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Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Pac-12’s regular season honors were announced today, and three Buffs were among the list of players given an award.
For the first time in his career, KJ Simpson was named to the All-Pac 12 first team. In 31 games played this year, Simpson averaged 19.5 points per game, which was 4th best in the Pac-12. His three-point shooting percentage went from 39% in 2022 to 48% this season, and he raised his per-game averages for rebounds and assists as well. Besides points and assists per game, he also led the Buffs in average minutes played (34) and steals (1.7). Simpson was also given an honorable mention for Pac-12 First Team All Defense.
Besides Simpson, both Tristan Da Silva and Cody Williams took home awards as well. Da Silva was named to the All Pac-12 second team, while Williams was one of five players to be named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Da Silva, a senior, has improved all four years in Boulder, and in 2023 set career highs in minutes, points per game, rebounds, assists, and free throw percentage. Williams, who entered the season as one of the highest basketball recruits in the history of CU’s program, was impressive for stretches but struggled to stay on the court, only appearing in 18 games this season. When he was on the court, Williams looked every bit of the NBA Lottery pick he’s projected to be, averaging 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists while being a major disruption on the defensive end.
The other major awards went to Arizona’s Caleb Love, who won Pac 12 Player of the Year, UCLA’s Adem Bona, who won Defensive Player of the Year, and Washington State’s Myles Rice, who was named Freshman of the Year. The teams will meet in Las Vegas for one last conference tournament this weekend, with the opening rounds set to begin on Wednesday. The Buffs first game – against the winner of Utah vs. Arizona State – will take place on Thursday night. Tipoff for that game is 9:30 PM local.
by camellis
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