LAS VEGAS (ABC4 Sports) - In what turned out to be Utah's final Pac-12 basketball team, the Utes went cold against Colorado and lost in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals, 72-58.
The Utes NCAA Tournament drought continues, having last made the Big Dance in 2016.
KJ Simpson scored 18 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds, Eddie Lampkin added 17 points and 12 boards and No. 3 seed Colorado beat 6th-seeded Utah to move on to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals Friday night.
Branden Carlson, playing with an injured elbow, and Hunter Erickson scored 13 points apiece, while Cole Bajema added 10 for No. 6 seed Utah (19-14).
The Utes shot just 33% (21 of 64) from the field, 27% (8 of 30) from 3-point range and 57% (8 of 14) from the free-throw line.
"We played super, super hard," said Utah head coach Craig Smith. "Obviously tonight we struggled to make shots consistently, and that happens sometimes. They do a good job of making it hard to score around the basket. In the first half we were 2-for-14 around the rim,
and it just felt like they sped us up."
Carlson made two free throws and followed with a basket in the paint to cut the deficit to five points with 9 minutes to play. Simpson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup by Utah's Deivon Smith to spark a 16-5 run that gave the Buffaloes a 68-52 lead when J'Vonne Hadley converted a three-point play to cap the spurt with 3:48 to play.
Gabe Madsen and Deivon Smith both struggled mightily, combining for 14 points, while making 5 of 26 shots from the field.
"It just sucks, we work hard," said Carlson, who could have played his final game as a Ute. "As Coach said, you want to make the NCAA Tournament. And at this point you know you're not going to make it. It just sucks. I just didn't want to end this journey with any regrets. So I knew I had to go out and give it a try."
"I would say the same thing," added Madsen. "It's been a roller coaster every year. And for it to end like that, it doesn't feel great."
The Utes committed just four turnovers, but were out-rebounded by Colorado, 47-37.
Colorado (23-9), which has won seven in a row since losing four of five to close January and open February, plays second-seeded Washington State in the semifinals on Friday.
Simpson hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range and had six assists and Tristan da Silva scored 14 points for the Buffaloes.
"It's going to be hard to win against a good team when you shoot 33 percent and 26 percent from the 3," Craig Smith said. "And basketball is a humbling game, as are all sports. Yesterday it felt the basket was as big as it could possibly get."
Cody Williams, who hadn't played since injuring his ankle in a win over Utah on Feb. 24, returned from a four-game absence and finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
Utah will now wait to hear if they get invited to the NIT on Sunday. The team indicated they are looking forward to continue to play together somewhere in the postseason.
"This group is a really connected group," Smith said. "So it's hard, right? And going into the
locker room after the game, you sit there a little bit, and you can look at this (referring to stat sheet) but at the end of the day not being in the NCAA Tournament is hard."
The Selection Show for the NIT is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.