Colorado Basketball – January, 2026

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Colorado Basketball – January, 2026

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January 30th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs not competitive in 97-67 loss to No. 8 Iowa State – “There are good teams in this league; we’re not one of them”

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado fell behind early Thursday, and the Buffaloes never recovered, dropping a 97-67 decision to 8th-ranked Iowa State at the James H. Hilton Coliseum.

Tad Boyle‘s Buffs losing streak extended to six games as they fall to 12-9 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones improve to 12-0 at home and are now 19-2 overall, 6-2 in conference play.

This one got away from the Buffaloes early. Iowa State used a 30-1 run to build a 30-4 lead eight minutes in. Iowa State took a 52-29 edge into the break, and the Buffs never mounted a serious threat in the second half as Iowa State steadily built its lead, pushing it to as much as 37.

Isaiah Johnson led the Buffs with a game-high 24 points, scoring 15 of those in the first half. Barrington Hargress added 11 points.

Milan Momcilovic led the way for Iowa State with 16 points. Six total Cyclones scored in double figures.

Iowa State shot 61 percent (35-for-57), including 10-for-21 from 3-point range. Colorado hit just seven of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc, and the Buffaloes were dominated on the boards, 33-22, the first time this year Colorado has lost the rebound battle.

The Buffs were also outscored 46-28 on points in the paint as well as bench points, 40-17.

“I knew what we were getting into, I’m not sure (our players) did,” Boyle said. “We tried to prepare for it the last two days in practice in terms of the physicality and toughness we had to play with to have any success tonight. Our players learned what a top 10 team in the country looks like tonight in Iowa State.”

… Continue reading story here …

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January 29th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena …

Buffs 17.5 underdogs to No. 8 Iowa State (5:00 p.m., MT, FS1)

From CUBuffs.com …

Iowa State, Thursday, January 29, 2026
Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
Tip: 5:01 p.m. MT
Watch: FS1 (Tim Brando, Nick Bahe)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 385, SXM App 975 https://sxm.app.link/SXM975
Live Statistics:https://buffs.me/3ZGyBY1

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 12-8 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play, tied for 10th in the conference standings as one of four teams with that league record. The Buffaloes have dropped their last five, their longest stretch of the season, and seven of their last nine.

Despite the recent slide, Colorado matched its win total from the 2024-25, 31-game regular season (12-19) by the mid-part of this campaign. The Buffaloes are just one win away from matching their conference win total from a year ago. Colorado would finish with 14 overall wins after a pair of wins in the Big 12 Championship (14-21).

Colorado ranks among the top 50 teams in the nation in a few categories. The Buffaloes top the Big 12 and are 24th in the nation in free throw shooting at 77.2 percent. The Buffaloes also sport top 50 national rankings in turnovers allowed (32nd, 9.9 topg), assist-to-turnover ratio (31st, 1.6) and free throws made per game (49th, 18.0).

ABOUT THE CYCLONES: No. 8 (AP)/9 (Coaches) Iowa State is 18-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12. The Cyclones return home where they are 11-0. ISU is on a two-game winning streak that includes a 84-71 win over Oklahoma State and an 87-57 win over UCF. The Cyclones are averaging 85.6 points per game, shooting 50.7 percent from the field. Iowa State is second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and is one of only 21 teams in the country to shoot over 50 percent. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 at 40.3 percent from deep and are one of only six teams to shoot above 40 percent. On defense the Cyclones are allowing 64.9 points per game, and have held opponents to 41.7 percent shooting. They are third in the conference and 15th in the nation in scoring defense in part due to forcing turnovers. They create 16.2 turnovers per game which leads the conference and is ninth in the country and their 9.5 steals top the Big 12 and rank 15th nationally. With the success on both sides of the ball they have an average scoring margin of 20.7 points per game the second highest in the Big 12 and the sixth highest in the country.

