Gators coach Todd Golden, be it because of his team’s defense or the officials’ whistles, wore looks of exasperation throughout Friday’s 102-100 loss to the Buffaloes.
Colorado Shoves UF Out of NCAA Tournament
Friday, March 22, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
INDIANAPOLIS – Todd Golden already had blown a gasket over one officiating-related incident, a reaction that got the Florida coach a technical foul late in the No. 7-seeded Gators' matchup against 12-seed Colorado in Thursday's opening-round of the NCAA South Region.
But about 40 minutes or so after watching Buffaloes guard KJ Simpson use a left forearm to nudge UF defender Zyon Pullin off balance, then rise up to sink a baseline jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining to give the Buffaloes a pulsating 102-100 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Golden's frustration gave way to sarcasm.
"I thought ZP did his job. Stayed in legal position," Golden said of the game-deciding sequence, choosing his words just enough to avoid a fine. "Stayed between the ball and the basket and – somehow – Simpson just created about seven feet of separation to get that shot off."
The tape doesn't lie. OK, so maybe it wasn't seven feet, but Simpson, the crafty junior and All Pac-12 first-teamer, made the space, hit the shot and handed UF its earliest tournament exit in 13 years. Making the play even tougher to take was that it came after the Gators (24-12) rallied from 13 down with less than five minutes to play to tie the game with nine seconds left on a stunning 35-foot 3-point shot by junior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who was spectacular in scoring a career-high 33 points, including 26 in the second half and all of his team's final 16.
In a game where the winning team shot over 60 percent, the losing team was over 50 percent and 10 players scored in double figures, a different ending (or maybe even five minutes of overtime) would have been more fitting.
"Some tough plays down the stretch," Pullin said. "It happens. It's basketball."
And it was the last college basketball game for both Pullin (13 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and forward Tyrese Samuel (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), the two grad transfers who helped flip the culture and Florida fortune in Golden's second season.
"It's not the finish that we wanted, but you can only smile at the end of it," Samuel said. "We lost on a game-winner."
The kind that puts the Madness in March.
The Buffaloes (26-10), who will face No. 2-seed Marquette (26-9) in Sunday's second round, torched the Gators by shooting nearly 63 percent for the game with 28 assists, dropped six of 10 from the 3-point line and 28 of 33 free throws (84.8 percent). The ability of the perimeter trio of Simpson (23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), forward Tristan da Silva (17 points, 5 assists) and guard Luke O'Brien (12 points, 5-for-5 from the floor) to straight-line drive the UF defense proved too much. Ditto the girth and power of 6-foot-11, 265-pound man child center Eddie Lampkin (21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), who carved out his areas down low in Florida's first game since losing 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten to a season-ending fractured leg in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game Sunday. Handlogten was replaced in the starting lineup by freshman Alex Condon, who held his own with six points, seven rebounds and two blocks before fouling out with 2:11 left.
When the Buffaloes weren't making shots (which wasn't often), they were making free throws, much to the dismay of Golden, who pitched enough of a fit that some calls started falling his team's way late in the game.
About the same time some big shots started falling, as well.
Colorado guard KJ Simpson (2) scored 23 points, hitting seven of 12 field-goal tries and eight of nine free throws, as well as the Gator-killing game-winner.
The game was tied at 45 at halftime, with CU shooting 61 percent to UF's 51, including 6-for-12 from deep. Colorado led by three, at 61-58 after a couple Simpson free throws at the 13:40 mark of the second. Seven minutes later, the Buffaloes were up by 11, at 88-77, after knocking down – get this – 11 straight field-goal attempt. At the time, CU was shooting 71 percent for the half.
Along the way, Golden was hit with a technical foul when at the 7:44 mark Lampkin posted up Condon for a layup. Officials stopped the action after Florida inbounded the ball to say Condon had fouled Lampkin on the make.
Official Eric Curry came to the UF bench and told Golden the call was made in real time, but his whistle was broken. The Florida coach went ballistic.
The extra free throw, plus the two techs put the Buffs up by 10.
"It's never happened to me in my coaching [career] where somebody's whistle doesn't work," said Golden, adding it was just the third technical of his five seasons as a head coach and the second courtesy of Curry. "Five seconds later, we're finding out it's an and-one."
The margin was 13, at 94-81, when UF freshman forward Thomas Haugh drove for a bucket, drew a foul and hit a free throw at the 4:17 mark. The lead was down to 10.
For the next 4:14, Clayton outscored Colorado 16-6 by himself, hitting two 2s, two 3s and four of five free-throw attempts. His ridiculous pull-up 3-ball, after CU's Cody Williams made just one of two free throws to keep the Gators within a possession, tied the game with nine seconds remaining.
Then CU got the ball into its halfcourt, called timeout with 6.2 to go and Simpson won it with :02 showing.
"There were multiple actions out of it," Simpson said of the inbound play. "I noticed the defender got a little bit off balance."
Yes, he did. With a little help.
But those kinds of things can happen in March. The Gators put themselves in a difficult position with their defense and by falling so far behind, yet showed remarkable resilience in storming back – like they had several other times this season – only to take a gut punch in the end.
"Obviously, we didn't defend the way we needed to give ourselves a great chance to win," Golden said. "This group stayed the course, stayed together, kept fighting."
And set something of a bar for his future teams to try and eclipse.
