Colorado’s men’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a dominant 75-57 win over Towson Monday night in Boulder. The Buffs played a sloppy first half before coming out and lighting the nets on fire to pull away quickly after halftime.
“Good first win,” head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “A tale of two halves, obviously. I thought we fought the adversity in the first half we had offensively, and came out in the second half and figured things out a little bit. I was really proud of our defensive effort the first 20 minutes. We really guarded at a high, high level, and we pretty much did that the whole game. We had some breakdowns a little bit here and there, but really happy with this team’s defense and rebounding which obviously you guys know is something I stress every day, every game.”
Colorado came out hot in the first half, jumping out to a 16-4 lead early on. It was suffocating defensively and played with great pace on offense, getting out in transition and getting easy buckets whenever it got the chance. The Buffs created turnovers, got good shots, and everything appeared to be flowing for Tad Boyle and company.
However, the last eight minutes or so looked like the first game of the season. The Buffs lost touch defensively, and fewer stops meant fewer transition buckets. CU’s tempo suffered, and the offense as a whole got stuck in the mud as a result. By halftime, the Tigers had cut the Colorado lead to just four, 28-24.
“In the first half, we were kind of stagnant and just not moving as much, and that’s why we had a lot of turnovers,” point guard KJ Simpson said.
Whatever message Boyle delivered at halftime, it worked. The Buffs came out of the break scorching the nets, knocking down four consecutive threes to start the second after shooting 0 for 7 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Simpson got it started, with Tristan da Silva and Luke O’Brien cashing in shortly after and sending the CU Events Center into a frenzy.
From there, it was a coast to the finish line for Colorado, never letting the Tigers within 17 points over the final 15 minutes.
Two big keys for Colorado in Monday’s opener were ball movement and defense. The Buffs were stellar on the defensive end for a majority of this one, holding Towson to just 35% shooting and making life difficult on them all evening. Colorado was able to generate good looks on the other end, especially in the second half, by creating for their teammates. In the end, Boyle’s crew recorded 22 assists as a team on 26 made baskets.
“I mean, that’s as good as it gets,” Boyle said about the high number of assists. “So, sharing the ball, moving the ball is critical.”
Simpson was the star of the show for the Colorado offense Monday, scoring 22 points on blistering efficiency. The junior point guard finished the game 7 for 9 from the floor, knocking down three 3-pointers and five free throws. It was a slow start for da Silva, who took just one shot in the first half, but the star forward found his groove after halftime and tallied 13 points.
Monday also marked the debut of highly touted freshman Cody Williams, the highest-rated Colorado recruit in the Tad Boyle era. Williams was a little tentative offensively, scoring just four points, but flashed his elite talent on the defensive end. The Arizona native bothered Tigers ball handlers on the wing with his length, and was disruptive down low as a weak side help defender.
“Cody’s gonna find his way,” Boyle said. “There’s no doubt about it. He’s a good player. We’ve seen him in practice. We’ve had 28 practices now and three competitions. He wasn’t at his best tonight but he’s a good player and he’s gonna find his way in this system.”
On the Towson side, guard Dylan Williamson led the way with 15 points off the bench, while forward Charles Thompson added 13.
Colorado is back in action to continue its nonconference slate Friday, when the Buffs will host Grambling State and look to avenge their loss from last season. Tip-off from Boulder will be at 6 p.m. MST.