The Cyclones are led by the duo of Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson. Momcilovic a junior forward leads them in scoring with 18.8 points per game, good for eighth in the Big 12.  He uses his 3-point shot, leading the country at 54.1 percent. Jefferson  a senior forward fills up the stat sheet. He averages 17.4 points per game, leads the team with 7.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, and adds 1.5 steals per game. He leads the country as one of three players to post two triple doubles. Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is the other Cyclone to average double figure scoring with 13.2 per night. Lipsey makes his mark on the defensive end. He leads the Big 12 and is 21st in the country with 2.4 steals per game. He has taken care of the ball as well leading the conference and is third in the country with a 4.8 assist-to turnover ratio.

THE SERIES: This will be the 152nd meeting between Colorado and Iowa State, which is the second most played series in program history trailing only Kansas. Iowa State holds a 81-70 series lead, winning a trio of meetings a season ago, first a nonconference tilt at the Maui Invitational, then in the conference opener in Boulder on Dec. 30, and finally a meeting in Ames on Feb. 18. Iowa State holds a 49-18 lead in Ames. Colorado’s last win at Hilton Coliseum was a 54-52 overtime decision on Jan. 22, 2005.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 24th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena …

Buffs lose fifth straight, falling at home to UCF, 95-86 – “You can’t let a team hit 15 (3-pointers) on your home court”

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s defense struggled against UCF, allowing 15 3-pointers as the Buffaloes dropped a 95-86 decision Saturday afternoon at the CU Events Center    

Tad Boyle‘s Buffs fell to 12-8 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play while the Knights improved to 15-4, 4-3.

The Buffs trailed by as many as 15 points with 6:48 left in the game, and, as in the past few games, Colorado mounted a late rally but couldn’t get closer than six points. UCF built its lead back up to double figures before a last-second basket cut the final difference to nine points.

“We want to take away three-point shooters,” Barrington Hargress said. “Some of the shooters got off. No. 11, Carmelo (Pacheco) had three in the first half. So that’s a shooter on our scout. So some of it was our defense, some of it was shots that we were willing to live with. But either way, you can’t let a team hit 15 (3-pointers) on your home court.”

Colorado had three 20-point scorers with Hargress, Isaiah Johnson, and Sebastian Rancik scoring 20 points. This was the first game with three 20-point scorers since February 9, 2014, against Washington. Bangot Dak added 11 points and nine rebounds.

Riley Kugel led the way for the Knights, scoring 22 points off six 3-pointers.

UCF shot over 60% from the field and from the 3-point line, both the highest marks allowed this season. The Knights finished with 15 makes from deep, which is the second most allowed this season.

“UCF played their tail off tonight,” Boyle said. “We didn’t do anything to slow them down or shut them down by any means. When the team comes in your building and shoots 61% and out rebounds you by nine and you miss 27 shots. We only had four offensive rebounds. So we have to get better.”

… Continue reading story here …

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CU looking to snap four-game losing streak with home game v. UCF (1:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+)

From CUBuffs.com …

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS: UCF is 14-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12, arriving in Boulder on a two-game losing streak that includes setbacks against  No. 9 Iowa State (87-57) and No. 1 Arizona (84-77). The Knights are averaging 83.7 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent from the field. UCF uses the offensive glass to its advantage. They average 13.3 offensive rebounds per game which ranks third in the Big 12 and 37th in the country. A third of the scoring for UCF comes off the bench, averaging 25.5 bench points per game, which is fifth in the conference. The Knights are allowing 76.5 points per game, and have held opponents to 44.1 percent shooting. Coupled with the success on the offensive glass, the Knights out rebound teams by 6.5 per game. That is the second best mark in the Big 12.

The Knights have four players who average double figures in scoring. Senior guard Riley Kugel is the front man with 14.6 points per game. He is followed by fifth year guard Themus Fulks (13.7 ppg), junior forward Jordan Burks (12.7 ppg), and senior forward Jamichael Stillwell (12.3 ppg). Fulks along with his scoring gets other people involved averaging 7.2 assists per game which is second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally. On the glass, Stillwell is third in the conference with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game.

THE SERIES: This will be the fifth meeting between Colorado and UCF and the third as conference opponents. The series is tied 2-2 after the teams split last season with both winning at home. Colorado claimed the last matchup 76-63 on February 15 last year to snap a 13-game losing streak and gave the Buffs their first Big 12 win of the year. Colorado holds a 2-0 series lead in Boulder with the other win coming in 2007.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 21st 

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs battle, but fall to No. 19 Kansas, 75-69 – Boyle: “I love our fight. We’re not catching many breaks, and that’s just the way it is”

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado battled with No. 19 Kansas late into the night on Tuesday, but the Jayhawks outlasted the Buffaloes to the final whistle, 75-69, at the CU Events Center.

