PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2024

Tad Boyle

Eddie Lampkin Jr.

KJ Simpson

Colorado Buffaloes

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado - 58, Washington State - 52

TAD BOYLE: This was a hell of a college basketball game. It wasn't the prettiest game by any means. It was a little bit ugly at times, but we had two teams out there just battling it and getting after it.

Really, they're the best field goal percentage defensive team in our league. We're like sixth, but our defense has gotten a lot better over the last three, four weeks. I've talked about it.

We did a great job. We forced them into 19 turnovers. That's something that Washington State doesn't do very often is turn the ball over. Our pressure, I think, got to them. That was part of our game plan.

So proud of these guys, just the fight and the grit they played with down the stretch. We made plays when we had to make plays.

We weren't at our best. I don't think Washington State was at their best. But you know what, I think we each had a lot to do with that. We had a lot to do with them not playing as well offensively as they normally do. And I think they had something to do with why we didn't play as well offensively.

They have good players, they're well-coached, they've had a hell of a year. Big-time win by some big-time guys and big-time players.

Q. Fouling up 3 under 10 seconds, is that --

TAD BOYLE: That's not my style. Those of you know that's not what we do. I was really afraid, Wells is such a good shooter. I just didn't want one to go in.

I felt the time was right. We have practiced it a little bit. And I have confidence in us making free throws and getting rebounds. Eddie got a big rebound off their missed free throw -- because they have to make their free throws too.

We're a great free-throw shooting team. I went with that. I normally play that out. And it worked out tonight. It's not my style, but that's what we did.

Q. KJ, you took a big hit at the end of the game, how are you feeling and what's the mindset?

KJ SIMPSON: Win one more game. As simple as that. Ain't got time to pout. Ain't got time to sit and worry about a small, slight, a little injury, a little nag. Just one more game.

Q. It's the second straight game where the offense has struggled to get going. What do you think is the keys that they're missing out, and what's it going to take to the get the offense back?

TAD BOYLE: I think we have to get more movement. Our first half last night, we talked about it. I thought our second half offense last night was really good, to be honest with you.

It's really been three halves. But, again, I think Washington State had a lot to do with that. I thought we were better in the second half offensively. We didn't make as many shots as we normally make. We had some good looks.

But again they're a good defensive team. As long as we're getting good movement, I think when we have trouble offensively is when we over-dribble the ball and we stand. And if we can get the ball moving, get our bodies moving and get paint touches, whether it's down to Eddie down low or penetration and kicks -- because Washington State's not a team you're going to come down and just run one action and score on. They're just too good.

And you have to prepare to beat good defenses. We ran into a good defense tonight. We scored 58 points. There's a lot of times we've scored 58 points and lost because our defense wasn't good enough.

What I'm so proud of this team is we scored 58 and won because they were good enough on the other end.

Q. For the players, this team at its best for most of the season has meant 80 to 90 points, 20 assists, lots of offense. But what's it say about you guys that you can come on this stage and win this kind of game here?

KJ SIMPSON: Like Coach said, we knew it was going to be a tough battle. Two very competitive teams with a bunch of talent on both sides. Great coaching staffs.

It was just going to be a dogfight and there was going to be nothing easy. I think for both teams, the experience, a lot of tough possessions, shots weren't falling that usually fall.

But we as a team understood that we had to guard defensively. No matter if our offense was clicking, as much as it has been the whole season, we just had to guard. And it came down to that late in the possessions, late in the game, and we did that. That's why we were able to come out on top.

Q. You led pretty much the entire second half until about three minutes left, they caught you and passed you. What was about that moment that you guys didn't panic and you immediately took the lead right back?

EDDIE LAMPKIN JR.: I'd say, I went to the huddle I told them, we've got to win this game. That's all that mattered. That's what it was. It wasn't about who was scoring the ball. It was rebounding, defense, and winning the game. And that's all that mattered at the end of the day.

Q. When Colorado joined the league and won the Pac-12 championship, as this conference goes away how special is it to be in the last Pac-12 championship?

TAD BOYLE: I think it's appropriate. And these guys, they just tied a school record in wins at 24. We've got an opportunity to break that tomorrow and it's not going to be easy. Oregon is a hell of a program. They've had a lot of success in this tournament.

But we have, too. So I think it's appropriate that we're in the championship game the last year of the Pac-12 and we won it the first year of the Pac-12. We're going to have to play a hell of a game tomorrow to win. It's not going to be easy, but we'll be ready.

