The Colorado student section chanted, “It sucks to be a CSU Ram,” and Thursday it certainly wasn't pleasant for the visiting team as the Buffs dominated in the second quarter and ran away with a 93-65 win.
CU (5-5) needed the rivalry win after losing its first two games against Pac-12 opponents, Washington and Arizona State, to open conference play last week. A cohesive defense, coupled with another dominant offensive performance from KJ Simpson, created the largest win over CSU in the series history that dates back to 1945.
“We felt like we were playing for the state of Colorado,” Simpson said. “That was my first time playing a rival in college and the atmosphere, the fans, the experience was crazy. It was really big and important. It’s almost like a Super Bowl, CSU vs CU Colorado. We wanted to come out on top for the state.”
New football head coach Deion Sanders made an appearance with his son Shedeur Sanders on Thursday night, which definitely energized the already heightened atmosphere.
“I’ve never gotten an ovation like that in the second half like I got tonight,” head coach Tad Boyle joked. “I knew our fans loved me, but ..."
The ovations continued throughout the evening (even before Sanders) because after a brief hiatus, the Buffs finally put together a 40-minute cohesive win after struggling with consistency last week.
Maybe Sanders provided the boost when he came in late because in the first half the Rams posed a bit of a threat to the Buffs' offense early on.
Most of Colorado’s shots in the first came from the paint and CU finished the opening half going 17 of 34 from the field. The Buffs’ only threes came early from Tristan da Silva hitting back to back corner threes to start the game. Simpson hit one too, but he was just warming up.
Ten Rams turnovers did not help their case as the Buffs scored 14 points off of those giveaways through the first 20 minutes. However, usual weapons Isaiah Stevens and Taviontae Jackson kept CSU in the game with an 8-point deficit at the half.
The Buffs clenched the first four minutes of the second half with the help of da Silva and Simpson setting them up with a 14-point lead.
Simpson regained his rhythm in the second half accumulating 18 points – 27 overall. Along with his offensive burst, he was tasked with guarding Stevens, who Boyle called “one of the most underrated guards in the country."
Simpson helped hold Stevens to 15 points – the Rams scoring leader for the evening.
The Buffs held the Rams to 38% shooting (11-29). In the previous three games, CU had been outscored by 26 points while opponents shot 52.4 percent (44-84).
Colorado’s cohesive defense shook hands with its sharp offense as the Buffs shot 63.6% in the second half to run away with the lead. That shooting percentage is their best performance in the final 20 minutes of a game since shooting 65.5% (19-29) versus Arizona on Feb. 26, 2022.
J’Vonne Hadley, CU’s best rebounder, helped the Buffs get a second chance with four offensive rebounds, nine total. Also, Nique Clifford snagged four rebounds Thursday evening.
Clifford hasn’t had the best start to the season, but his 13 points (6-9 from the field, 1-3 from three), two blocks, four rebounds, an assist and one steal, Thursday night helped get him mentally (and the team's) back on track.
“I’ve struggled early on, personally,” Clifford said. “I’ve had to get my mental right and be there for my team. I haven’t been playing my best and being accountable for my teammates, so it feels good to be back, play my game, play free, have fun out there. It was a great win for us.”
Note: The Buffs only had eight turnovers, tying their season-low that they set against Yale on Nov. 27.