The loss drops the Buffaloes to 12-7 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play, while Kansas moves to 14-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

The late-night tipoff didn’t dissuade fans from coming out on Tuesday. A season-high crowd of 8,356 stuck around well into the night. Colorado student tickets also sold out for the first time since hosting Colorado State last season (Dec. 7), and for the first time in a conference matchup since playing Arizona on Feb. 10, 2024.

“It meant a lot having the student body there,” Isaiah Johnson expressed after the game. “It helped us with our energy. It’s great to see everybody come and support us, and we need that every game.”

Colorado was led by Johnson, continuing his standout freshman year with a game-high 19 points. Johnson has now led the Buffs in scoring nine times this season and continues to climb up the CU freshman scoring list. He became just the 14th CU rookie to score 300 points, jumping into 13th with 304 points.

Barrington Hargress and Alon Michaeli also hit double figures on the night. Hargress finished 6-for-15 from the field with 17 points, while Michaeli totaled 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

“Tough loss for the Buffaloes,” head coach Tad Boyle noted. “Kansas was better tonight. Obviously, they out-rebounded us. I love the fight of our guys. I love the fight of this team, and we cannot lose that, and we will not lose that. You know, it starts with me, but I love our team, I love our guys, I love our fight. We’re not catching many breaks, and that’s just the way it is.

“Honor Huff banks in a 3 at West Virginia when we’re up six with a couple of minutes to go. And tonight, Darryn Peterson does it. We had our chances, you know, I thought we had some really good looks offensively in the second half, but hey, we got to play better. We got to play better.”

… Continue reading story here …

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January 20th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena …

Buffs wearing black in late night tilt against No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks (9:00 p.m., MT, ESPN) 

From CUBuffs.com …

The Jayhawks are led by freshman guard Darryn Peterson who leads the team in scoring with 22.2 points per game, but has only been able to play in nine games due to injury. He scored 26 points in only 23 minutes against Baylor. He has scored over 20 points in six of his nine games and has yet to score less than 16 points in a game. Kansas has three other players averaging double figures in scoring: senior guard Tre White (14.9), sophomore forward Flory Bidunga (14.2), and senior guard Melvin Council Jr. (13.2). Bidunga leads the defense with 2.6 blocks per game, that mark leads the Big 12 and is eighth in the country. On the other side of the court he is efficient, making 65.5 percent of his shots, good for second in the Big 12 and 10th in the nation.

THE SERIES: This will be the 167th meeting between Colorado and Kansas, the most played series in program history. The series dates back to January 1931 and was played annually from 1947 through 2011 when the teams were together in the Big Seven/Big Eight/Big 12 Conferences. Last season the Jayhawks swept the season series including a 71-64 win in Boulder. Kansas holds a 126-40 all-time lead in the series including a 41-27 advantage in Boulder.

… Read full story here …

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January 17th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena …

Buffs fall on the road, 72-61, to West Virginia – Boyle: “We didn’t string together enough stops”

From CUBuffs.com … With continuing rebounding struggles and a slow start for the second-straight game, Colorado fell to West Virginia 72-61, Saturday evening at Hope Coliseum.

The loss drops Tad Boyle‘s Buffs to 12-6 and 2-3 in the Big 12, and West Virginia improves to 12-6 and 3-2 in conference play.

Barrington Hargress led the Buffs in scoring with 15 points and added five assists. Colorado had three other players reach double figures in scoring. Isaiah Johnson, in his first career start, had 12 points, Bangot Dak added 11, and Sebastian Rancik finished with 10 points.

Treysen Eaglestaff was the front man for the Mountaineers, scoring a game-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field. West Virginia registered four players with more than 10 points and four with at least six rebounds.

After trailing for most of the first half and early in the second, the Buffs used a 12-2 run to take their first and only lead of the game 43-42 with 13:37 left in the game. The rest of the game, West Virginia outscored Colorado 30-15 before a last-second 3-pointer from Johnson.

