Isaiah Stevens from Colorado State landed on the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award. So did Miami’s Nijel Pack.
KJ Simpson did not.
While the Buffaloes have higher aspirations than individual honors, it probably is no coincidence Simpson has enjoyed big games against the two aforementioned opposing point guards. Although Simpson wasn’t surprised he was left off the watch list for the award given to the nation’s top point guard, the snub nonetheless has provided a source of inspiration as Simpson looks to keep his hot start going when the Buffs host Northern Colorado on Friday night (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
“Honestly, that’s just happened to me my whole life,” Simpson said. “No matter what I’ve done, it’s just never been enough. I’m real satisfied with it being like that. It just makes it the more sweeter. It makes me work harder. It makes me appreciate it a lot more.
“It kind of sucks to be under-looked but at the same time, when I get the chance and ability to go against guys like that, I’m going to show them why they messed up and didn’t give me the look that they should’ve. Those are great players, not taking nothing away from them. But I mean, my work speaks for itself.”
Stevens and the CSU Rams won the battle for state bragging rights on Nov. 29 in Fort Collins, but the individual showdown between the rival point guards was a stalemate. Stevens went 6-for-13 from the floor and 7-for-8 on free throws, recording 20 points and 11 assists with three turnovers. Simpson, meanwhile, helped keep the Buffs in the game by scoring 20 of his season-high 30 points after halftime, finishing 9-for-13 from the field and 9-for-9 at the free throw line with four assists and two turnovers.
Against Miami and Pack, it was a decisive victory for the Buffs and Simpson. During Sunday’s win, CU’s point guard went 8-for-13 (2-for-3 on 3-pointers) with 20 points, five assists, four steals and only one turnover. The Buffs held Pack to a 3-for-7 mark with seven points, two assists and three turnovers.
Simpson’s effort marked the fourth time in nine games this season he has recorded a plus-four margin in assists compared to turnovers. Simpson had five plus-four performances in 29 games last year and seven in 61 career games entering the season.
Simpson owned a career assist-to-turnover rate of 1.38 through his first two seasons but will take a career-best mark of 3.33 (40 assists, 12 turnovers) into Friday’s game against UNC. At his current pace, Simpson is all but certain to land on the updated midseason watch list for the Cousy Award.
“KJ Simpson is playing like a top 10 point guard in the country through the first nine games of the season,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “Except for maybe Florida State, he didn’t play well against them. But the numbers he’s putting up, the efficiency he’s playing with, the way he’s leading the team. There’s no question KJ should be on the Cousy list. He should be a midseason addition.
“If anybody who knows anything about basketball is on that committee, or whoever makes those decisions, they will recognize that. I’d like to see nine point guards in the country better than him. And look, Nijel Pack is very good. KJ got the better of him. Isaiah Stevens is really good, but KJ played (darn) well at Fort Collins. Had 30 points on 13 shots. It speaks to his maturity, it speaks to his growth, it speaks to his development. And he’s made that happen.”