Note: Bryan Fischer is sharing takeaways on the action throughout the Pac-12 Tournament.
LAS VEGAS — Tad Boyle has had a lot of success as head coach at Colorado, but for whatever reason Mike Hopkins’ Washington squad has proven to be a bit of a bogey team for the Buffs lately.
The Huskies swept the regular season series in 2022-23 and proved to be an equally tricky opponent as the No. 8 seed in the opening game of the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena, mounting an eight-point second-half comeback before the ninth-seeded Buffaloes escaped with a 74-66 win to survive and advance another day in Las Vegas.
First-team All-Pac-12 forward Tristan da Silva led the way for CU on both ends of the court with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting while chipping in with several key defensive plays as well. Sophomore Julian Hammond also stepped up down the stretch, picking up some of the slack in the absence of guard KJ Simpson (illness) with a game and career-high 21 points.
Luke O’Brien’s 3-pointer (for a season-high tying 13 points) with 1:15 left ultimately proved to be the key to the victory in the dying seconds after the two sides traded baskets.
Keion Brooks Jr. and Cole Bajema both scored a team-high 16 points for Washington, but it just wasn’t enough to come back from a dreadful first half that saw the team shoot 27% from the floor.
Colorado now keeps their March Madness hopes alive but move onto the quarterfinals on Thursday against top-seeded UCLA. The Bruins won both meetings during the regular season, including a hard-fought 60-56 victory in Boulder two weeks ago.
[UCLA’s Jaylen Clark out for season]
Here are three other thoughts from Colorado’s win over Washington:
1. Huskies comeback falls short
Opening games in any tournament can lead to a few nerves, especially with a fairly inexperienced group on the big stage. That seemed to be the case for Washington amid a very slow start in the first half. Bench scoring was nearly non-existent before the break and five turnovers contributed to an inability to get much going offensively in a rough opening 20 minutes.
Still, the Huskies looked much different after emerging out of the locker room at halftime and used a 27-18 run in the first 10 minutes to eventually take their first lead of the game. Brooks’ shooting really started to heat up, while Bajema knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to breath some life into the purple-clad crowd that dotted T-Mobile Arena. Koren Johnson chipped in with 15 points by the time the buzzer sounded, including six key free throws to keep things close.
Defensive changes were also notable, as the team’s trademark zone went away for long stretches in the second half in favor of a rare man-to-man look. As much as it helped get UW back into the game, however, Colorado eventually adjusted and really began to attack down low as they pulled away in the final ninety seconds.
“We didn’t rebound,” lamented head coach Mike Hopkins, having been outrebounded 39-30. “They killed us in the paint. There were too many plays down the stretch.”
Jim Boeheim steps down
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim steps down after 47 years with the program.
2. Hopkins watch begins as his mentor retires
Speaking of the Huskies head coach, all eyes now turn to athletic director Jennifer Cohen regarding his future. Hopkins is 101-91 across six seasons in Montlake and has just one NCAA Tournament bid to show for it (back in 2019). The .500 ending to the current campaign was not any show of progress on the court and many around the Pacific Northwest are wondering if the outcome in Sin City may have sealed the embattled coach’s fate
“I take full responsibility for this season,” said Hopkins. “It’s not our standard. There’s no one more disappointed than me. We underperformed.”
The 53-year-old does still have several years remaining on his contract, with a reported buyout of several million dollars, but the fan base and boosters have grown restless amid continued setbacks in one of the main revenue-producing sports at the school.
Whatever happens with Hopkins, the Washington coach set aside feelings about his future after being taken aback upon hearing another coach was shown the door earlier in the day after Syracuse announced the retirement of Jim Boeheim.
“That’s a shock,” said Hopkins. “He’s a legend.”
Hopkins played for Boeheim in the early 1990’s before serving as an assistant on the Orange’s staff with the Hall of Famer from 1995 until being hired at Washington in 2017.
3. Big challenge ahead for Buffs
Colorado has done some damage in the Pac-12 Tournament over the years, but the team understands what awaits them in the quarterfinal tomorrow will be a far bigger challenge than what Washington presented on Wednesday afternoon.
“UCLA’s a different animal,” Boyle said. “They’re the best team in the league.”
The Bruins will be without star defender Jaylen Clark after he suffered a reported Achilles injury but will still be quite dangerous as the look to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament so that they can be right back in Vegas in two weeks for the West Regional.
Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
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