Colorado opens Pac-12 Tournament with dominant win over Utah

Pac-12 Tournament play began Thursday evening for the No. 3 seed Buffs and they made quite a statement with their 72-58 win over Utah in Las Vegas.

Colorado and Utah split the season series, 1-1, but with a first-round bye and their productive six-game win streak, the Buffs looked to have the upper hand heading into the late (9:30 p.m. MT) tip. BetMGM had Colorado at a 4.5-point favorite in Vegas and the Buffs were able to cover the spread with strong performances from Eddie Lampkin and KJ Simpson.

Lampkin recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Simpson had his second double-double performance this season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“He's an animal,” J’Vonne Hadley said on Lampkin. “He's a great addition. ... And when somebody like that is in the center position it brings a lot of energy.”

In addition, Tristan da Silva was able to give CU 14 points to keep Utah at bay.

Colorado’s strong offensive performance was certainly the key that allowed the team to cruise. However, its efficiency and separation didn’t fully kick into gear until the second half of the game.

“We're really proud of this group, especially to win a game like this when we certainly didn't play our best in the first half,” Boyle said.

The Buffs jumped out to an early 21-7 lead and shortly after that Utah matched Colorado’s pace to go on an 15-0 run which gave the Utes their first lead. That lead was short lived as the Buffs reclaimed the advantage, 33-30, going into the second half.

That Utes’ run was their largest of the evening as the Buffs' defensive presence gave Utah very little to work with in the frontcourt in the second half. Utah shot 35.7% (10-28) in the second while also getting dominated on the boards. CU outrebounded Utah 47-37.

Utah’s usual suspects Branden Carlson (17.9 points per game) and Gabe Madsen (13.2 ppg) were held to a combined 22 points on the evening. Deivon Smith has been a triple-double threat throughout the season, but Simpson’s guard battle with him resulted in Smith shooting just 2 of 12 from the field with five total points.

“[Smith] runs the show, gets guys involved assist-wise and gets rebounds and can get a bucket when he needs to,” Simpson said on defending Smith. “I wanted to take it upon myself as an individual challenge to try to make it harder for him, because if it was harder for him, it would be harder for them to run their offense.”

Allowing the Utes’ 15-0 run was Colorado’s lowest point of the game, but other than that brief lackadaisical defensive effort, the Buffs overwhelmed the Utes on both ends of the floor.

Cody Williams (ankle) was back in action for the first time since playing Utah on Feb. 24. Boyle decided to start Luke O’Brien over Williams as he is working back from that injury. The freshman star wasn’t as flashy as he consistently is, recording six points and three rebounds. Still, getting him back into the Buffs’ rotation is crucial for CU’s Pac-12 title and NCAA Tournament hopes.

"It's good to have Cody back in the mix," Boyle said. "He's still kind of working himself back in there. He's not quite up to mid-season form. Still has a little rust on his game, but I thought he did some good things tonight and played within himself."

This was Colorado’s first Pac-12 tournament matchup with Utah since the Buffs defeated the Utes in the first round in 2012. That win went on to spark Colorado’s run of four victories and the program’s first Pac-12 Tournament title.

Perhaps a positive omen as Colorado tries to secure its bid to the tournament while continuing to sit on the bubble. Thursday night’s win was CU’s seventh straight and gave it another important boost to breach the field of 68.

No. 22 Washington State (2-seed) is up next in the semifinal round at 8:30 p.m. MT Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

“Washington State is a hell of a team,” Boyle said. “We beat them shorthanded in Boulder. They weren't at their best. They got us in Pullman. We weren't at our best. So I think it should be a hell of a game. They've got some good players. They're well-coached. It's not going to be easy, but nothing's easy in March, especially get in the semifinals of a tournament like this.”