California Golden Bears at Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado wins 3rd straight, beats Cal 88-78 behind Simpson's 27 points and Da Silva's 22

Colorado (19-9, 10-7) avenged an 82-78 loss at Cal in January, and the win keeps the Buffaloes in contention for a top-four conference finish and a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament. The Buffs entered in a fourth-place tie with UCLA, which plays at Washington on Thursday.

Simpson and da Silva were a combined 15-of-28 shooting and 16 of 18 from the free-throw line. The pair also had 14 of Colorado's 18 assists.

J’Vonne Hadley added 13 points and Eddie Lampkin Jr. had 12 for the Buffaloes, who shot 50% (29 of 58) from the floor.

Jaylon Tyson scored 25 points to lead Cal (13-16, 9-9), which had its three-game win streak snapped.

Colorado took the lead for good three minutes into the game and ended the first half on a 12-6 surge for a 45-31 halftime advantage. Da Silva scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and made all five of his free throws. Hadley and Lampkin combined for 15 first-half points. Jalen Celestine scored nine of his 11 points in the first half for the Bears.

Tyson's 3-pointer pulled Cal to 58-53 with 13 minutes to play, but the Bears didn't get closer. Simpson scored 18 points in the second half.

Cal plays at Utah on Saturday. Colorado hosts Stanford on Sunday.

How can I watch California vs. Colorado?

• TV Channel: California at Colorado 2021 College Basketball, week 17, is broadcasted on PACN.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
  Try Vidgo for free.

Matchup Prediction