INDIANAPOLIS — KJ Simpson rattled in a tiebreaking jumper from the baseline with 2 seconds left, and 10th-seeded Colorado defeated seventh-seeded Florida in a 102-100 thriller on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
What You Need To Know
- KJ Simpson hit a jumper with 2 seconds left to lift Colorado over Florida 102-100 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
- Walter Clayton Jr. threw up a half-court shot at the buzzer, but it didn’t hit the rim
- Clayton, who finished with 33 points, led five Gators in double-figure scoring
- Simpson led the Buffaloes with 23 points, and Eddie Lampkin Jr. added 21
Simpson finished with 23 points as the Buffaloes (26-10) and Gators (24-12) put on the most impressive offensive display of this year’s March Madness.
Walter Clayton Jr. scored the last 16 points for Florida, including a 3-pointer to tie the score at 100 with 9 seconds left. The former Lake Wales and Bartow High standout finished with a career-high 33 points, but his half-court heave at the buzzer didn’t hit the rim.
Five Gators scored in double figures. In addition to Clayton Jr., Will Richard added 15 points, Zyon Pullin had 13 points and former Dr. Phillips standout Riley Kugel and Tyrese Samuel scored 11 points each.
Colorado extended its single-season school record for wins two days after beating Boise State in the First Four.
The Buffs’ astonishing offensive totals: 34 of 54 (63%) from the field, 6 of 10 on 3-pointers and 28 of 33 (84.8%) on free throws. The Gators made five more 3s (11 of 25) and shot 51.5% overall (35 of 68) to keep pace.
Colorado was all but unstoppable for a long stretch of the second half as it built a 94-81 lead with 4:28 remaining, but Clayton took over from there as the Buffs made mistake after mistake. He converted a three-point play with 1:12 left, buried a 3 with 37 seconds left to get Florida within 99-96, and then for the tying basket.
Eddie Lampkin Jr. scored 21 points for Colorado. Tristan da Silva added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and J’Vonne Hadley had 16 as all five Buffs starters scored in double figures.
The game was fast-paced from the start, and both teams went on strong scoring runs. Colorado battled back from a 10-point first-half deficit to tie the score at 45-all on Simpson’s step-back jumper at the halftime buzzer.
The Buffs appeared to swing the game their way when Florida coach Todd Golden was called for a technical foul after Lampkin made a layup. Colorado converted that into a five-point play for an 82-72 lead with 7:44 to go.
The Buffs advance in the South Region to face second-seeded Marquette on Sunday.
The loss ended the season for the Gators.
Florida’s players wore warmup shirts with injured teammate Micah Handlogten’s name and jersey number, 3, on the back. The 7-foot sophomore, who broke his left leg in last weekend’s Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game loss to Auburn, sat behind the bench.
The Gators were playing in the city where they first reached the NCAA title game in 2000 and then won their first national title six years later. Former quarterback Anthony Richardson, now with the Indianapolis Colts, was in attendance, dressed in a bright orange shirt.
Associated Press
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