“We didn’t string together enough stops,” Boyle said on the momentum after taking the lead. “That’s the whole key with West Virginia; you’ve got to string together stops. The best way to score on them is in transition. You can’t score on them in transition if you’re taking the ball out of the net.”

In what has become a common theme for Colorado this season, the team struggled on the glass. West Virginia outrebounded the Buffs by 16. In the first half of the 12 missed shots, the Mountaineers secured offensive rebounds on half of them.

“We have to guard better,” Boyle said. “Because we hang our hat on defense and rebounding. The problem is there’s no hook there. There’s no hook to hang it on. West Virginia can hang their hat on their defense, and it showed tonight. We can’t. We can’t hang our hook on our rebounding; they can hang, that’s the bottom line.”

To keep the game close, the Buffs got out in transition, scoring 11 points compared to only five for West Virginia.

… Continue reading story here …

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Buffs taking on Mountaineers in CU’s first ever game in the state of West Virginia

From CUBuffs.com …

ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS: West Virginia is 11-6 overall 2-2 in the Big 12 and returns home to Morgantown after falling to No. 7 Houston on the road 77-48. The Mountaineers are averaging 73.2 points per game, shooting 45.1 percent from the field. West Virginia attempts 23.9 3-pointers a game and hitting 36.6 percent from long range, both numbers ranking sixth in the Big 12. Defensively, the Mountaineers are allowing 63.2 points per game, and have held opponents to 40.4 percent shooting. They are second in scoring defense in the Big 12 and seventh in the nation. They don’t accomplish that by forcing a high number of turnovers, they sit at 12.1 per game which is 11th in the Big 12. They force missed shots, their field goal percentage defense is fourth in the conference.

THE SERIES: This will be only the third meeting between Colorado and West Virginia on the hardwood. Both of the matchups came last season with the two teams splitting the series. The Mountaineers took the first game 78-70 in Boulder, but the Buffaloes claimed the rematch in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament 67-60. This will be Colorado’s first ever game in the state of West Virginia.

… Read full story here …

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January 15th 

… CU in the Arena … 

Same song, different venue in CU’s 77-68 loss to Cincinnati – “We lost this game in the first half, there’s no doubt about it”

From CUBuffs.com … A slow start doomed Colorado Wednesday night against Cincinnati, as the Buffaloes fell to the Bearcats, 77-68, at Fifth Third Arena.

Tad Boyle‘s Buffs fell to 12-5 and 2-2 in the Big 12 while the Bearcats improved to 9-8 and 1-3 in conference play.

The game mirrored the last outing against Texas Tech in Boulder. The Buffs got down big, this time as much as 21 early in the second half, and just like before, a furious run gave Colorado a chance.

Throughout the second half, Colorado chipped into the lead. Down 12 points with four minutes left, an 8-0 run cut the lead to four with 1:27 remaining. Cincinnati wouldn’t make another basket but hit nine free throws to ice the game and the fend off the Buffaloes’ comeback attempt.

“Cincinnati was the tougher team tonight, and that was evident from the jump,” Boyle said. “We wanted to really come out and be the ones to throw the first punch and get them on their heels, but they did to us, and we knew this was going to be a physical game. We knew they’d be aggressive. We lost this game in the first half, there’s no doubt about it.”

Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson led the team in scoring with 18 points, 16 coming in the second half. Bangot Dak added 12 points and a team-leading seven rebounds and four assists, while Barrington Hargress contributed 14 points.

Cincinnati was led by Baba Miller, who finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Moustapha Thiam was the only other Bearcat in double figures and finished with 15 points to go along with two blocks and two steals.

Turnovers were the swing factor of the game. Colorado finished with 17 that led to 30 points for Cincinnati. That compares to only 10 turnovers that led to 18 points from the Bearcats.

“They’re (Cincinnati’s defense) in the ball, they’re showing hard on ball screens, they weren’t trapping, but they were getting their hands on passes,” Boyle commented on the turnovers. “We were getting passes deflected that turned into steals, so it was just their pressure. We knew the pressure was coming. We talked about it. You have to attack pressure, and you have to attack it under control. That’s how you end up with 17 turnovers, and they have 30 points off those, and that’s the game. It’s the points off turnovers. Their defense won the game, and our softness, which I’ve used that word, unfortunately, a lot with this team on offense, cost us the game.”

