Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball

Best photos from Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ afternoon with CU men’s basketball

How many points would Travis Hunter have scored if he played?

Prior to CU men’s basketball’s Saturday afternoon win over Bellarmine, Colorado football stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders warmed up on the court and were even introduced as honorary players. Hunter’s Heisman Trophy was in the building, too, and the Buffs football team received an Alamo Bowl send-off at halftime.

In the actual game, Assane Diop scored a career-high 15 points as Colorado improved to 9-2 on the season. Later that same evening, the CU women’s basketball team upset No. 14 West Virginia, 65-60, in its Big 12 Conference opener.

Check out the best photos from a special afternoon at the CU Events Center:

Colorado to wrap up nonconference play against Bellarmine

The Buffs will host Bellarmine tomorrow in their final nonconference game

The 8-2 Colorado men’s basketball team is looking to stay undefeated in Boulder and close its nonconference slate strong against the 3-9 Bellarmine Knights on Saturday.

The Buffs are riding a three-game winning streak entering Saturday with home victories over Pacific, Colorado State and South Dakota State. The cozy confines of the CU Events Center have provided a much-needed boost for a Colorado team still working out the kinks of a new-look roster.

The Knights, who hail from Louisville, Kentucky, are 0-6 away from their home arena, with those losses coming by an average of 22.8 points. Bellarmine placed last in the Atlantic Sun Conference during the 2023-24 season and is looking to pull off what would be a major upset against the Buffs.

CU point guard Julian Hammond III is coming off an impressive performance against South Dakota State on Dec. 13, scoring a career-high 23 points and adding seven assists in the Buffs’ 81-70 win.

Tip off at the CU Events Center is set for 1:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+) on Saturday. Colorado football Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter will be recognized in a pregame celebration.

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Colorado men’s basketball to lock horns with rival CSU in Boulder

The Rocky Mountain Showdown is coming to the CU Events Center this weekend

In an in-state rivalry thrilling no matter the sport, the 6-2 Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team will lock horns with the 5-3 Colorado State Rams on Saturday evening in Boulder.

A former Buffalo leads the Rams in Nique Clifford, who has carved out his place among the elite mid-major players in the country. The senior forward is averaging 18.9 points and 11 rebounds per game on 57.3% shooting. On Nov. 29, he recorded a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double in CSU’s win over the Big 12’s TCU Horned Frogs.

The Buffs are amid a five-game homestand that began with a 75-66 win over the Pacific Tigers on Monday. Head coach Tad Boyle’s group is looking for redemption in the Rocky Mountain Showdown after falling to the Rams last year in Fort Collins, 88-83.

Washington State transfer forward Andrej Jakimovski leads the Buffs in scoring average through eight games (13.5), and Trevor Baskin has become a bright spot alongside him on the wing. The senior Colorado Mesa transfer did it all on Monday with 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals against Pacific.

Tip off from the CU Events Center is set for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+.

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Colorado men’s basketball returns from Maui, will host Pacific Monday

Back from Maui, the Buffs are set to battle Pacific on Monday evening

Fresh off an appearance in the Maui Invitational that included a stunning upset of No. 2 UConn sandwiched between two blowout losses, Colorado men’s basketball (5-2) will return to the cozy confines of the CU Events Center for a matchup against the Pacific Tigers (5-4) on Monday.

Head coach Tad Boyle and the Buffs are looking to bounce back from a brutal first taste of Big 12 play, a 99-71 defeat at the hands of the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones. The Buffs can improve to 5-0 at home this season with a win over the West Coast Conference’s Pacific Tigers.

The Tigers began their season with three wins, including one over San Jose State on Nov. 8, but have gone 2-4 since. Pacific went winless in WCC play last season but is now led by a transfer from the University of Victoria (Canada), Elias Ralph. The 6-foot-7 senior forward has averaged 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season.

Tip off from the CU Events Center is set for 7:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+).

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Mayhem in Maui: Colorado shocks No. 2 UConn

Take a photographic look at Colorado’s stunning win over No. 2 UConn

In a matchup that few expected to be close, Colorado men’s basketball upset the No. 2 UConn Huskies on Tuesday in the Maui Invitational.

Forward Andrej Jakimovski delivered the game-winning bucket with about 10 seconds remaining in regulation, sinking an acrobatic layup to give the Buffs their ultimate 73-72 lead. From there, Colorado’s defense held stout against the back-to-back defending national champions.

Before Tuesday, the Buffs had never beaten an AP top-four team away from Boulder in program history, according to Jake Shapiro of Denver Sports.

Colorado, which improved to 5-1 on the young season, trailed UConn 40-32 entering halftime before opening the second period on a 14-6 run. Point guard Julian Hammond III and center Elijah Malone each scored 16 points while Jakimovski recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Up next, head coach Tad Boyle and the Buffs will meet the winner of Tuesday’s Dayton-Iowa State battle on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. MT.

Check out the best photos from Colorado’s massive Maui win:

Colorado MBB to open Maui Invitational against Michigan State

Colorado will face Michigan State this afternoon in the Maui Invitational

The 4-0 Colorado men’s basketball team will get its first taste of high-level competition this week in the Maui Invitational. The Buffs will open the early-season tournament on Monday against the 4-1 Michigan State Spartans.

Head coach Tad Boyle and the Buffs are entering the Hawaii invitational coming off a solid 88-66 victory over the Harvard Crimson last week, although their first four games were far from smooth.

Senior forward Andrej Jakimovski leads CU in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. Elijah Malone has fit in comfortably at center after transferring from the NAIA level, logging 14.0 points and 5.8 rebounds through four contests.

