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LAS VEGAS — For a four-minute stretch, Colorado was well on its way to blowing the doors open on the game and sending Utah packing with a quarterfinal exit.
The Buffaloes reeled off an early 17-2 run to take a 21-7 lead and had the pro-Colorado crowd at T-Mobile Arena looking ahead to a semifinal matchup against Washington State.
But Utah locked in on defense and held Colorado scoreless over a five-minute period, and the Utes reeled off their own 16-3 run to erase the deficit and take a 1-point lead.
Game on.
The back-and-forth game was short-lived, however, as Colorado returned to form as one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12 going into the tournament. The Buffaloes attacked the basket in the second half and made Utah pay with a strong post game from Eddie Lampkin, and then finished the Utes off with the 3-point shooting from KJ Simpson.
Colorado maintained a two- to three-possession lead (and then some) for much of the second half and pulled away for an eventual 72-58 quarterfinal win. The Buffaloes will now meet up with Washington State in the semifinals Friday night.
"We played super, super hard," Utah head coach Craig Smith said. "Obviously, tonight we struggled to make shots consistently, and that happens sometimes. They do a good job of making it hard to score around the basket. In the first half we were 2-for-14 around the rim, and it just felt like they sped us up. We were quick and we were just kind of — shot some hope shots instead of playing strong off of two feet, getting your weight on your inside shoulder and finishing those plays at the basket."
Simpson finished the night with game-high 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the well-rounded game for the third-seeded Buffaloes. Lampkin added 17 points and 12 rebounds for another Colorado double-double performance, and Tristan da Silva supplied an additional 14 points and six rebounds.
Utah finished the night shooting just 33% from the floor and 57% from the free-throw line, ultimately deciding the game in an otherwise clean game for the Utes, who only committed four turnovers in the contest.
"It's going to be hard to win against a good team when you shoot 33% and 27% from the three," Smith said. "Basketball is a humbling game, as are all sports. Yesterday it felt the basket was as big as it could possibly get, and tonight we really struggled to get the ball in the hole."
Branden Carlson, who gave Utah a little hope early on in the second half, finished with a team-high 13 points and six rebounds on a night when Utah looked like it had nothing left to give after a rout over Arizona State Wednesday night. But the reality of no NCAA Tournament berth over his five-year collegiate career hit hard after the loss.
"It just sucks," Carlson said. "We work hard. You want to make the NCAA Tournament, and at this point you know you're not going to make it. It just sucks."
"I would say the same thing," added Gabe Madsen, who struggled to find a rhythm and finished with 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting. "It's been a roller-coaster year, and for it to end like that, it doesn't feel great."
The season is likely not over for the Utes, though, who should be a lock for the NIT after being considered a bubble team for several week. Utah will find out its fate Sunday night.