The Buffs outshot the Bearcats from the 3-point line, making seven on 35 percent shooting compared to only three makes on 19 percent for Cincinnati. But the Bearcats made 24 free throws to only 11 for Colorado to make up for the margin.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 14th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs in Cincinnati for the first time since 1981 (5:00 p.m., MT, Peacock) 

From CUBuffs.com …

ABOUT THE BEARCATS: Cincinnati is 8-8 overall 0-3 in the Big 12, returning home after dropping two games on the road including a heartbreaking 73-72 loss to then No. 25 UCF. The Bearcats are averaging 73.6 points per game, shooting 42.5 percent from the field. Cincinnati attempts 28.5 3-pointers a game which ranks second in the Big 12, but only makes 31.1 percent which is last in the conference. Due to the high volume, Cincinnati makes 8.9 per game which is good for fourth in the Big 12. Defensively, the Bearcats are allowing 65.8 points per game, and have held opponents to 40.7 percent shooting. Cincinnati forces 14.6 turnovers per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12 to only 12.5 committed for a 2.1 turnover margin.

The Bearcats are led by senior forward Baba Miller who leads the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game. Miller controls the glass with 8.4 defensive rebounds per game which is second in the country and leads the Big 12. In total rebounds Miller averages 10.6 per game, good for ninth in the nation and second in the conference. Cincinnati has two other players who average double-digits in points: graduate guard Day Day Thomas (12.4) and sophomore center Moustapha Thiam (11.4). Thomas leads the team shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range. His prolific shooting ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 17th in the country. He shoots that clip on 2.5 3-pointers a game which is the 10th most in the conference.

THE SERIES: This will be the 10th meeting between Colorado and Cincinnati and the second in 43 years. Cincinnati holds a 8-1 advantage, winning the first seven before the Buffaloes picked their lone win, 79-65, on Dec. 18, 1982, at the CU Events Center. Cincinnati has won all three matchups on its home court with the last win coming on Dec. 28, 1981, an 87-76 victory.

Colorado and Cincinnati met six times in the 1960s, an era where both program enjoyed success on a national level. The teams battled in consecutive NCAA Midwest Regional Finals in 1962 and ’63, with the Bearcats winning both over the reigning two-time Big Eight champions. Cincinnati’s 1962 team won its second-straight NCAA title and fell just short of a three-peat in 1963, falling to Loyola Chicago in the NCAA championship game.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 11th 

… CU in the Arena … 

CU’s furious rally against No. 14 Texas Tech comes up just short, with the Buffs falling, 73-71

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado staged a furious second half rally Saturday but the Buffaloes came up just short against Texas Tech, dropping an 73-71 decision at the CU Events Center.

Tad Boyle‘s Buffs fell to 12-4 and 2-1 in the Big 12, and the Red Raiders improved to 12-4, 2-1.

After trailing by as much as 24 points early in the second half, the Buffs, sparked by a 20-3 run, rallied back. Down five, Sebastian Rancik hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points. After getting a stop, Colorado had a chance to win the game on a Barrington Hargress 3-pointer, but the shot rimmed out.

“We had no timeout,” Hargress said on the final shot. “We were really focused on getting that stop and giving ourselves a chance to either put the game in overtime or get the win. We took care of that part. Then, Isaiah and I were looking to get a good shot up.”

Colorado was led by freshman Isaiah Johnson, who scored all of his 21 points in the second half and shot 13-13 at the free-throw line. Hargress scored 17 points, and Rancik added 13 points and eight rebounds.

Texas Tech had four players in double figures, led by Donovan Atwell, who made five 3-pointers. JT Toppin filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. LeJuan Watts also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The stretch to end the first half and start the second led to a big deficit, but in the final 13 minutes of the game, Colorado outscored Texas Tech 36-15. In the first half, the Red Raiders made eight 3-pointers on 47.1%, but in the second half, they were held to 21.4% on three makes.

