Colorado Basketball Team Reflects On Boulder Shooting After Losing In NCAA Tournament: ‘Win or lose tonight, I just felt an emptiness in my stomach’

The Colorado men’s basketball team was hoping to make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes were stifled by a suffocating Florida State defense in the round of 32, losing 71-53. While the team was disappointed in the outcome, they were quickly reminded that some things are bigger than sports.

A shooting took place at  King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo. (near the Colorado campus), leaving ten people dead on Monday.

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Colorado coach Tad Boyle spoke on the tragedy after the game.

“Win or lose tonight, I just felt an emptiness in my stomach,” Boyle said following Colorado’s loss to Florida State. “Another senseless act of violence that we’ve experienced as a country many many times.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to stop this stuff. I don’t know an answer, but we’ve got to figure out a way.”

WATCH: In his postgame press conference after CU men's basketball lost to Florida State, head coach Tad Boyle addressed today's tragic shooting in Boulder.

"It puts basketball in it's proper place… I felt an emptiness in my stomach," Boyle said.#9sports #CUBuffs pic.twitter.com/rn4GGFkdE8

— 9NEWS Sports Denver (@9NEWSSports) March 23, 2021

Colorado senior McKinley Wright also reflected on the shooting occurring on the same day the team was playing a big basketball game.

“People get so caught up and even us as players on playing this game and it’s a privilege to play this game,” Wright said. “But we have to realize life outside of basketball is real and a lot of people lost family members today and that sucks, man.

“Where I come from, that happens often, and I see it a lot and I’m just hurt and devastated for them as families that they have to experience this. It was on my mind a little bit. I’m so sorry and I pray for their families.

“Life is so much bigger than basketball.”

Wright (cont'd): "Where I come from, that happens often, and I see it a lot and I’m just hurt and devastated for them as families that they have to experience this. It was on my mind a little bit. I’m so sorry and I pray for their families. Life is so much bigger than basketball"

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 23, 2021

Some great perspective from the Colorado Buffaloes here in their defeat. Somehow, we have to find a way to make these shootings less normalized.

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