Q. Luke only had one basket but it was really big for him. What was it like seeing that type of moment for him?

TAD BOYLE: It was great, and J'Vonne Hadley made a nice play. Luke is one of our best cutters on our team, and as J'Vonne drove -- again, they're a good defensive team -- he got kind of stopped on his drive. And then Luke cut right behind him, and he found him. And Luke made a great finish.

Luke brings a lot to this team, and scoring -- on certain nights he might score more than others, and he's a good 3-point shooter, and he can stretch the defense. But his defense has gotten a lot better. His rebounding, his grit, his toughness. He's playing like a senior.

And it means something to Luke, which means it means something to me. I love guys that care and they're all about winning, and that's what we have right now. We have a group of guys in that locker room that winning is the most important thing. It's not individual performances. And as long as we can keep that mindset we can have a lot of fun here in the next few weeks.

Q. You guys swept the season series against Oregon. Now the title game coming up, what's the focus going into this one to make sure you do it three times in a row?

TAD BOYLE: We've got to understand their personnel, which these guys do a great job of. Eddie and N'Faly Dante is a great match-up inside. He'll be ready for that.

N'Faly Dante is a hell of a player. They have Shelstad. KJ has done a good job on him, but he's a good player.

We've got good match-ups, and I think our guys understand who they are and how good they are. Again, it's not going to be easy. We're going to have to have a great defensive effort. We'll have to really move the ball.

And their zone, they really slowed the pace down against Arizona tonight. They usually are a team that wants to run and get out and run with you, with us when we've played them. We'll see how tomorrow night's game goes.

But we're just going to have to find a way. It's not going to be easy because they've got good players, they're well-coached and they've had a lot of success in this tournament.

It's about being mentally and physically ready. We've got to get rest, hydration, dig deep. And we're 40 minutes away.

Q. Playing Dana Altman in the title game as two of the most tenured head coaches in this conference, what does that mean to you? And clicking to March, everyone talks about getting your right foot as you head into March. Where do you think your team is on that journey?

TAD BOYLE: Well, the second part of that question I'll take first. Obviously we've won, I don't know, eight in a row now? Eight in a row. I think we're clicking pretty good. I don't know of any other team in the country that's won eight in a row.

But that doesn't mean anything. That means absolutely nothing going into tomorrow. It's about tomorrow's game.

In terms of Coach Altman, got a lot of respect for him. He was a head coach at Creighton when I was an assistant at Wichita State. So I had a chance to compete against him for six years when he was there. And now our 13th year in the league.

He's a hell of a coach. He's had a hell of a career, over 750 wins. Got a lot of respect for him.

But it's about the players this time of year; it's not about the coaches, in my opinion. I think he would probably agree with that.

Q. The first two times around against Oregon, what were the differences in those ones?

TAD BOYLE: Golly, you're hitting me after this one. I could probably answer that better in the morning or maybe midday tomorrow after I get a chance to look.

Again, I think handling their -- sometimes they press, sometimes they run the match-up zone, sometimes they run man-to-man. So, handling their changing defenses. We've done a good job of that all year, not just against Oregon but against a lot of teams that have done it.

And I think guarding them, because Oregon is a team traditionally that is going to try to outscore you. If you can slow them down defensively and get out in transition hopefully and get some easy baskets, you have a better chance of winning.

We've done that -- but the game in Eugene, it was a dogfight. It was a four-point game, could have gone either way. We made plays down the stretch. So again it's not going to be easy.

They're playing for their tournament life. And I feel like we are too. But more importantly we're playing for a Pac-12 championship.

Q. KJ, going back to last week, defensively for you, you made it a tough night for Jordan Pope at Oregon State. We talked about it yesterday against Smith and again tonight against Myles Rice. How much pride and focus are you bringing to the court right now on that end of the floor?

KJ SIMPSON: I'm just proud of myself on defense. Coach talks about it, it doesn't take just one person, it takes a whole team, not just me, but I feel a lot of guys are going out there guarding tough positions.

J'Vonne Hadley is doing a great job guarding the other guy's forward position. This whole team. But for me, personally, I think I just have a chip on my shoulder not being First Team All Defense and just going out there and proving everybody wrong, and just trying to be a leader on the defensive end for this team.

TAD BOYLE: KJ Simpson is the best defensive point guard in this league. And it's not even close. It's not even close. He doesn't get enough credit. His teammates know. His coaches know. The CU fans know.

But I've got so much respect -- he plays both sides of the ball, and there's so few college basketball players that do that. We've got a bunch of them. KJ is not the only one, but, man -- what's the word you guys use? He's a dog. He's a dog.