“We found out when we took our trip to Australia that we have a really competitive team that won’t budge for anything,” Boyle commented on the comeback. “It took us a while to wake up, and the biggest thing we talked about after the game was that if we can be that competitive team you guys saw in the last six minutes of the game, we can play with anybody. So, that really has to be our consistent approach.”

As has been a common problem so far this season, Texas Tech finished with 16 offensive rebounds and converted them into 10 second-chance points.

“This year’s Achilles heel is our inability to finish possessions,” Boyle said. “It’s not about winning and losing to me, I told myself that I’m not going to let my emotional state be dictated by wins and losses. I’m going to let my emotional state be dictated by how our team is executing, how we are, how we execute, and every game plan is to finish possessions when we get our stops. You don’t get an offensive rebound unless a shot goes up and doesn’t go in. So when they shoot it and it goes in, that’s a basket. There’s no offensive rebound when they shoot it and miss it. Now there’s either a defensive rebound or an offensive rebound. Our problem is too many offensive rebounds for the opponent, and it’s happened all year.”

… Continue reading story here …

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January 10th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs taking on No. 14 Texas Tech in “Gold Rush” game / Alec Burks to be honored

Texas Tech, Saturday, January 10, 2026
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 5:05 p.m. MT
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis, Chris Walker, Brandon Baylor) https://buffs.me/454HT3o
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 383, SXM App 973 https://sxm.app.link/SXM973
Live Statistics:http://statb.us/b/611127

ABOUT THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech is 11-4  overall 1-1 in the Big 12 and ranked No. 14 in the country, heading to Boulder after dropping its first conference game on the road to No. 7 Houston 69-65. The Red Raiders are averaging 83.7 points per game, shooting 46.8 percent from the field. Texas Tech attempts 29 3-pointers a game and makes them at a 37.7 percent clip, both numbers ranking second the Big 12. With the high percentage on that many attempts they make 10.9 per game which leads the conference and is 14th in the country. Defensively, the Red Raiders are allowing 73.3 points per game, and have held opponents to 44.3 percent shooting. Texas Tech averages 6.7 steals and 3.6 blocks per game and commits the second fewest turnovers in the Big 12 with 10.9 per game.

The Red Raiders are led by the duo of  junior forward JT Toppin and sophomore guard Christian Anderson. Toppin leads team with 20.9 points per game which ranks fourth in the conference and 20th in the nation and 10.9 rebounds per game which ranks second in the Big 12 and ninth in the nation. Anderson averages 19.6 points per game  and 7.5 assists per game which leads the Big 12 and is fourth in the country. Texas Tech has two other players who average double-digits in points: junior forward LeJuan Watts (13.4) and senior guard Donovan Atwell (11.4).  Atwell makes his presence known from beyond the arc. He has put up the third most 3-pointers in the Big 12 with 114 and has made 48 which is fourth in the conference and 27th in the country on 42.1 percent shooting which is seventh in the conference and 39th in the nation.

THE SERIES: This will be the 33rd meeting between Colorado and  Texas Tech and the first in Boulder since the Buffaloes’ departure to the Pac-12 in 2011. Colorado holds an 18-14 series lead, winning two of the last three played in Colorado. The last game in Boulder was a 101-90 Buffaloes win on Mar. 6, 2010. Colorado holds a 10-3 advantage in Boulder.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 8th

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs hold off Utah, 85-73, to open Big 12 play 2-0 – Tad Boyle: “The ceiling of this team is still higher than where we’re playing”

From CUBuffs.com …  Colorado’s Bangot Dak recorded his fourth career double-double, and the Buffaloes held off Utah down the stretch Wednesday to collect an 85-73 win at the CU Events Center, giving the Buffs a 2-0 start in the Big 12 for just the third time.

Tad Boyle‘s Buffs improved to 11-3 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play. The Utes lost their third in a row, falling to 8-7, 0-2.

Dak finished the game with 16 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, with three blocks and one steal for the game. Sebastian Rancik led the team with 19 points. Off the bench, Isaiah Johnson added 12 points, and Alon Michaeli tallied 10 points.

Don McHenery led the Utes with 24 points, and Terrance Brown added 16 points. After halftime, the Buffs held the scoring duo to only 10 points combined.

