Game day notes: After missing last year, KJ Simpson, J'Vonne Hadley eager for Pac-12 tourney
Mar. 14—LAS VEGAS — KJ Simpson and J'Vonne Hadley have been two of the few constants in the Colorado rotation this season.
Recently, they discussed their trip to the Pac-12 Conference tournament a year ago. While in Las Vegas one year ago, talking at the end of the bench pretty much was all Simpson and Hadley could do.
The CU men's basketball team has a wealth of opportunity in front of it as the Buffaloes make their tournament debut on Thursday night in the quarterfinals against Utah (9:30 p.m. MT, . The Utes advanced with a lopsided 90-57 first-round win against Arizona State late Wednesday night.
Simpson's sophomore season was cut short last year due to an illness that kept him sidelined for the final five games of the year. It was a similar story for Hadley in his first season with the Buffs, as a broken finger ended his 2022-23 season after 22 games. Both players could only watch as CU opened the 2023 Pac-12 tourney with a first-round win against Washington before losing in the quarterfinals.
Simpson, who earlier this week was named first team all-conference along with honorable mention Pac-12 All-Defense, played in the Pac-12 tournament as a freshman, recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists off the bench in a first-round win against Oregon before struggling to a 1-for-10 mark in a quarterfinal loss against Arizona.
Simpson has had plenty of big games since, including 18 20-point games this season. But he has had two full years to stew on his previous Pac-12 tournament appearance.
"Me and KJ have talked about it. We're roommates. We talked about how we missed the Pac-12 tournament last year," Hadley said. "We're going in there with a little bit more edge than maybe some of the other guys. This is something we don't want to overlook. We definitely want to go in with a winning mentality and that's the goal — we're going in there to win."
Utes ready
CU and Utah split the regular season series, with both teams winning at home. The teams haven't met in the Pac-12 tournament since both programs played their very first Pac-12 tournament game, with the Buffs defeating the Utes in the first round in 2012.
Utah crushed Arizona State in the first round on Wednesday night, and afterward Utes coach Craig Smith offered his praise of a CU team that brings a six-game win streak into the matchup. Utah edged the Buffs for a 73-68 win at home on Feb. 3, while CU ran away from the Utes for an 89-65 win in Boulder on Feb. 24.
"Colorado is really good," Smith said. "We were able to beat them at our place. They really, really handled us, really from start to finish, at their place. Tad Boyle, he's been around this league for a long, long time and he's a very good coach. Their players, they are very talented.
"KJ Simpson has played at an elite level all year long. Tristan da Silva has been around this league a long time and can do everything. J'Vonne Hadley's excellent. Those guys really understand who they are and what they are. They play through their identity and they play tough-nosed defense as well. They're a complete team. We've got our work cut out for us, but it's March and anything can happen."
Notable
CU moved up one spot to No. 26 in Thursday's NET rankings, while Utah moved up four spots to No. 48. ... A win would give the Buffs their 23rd win and tie three other teams for the third-most in program history (2013-14, 2018-19, 2020-21). ... Simpson needs just seven points to pass Cory Higgins and Derrick White for seventh on CU's single-season scoring list. With 13 points, Simpson will move from 21st to 18th on the career scoring list.
