A much faster and physical effort on both ends of the court led No. 25-ranked Colorado to start the Sunshine Slam in dominant fashion with a 106-79 win over Milwaukee.
The Buffs maintained their pace and pressure on the Panthers, maintaining a healthy lead the majority of the evening. Colorado got a copious amount of clean, uncontested looks, hitting 58.7 percent from the field, 65.0 percent from 3-point range and 79.2 percent from the line.
This new five-out offense was working tonight for the Buffs as KJ Simpson (23 points), Cody Williams (17 points), Tristan da Silva (17 points), RJ Smith (11 points) and Eddie Lampkin (14 points) finished the night in double digits.
Colorado’s 106 points were the most points scored in regulation for the program since 2006.
"When you have six guys in double figures like we did against Grambling, and we did tonight, you're hard to guard," coach Tad Boyle said. "Part of it's the new offense. I think part of it is our players really improving their games in the offseason and buying into ball movement and spacing."
There was also a lot to be said for the Buffs' defense, which put the clamps on the Panthers in both halves. Milwaukee had to earn every bucket during the evening while hitting just 37.0 percent from the field. Colorado had eyes on BJ Freeman, who posted a 33-point game on Nov. 11, and held him to just 9 points and 2-of-12 from the field.
Effective distribution and screens in the frontcourt allowed Colorado to really capitalize from various spots, but the Buffs’ 65 percent from 3 (13 of 20) was the best they shot from beyond the arc all season. Simpson (3 of 4 from long range), Smith (3 of 4) and da Silva (4 of 6) led the way there.
Colorado recorded 25 assists Wednesday, marking the Buffs' third-straight 20-plus assist game. It's the first time the Buffs posted 20 or more assists in three-straight game since the first three games of the 2001-02 season.
The Buffs displayed a full cohesive effort and put together a game that Boyle couldn’t complain about except maybe the 19 offensive rebounds and a handful of 3-pointers that the Panthers shouldn’t have had in Boyle’s eyes.
"We were as good as we've been all year tonight," Boyle said. "With that being said, we still have a lot of room for improvement. Nineteen offensive rebounds given up is something unacceptable. We gave up 11 3s against a team that we knew was a good shooting team. That's too many."
Williams certainly showed that he was operating at 100% as his return did not disappoint tonight either. Williams wasn’t afraid to drive to the basket executing an acrobatic dunk in the first half.
"[Williams] came out, he showed out," Simpson said. "It wasn't just all points. He did things that don't show up on the stat sheet. He gave great assists, he contested great size, played great defense. He's just unselfish and he's willing to do anything to win."
Along with his 17 points, Williams recorded 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
As the numbers show, CU’s performance wasn’t just about one or two single players -- the Buffs were working as a cohesive unit. While Simpson posted his usual high-scoring game, similarly with da Silva, Lampkin’s toughness on both ends gave way for his teammates to shine.
He finished the evening with his first double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) as a Buff.
"He's a force down there," Boyle said. "He's somebody that they've got to worry about and nobody likes guarding him, I can promise you that. I know that in practice. Nobody wants to guard Eddie in practice."
An all-around dominant performance on both ends of the court gave Colorado its third-straight win. The Buffs look to keep that momentum throughout the Sunshine Slam as they head to Daytona, Florida, to take on Richmond on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. MT.