The Buffs led by 10 points at multiple points throughout the game, but couldn’t push the lead further. After Utah cut the lead to two points, 69-67 with 3:58 remaining, Colorado finished the game on a 16-6 run, playing strong on both sides of the ball to win by double-digits.

On defense, the Buffs used a zone defense more than they had at any point this season but held Utah to shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range.

“It helps us get into our press, try to speed their guards up, and to take some time off the clock, and then it’s just a different type of defense,” Rancik on the zone. “Like Coach [Boyle] always says, to play any defense, you just have to play hard. It’s the same as man, just a little of a different concept.”

A big difference came from the bench. Colorado outscored Utah 33-8 in bench points led by Johnson and Michaeli as well as nine points from Josiah Sanders.

“I think Josiah [Sanders], Jalin [Holland], Isaiah [Johnson], and Alon [Michaeli], those four guys coming off the bench are pretty darn good,” Boyle commented on the bench. “I think the depth of this team is one of the strengths of this team. Our bench is huge, and Isaiah is a big part of that, but he’s not the only part of that. I’m really pleased with him. I say this all the time, but the ceiling of this team is still higher than where we’re playing.”

New Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo attended his first official athletic event in front of Buff Nation and spoke to the faithful at halftime. He told the fans, “When we are united in our purpose and aligned in our vision, there is absolutely no limit to what we can achieve here. We’re going to lock arms shoulder to shoulder, and we’re going to have some fun. We’re going to win some games, win some championships, and we’re going to make this great state proud.”

… Continue reading story here …

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January 7th – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena … 

Buffs open Big 12 conference home slate against 8-8 Utah (7:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+)

From CUBuffs.com …

Utah, Wednesday, January 7, 2026
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4qi59Dm
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 381, SXM App 971 https://sxm.app.link/SXM971
Live Statistics:http://statb.us/b/611121

ABOUT THE UTES: Utah is 8-6 overall and heads to Boulder after dropping its first conference game at home to No. 1 Arizona 97-78. The Utes are averaging 80.9 points per game, shooting 47.0 percent from the field. Utah makes 15.9 free throw’s per game which ranks seventh in the Big 12. Defensively, the Utes are allowing 79.8 points per game, and have held opponents to 46.5 percent shooting. Utah forces 10.6 turnovers per game and allows teams to shoot 34 percent from the 3-point line.

Junior guard Terrence Brown leads the Utes at 21.8 points per game which ranks third in the Big 12 and 12th in the NCAA. Brown also leads the team with 4.1 assists per game, 1.86 steals per game, and 89 made free throws which lead the Big 12 and 14th in the country. The Utes have two other players who average double-digits in points: 5th year guard Don McHenry (18.1) and junior forward Keanu Dawes (12.4).  Dawes makes an impact on the defensive side of the ball with 7.0 defensive rebounds per game. He has the second most defensive rebounds per game in the Big 12 and 12th in the country so far this season.

THE SERIES: This will be the 64th meeting between Colorado and Utah with the Buffaloes holding a 35-28 advantage. Utah won the only matchup in 2025, a 72-59 decision in Salt Lake City. Colorado won two of three meetings in 2024 in the final year of the Pac-12. The teams split their regular season series, both winning at home. The Buffaloes won the rubber match with a 72-58 decision in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Colorado holds a 23-7 series lead in Boulder.

BD CAREER BLOCKS: With his next blocked shot, junior Bangot Dak will enter Colorado’s career top 20 in that category. He enters the Utah contest with 72 over 72 career games (1.0 bpg), just one behind Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (2006-09), currently in 20th place with 73. Dak is 13 blocks away from entering the top 15.

… Continue reading story here …

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January 3rd – Game Day!

… CU in the Arena …

Buffs bounce back with a road win in their Big 12 opener, take down Arizona State, 95-89

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s Barrington Hargress scored 17 points in the first half and Isaiah Johnson scored nine of the Buffaloes’ final 13 points to secure CU’s first Big 12 road win since rejoining the league last season.

Colorado snaps a two-game losing streak and improves to 11-3 on the season and opens 1-0 in the Big 12.  ASU falls to 9-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.

