount of buckets, especially in the first half.
Each team shot made 17 first half field goals and shot above 50% from the field. The Buffs proved to be the more efficient offense, making 60.7% (17-28) from the floor, but the Gators used the three ball to make things interesting. Florida made six threes in the first half alone, providing a massive spark to their offense. In order to combat the Gators’s attack from deep, Colorado made use of the charity stripe, hitting all 8 of their freebies to equalize things.
Other than Florida’s ability to hit threes and Colorado’s perfect shooting stretch from the line, both teams looked nearly identical. No team pulled away in the rebounding battle and neither side got in any significant foul trouble. Mirroring the score sheet, Colorado and Florida headed to the break tied at 45.
Very quickly into the second half, it became clear that neither team had any intention of slowing things down. In fact, Colorado ramped up their offensive effort. Colorado shot 65% (18-35) from the floor, while Florida’s offense followed slightly behind. The Gators eventually went cold midway through the half and the Buffs really made them pay, drilling 11 consecutive field goal attempts to build a sizable ten point lead.
At that point, Colorad had put up 94 points and led by 13 points with 4:49 to play. Against a normal team, that would pretty much seal the game in CU’s favor, but not against Florida. The Gators’ used that aforementioned insanely fast tempo to continue scoring quick points, keeping themselves right in the game.
With around two minutes left to play, a series of bad shooting fouls calls on Colorado, some clutch Florida three-pointers and a couple of untimely free-throw misses put the Buffs in the danger zone. The Gators used what little wiggle room CU gave them to immediately cut that lead 3 with less than a minute to play.
With only 14 second on the game clock, down three points, Florida moved the ball down the floor and found Walter Clayton Jr. open in three-point land. Clayton took that shot and swished it, tying the game at 100 and sending Colorado into panic mode.
The Buffs got the ball back with only 6 seconds on the game-clock and called a timeout to draw up a play. Upon inbounding the ball, Cody Williams found KJ Simpson, who drove inside and put up a 10 foot jumper with only 4 seconds on the game clock.
That shot hit the front of the rim, settled on the back, rolled in a loop for seemingly an eternity, and fell right into the bucket.
Not only did KJ’s buzzer-beater seal the game and send Colorado to the second round, but it also likely becomes the most iconic moment in CU basketball history. The only moment that even comes close is Askia Booker’s buzzer-beater to beat #6 ranked Kansas at home, but it didn’t come in the NCAA Tournament. KJ came up when we needed him most on the biggest stage possible, so this probably takes the cake.
Along with that buzzer-beater, Simpson scored a team-high 23 points with 5 assists and boards. Tristan da Silva netted 17 points of his own, making all three of his attempts from deep. Eddie Lampkin dominated down low, putting up 21 points and provided an ample amount of energy to the bench and the Buffs fans who made the trip to Indiana. Friday’s win was a team effort of a monumental scale and it eventually paid off in a big way.
Now, Colorado will face Marquette in the round of 32 this Sunday. The Buffs will seek to make the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in the Tad Boyle era and it’s right within striking distance. The Buffs are on the verge of a massive breakthrough for the program, so let’s see if they can make history.
by RylandScholes
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