Colorado has an opportunity to face some of the nation’s premier men’s college basketball programs in Maui. UConn, the back-to-back reigning national champions, highlight these potential opponents, but the Auburn Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones and North Carolina Tar Heels are also in the field.

The Buffs and Spartans will battle on Monday at 3 p.m. MT on ESPN2.

Depending on what happens in the first round, Colorado will face either UConn or Memphis on Tuesday.

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Andrej Jakimovski breaks out in Colorado’s drubbing of Cal State Fullerton

Andrej Jakimovski’s big night led the Buffs past Cal State Fullerton

After two uncharacteristically poor shooting nights to begin his first season in Boulder, forward Andrej Jakimovski dropped 17 points in Colorado men’s basketball’s 83-53 win over Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday.

Jakimovski, a Washington State transfer, made four 3-pointers in the first half and finished 6-for-12 from the CU Events Center floor.

“My main focus is on defense, rebound, take care of the ball and then take good shots,” Jakimovski said. “I think all the shots that I took were great shots. My teammates were great at finding me open. We moved the ball really good this game. We had 22 assists on 30 field goals, which is awesome.”

CU head coach Tad Boyle was also pleased to see Jakimovski find his shooting rhythm.

“It’s nice to see Andrej come out and make a few to get himself going because we’ve been struggling from 3 a little bit,” Boyle said.

Jakimovski and the Buffs improved to 3-0 following their most complete performance of the young season.

On a night in which no Buff played more than 22 minutes, point guard Julian Hammond III and freshman forward Sebastian Rancik followed Jakimovski with 11 points each. Guard Javon Ruffin recorded five of Colorado’s season-high 22 assists and forward Assane Diop tallied eight rebounds.

Defensively, Colorado held Cal State Fullerton to 31% from the field and 12% from deep.

“We knew that coming in they’re more of an ISO (isolation) type of team,” Hammond said. “We had to focus on guarding the ball because we know they run their actions and we knew their actions. Coach (Danny) Manning did a great job with the scout and put us in great positions.”

Up next, Colorado will host Harvard on Sunday at noon MT (ESPN+).

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CU Buffs men’s basketball requires double-overtime to beat Northern Colorado

Tad Boyle’s 300th win leading the Buffs wasn’t exactly his prettiest

Head coach Tad Boyle’s 300th win leading the Colorado men’s basketball program wasn’t exactly his prettiest.

Going up against a Northern Colorado team that lost by 22 in Boulder last year, the Buffs committed 21 turnovers and produced only nine assists in a sloppy Friday night affair. Colorado watched UNC hit a game-tying 3-pointer late in regulation before finally pulling away late in the second overtime.

The 90-88 home victory sends Colorado to 2-0 on the young season.

Center Elijah Malone was Colorado’s leading scorer by a wide margin. The junior college transfer tallied 27 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 10-for-12 from the stripe. Guards Julian Hammond III and Javon Ruffin followed with 12 points each.

Through two games, Colorado’s bench production has been a bright spot. The Buffs’ non-starters combined for 37 points against Eastern Washington on Monday and followed that up with 26 on Friday, albeit in 10 extra minutes. Bench weapons Trevor Baskin and RJ Smith each scored nine against the Bears.

Assane Diop recorded a team-high 10 rebounds and Baskin finished with nine.

Up next, Colorado will host the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).

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Colorado MBB freshman Andrew Crawford to take redshirt

A talented Colorado freshman is electing redshirt this season

The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team added a plethora of pieces to its 2024-25 roster, so it’s fair to assume that certain newcomers could get lost in the shuffle.

That assumption became a reality for freshman guard Andrew Crawford, who is now planning to redshirt this season, according to multiple reports. Head coach Tad Boyle noted that Crawford could become available down the line if injuries arise.

A native of Littleton, Colorado, Crawford was a four-star recruit at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch and the highest-ranked 2024 prospect in the state of Colorado. The 6-foot-6 combo guard was held in high regard throughout his recruiting process and adds in-state flair to a Colorado unit with seven new players.

Crawford saw the floor for seven minutes during CU’s preseason exhibition against Pomona-Pitzer and did not play in Monday’s season opener against Eastern Washington. The freshman will watch from the sidelines and preserve this year of eligibility.

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Colorado men’s basketball defeats Eastern Washington in 2024-25 lid-lifter

Colorado took care of Eastern Washington in its season opener

The new-look Colorado men’s basketball team flashed its ceiling and floor during Monday’s season opener against Eastern Washington.

While the Buffs ultimately pulled off a 76-56 home victory, their slow start against a lower-level team proved worrisome. Colorado fell behind 17 points with under seven minutes remaining in the first half before taking charge.

After entering halftime down 31-25, the Buffs’ comeback was led by Colorado Mesa transfer Trevor Baskin and freshman Sebastian Rancik, who scored 21 of their combined 25 total points in the second half. Washington State transfer Andrej Jakimovski and Javon Ruffin also finished with 11 and 12 points, respectively.

“We obviously weren’t ready to play out of the gate tonight for whatever reason, and that’s very unusual for a team like this,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said (h/t CUBuffs.com). “We turned that thing over like it was nobody’s business and then started feeling sorry for ourselves… Eastern Washington was the better-coached team and they played better than us. Thank God they got tired and they were playing at altitude. Otherwise, it would have been a loss for us, but our guys finally woke up defensively. We got some stops, strung some stuff together and got out in transition.”

Colorado outscored the Eagles 51-25 in the second half while shooting 56.3% from the field.

Now 1-0, Colorado will host Northern Colorado on Friday at 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).

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