To clarify, it’s not CU’s first conference road win in that stretch, just in the Big 12, as CU was 0-10 a year ago in road league games.  CU did win the final two road conference games against the Oregon schools in the 2023-24 season. It’s the Buffs first win in a road conference opener since beating ASU back in the 2019-20season.

Johnson led the Buffs in scoring with 19 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the line and two from behind the arc.  Sebastian Rancik had a stellar game, as well, scoring 18 points, hitting 12-of-14 from the line, including the final two to ice the game.  Hargress’ 17 points in the first half allowed the Buffs to take a 48-38 lead into the break.

All nine Buffs that played scored four or more points, with Jalin Holland scoring seven, Felix Kossaras, Elijah Malone and Alon Michaeli six apiece and Josiah Sanders rounded it out with four points.

Dak added 10 rebounds for his third career double-double, and Sanders led the way with five assists in the game.  Sanders and Johnson each had two steals, Johnon’s second one key in the final minute of the game, and Rancik added six rebounds and led the way with two blocks.

In a physical game that saw 49 fouls called between the two teams, the Buffs used a 13-3 run mid way through the first half to turn a tied game (14-14) into a 27-17 lead.  The Buffs held that lead in double figures into the second half before ASU began to chip away, briefly taking two leads late in the game before Johnson had his late flurry of points to allow the Buffs to hang on for the victory.

… Continue reading story here …

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Buffs looking to bounce back in first Big 12 road game (at Arizona State, 3:00 p.m., MT, ESPN2)

From CUBuffs.com …

Arizona State, Saturday, January 3, 2026
Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
Tip: 3:05 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN2 (Dave Pasch, Sean Farnham) https://buffs.me/493gG3z
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 391, SXM App 981 https://sxm.app.link/SXM981
Live Statistics: https://buffs.me/3MZGk0A

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado enters the Big 12 Conference portion of its schedule with a record of 10-3. The 10 wins during the nonconference season are the most for the Buffaloes since the 2019-20 season (11-2).

After an 8-0 start, Colorado’s best in 76 years, the Buffaloes have dropped their last two and three of their last five, coming off an 86-81 setback against Northern Colorado on Dec. 28. Colorado, which was 9-2 during the nonconference schedule a year ago, didn’t win its 10th game last season until Feb. 15.

Colorado’s offense has been strong during nonconference play, ranking among the nation’s best in several categories. The Buffaloes are 26th in the nation in field goal shooting at 50 percent, which also ranks third in the Big 12 Conference. Colorado is 41st in the nation, and fifth in the Big 12, in 3-point percentage (.377).

ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS: Arizona State is 9-4 overall and starts conference play on a two-game losing streak after falling to a Oregon State 78-75 at home and UCLA 90-77 on the road. The Sun Devils are averaging 80.0 points per game, shooting 46.4 percent from the field. ASU has been solid at getting to the free throw line, they are second in the Big 12 in free throw attempts per game with 25.5. Defensively, the Sun Devils are allowing 75.2 points per game, and have held opponents to 43.8 percent shooting. Arizona State has had success taking care of the ball with a 3.2 turnover margin which is fifth in the Big 12.

Senior guard Moe Odom leads the Sun Devil’s at 16.2 points per game. Odom also is third in the Big 12 with 6.2 assists per game, that ranks 19th in the NCAA. The Sun Devils have two other players who average double-digits in points: senior guard Anthony Johnson (13.6) and freshman center Massamba Diop (13.2).  Diop makes an impact on the defensive side of the ball with1.46 blocks per game. He has the 10th most total blocks in the Big 12 so far this season.

THE SERIES: This will be the 31st meeting between Colorado and Arizona State with the Buffaloes holding a 16-14 edge in the series. The Sun Devil’s took both games last season in the first meetings in the Big 12. Arizona State holds a 10-4 advantage in Tempe although three of those Colorado wins have come in the last five trips

… Read full story here …

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Tags: Alon Michaeli, Bangot Dak, Barrington Hargrass, Elijah Malone, Felix Kossaras, Isaiah Johnson, Jalin Holland, Sebastian Rancik, Tad Boyle
This post, about the Colorado Basketball game, from the 2025 Season, is filed under Article.
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