Colorado will be without arguably its most important player in next week’s league tournament.

Coach Tad Boyle told reporters Saturday after the team’s win over Utah that point guard KJ Simpson will miss the Pac-12 Tournament with mono. Simpson did not play in the 69-60 win over Utah.

Simpson is averaging 15.9 points on the season to go with 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists a night. He sits just a tenth of a point behind teammate Tristan da Silva for the team lead in scoring.

Julian Hammond stepped up in place of Simpson against the Runnin’ Utes, supplying 15 points, five assists, and five steals in a spot start for the Buffs. The start marked just his second of the season.

Colorado also moved guard Ethan Wright into the starting lineup in place of da Silva. The latter played, and scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, but saw his playing time reduced because of a sprained ankle. Wright had 10 points and four boards.

The Buffs (16-15, 8-12 Pac-12) will face Washington in the 8-9 matchup in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday. The winner will face No. 1 seed UCLA on Thursday.