Colorado University Athletics
Monday, November 3
Boulder, Colo.
7 p.m.
Colorado
vs
Montana State
Barrington Hargress
Photo by: Tyler Davis
Buffs Open Season Against Montana State
November 02, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Game 1 - Montana State, Monday, November 3, 2025
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4ny9znq
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Jerry Schemmel)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 380, SXM App 970
Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/611122
OPENERS: Colorado is 87-35 (.713) in all-time season openers and has won its last nine. The Buffaloes are 13-2 under head coach Tad Boyle and 40-5 in overall season openers since 1980-81.
The Buffaloes are 98-24 (.803) all-time in home openers, have won their last 17 and 23 of their last 24. Boyle's teams are 15-0 in home openers.
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 136-41 (.768) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including an 89-24 mark (.788) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 104-8 (.929) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 7-2 mark in postseason action.
RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
- 14 of their last 21
- 27 of 35 (27-8)
- 40 of 53 (40-13)
- 63 of 84 (63-21)
- 76 of 99 (76-23)
- 91 of 116 (91-25)
- 103 of 131 (103-28)
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 204-47 at home (.813). The Buffaloes are 517-198 (.723) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 16 seasons.
EXHIBITION RECAP: Colorado used a huge second half to run away with a 92-66 exhibition win over Grace (Ind.) College, Oct. 19 at the CU Events Center.
After trailing by three points at halftime, the Buffaloes surged ahead with a dominant 58-point second half. The Buffaloes capitalized on Grace's 20 turnovers, converting them into 21 points, while also outscoring Grace 46-24 in the paint. The Buffs' bench contributed 40 points to secure the win.
Isaiah Johnson led the scoring with 21 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and added two steals. Jalin Holland contributed 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and collected three steals while also dishing out four assists. Alon Michaeli posted 12 points and recorded two steals, adding five rebounds. Josiah Sanders tallied 11 points and distributed a team-high five assists, along with two rebounds.
A defensive mindset is what sparked the Buffaloes in the second half. Michaeli had back-to-back steals, the first resulting in a pair of free throws and the second a breakaway dunk that gave the Buffaloes a 49-44 lead, their best since the opening minutes of the game.
Elijah Malone scored on a 3-point play to give Colorado it's first double-digit lead at 58-48. Grace's Hunter Walston countered with one of his own to briefly knock CU's lead back to seven.
From there, Colorado took control of the game, thanks to a 16-0 run. Andrew Crawford hit a 3-pointer and Felix Kossaras scored on three-straight fast-break layups. A Holland dunk capped off the run as the Buffaloes took a 74-51 lead with just under six minutes remaining.
Colorado forced 15 of Grace's 20 turnovers in the second half. The Buffaloes held the Lancers to 29 second-half points, compared to allowing 37 in the first period.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State was 15-18 in 2024-25, placing fifth in the Big Sky Conference at 9-9.
The Bobcats have five returning players and 10 newcomers on their squad this season. Redshirt senior guard Patrick McMahon is Montana State's leading returning scorer at 9.9 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field last season. Senior Jed Miller is the only other Bobcat with significant playing time in 2024-25, averaging 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 33 games off the bench. MSU does get back Jeremiah Davis, who saw action in just eight games before an injury ended his season.
Montana State brings in seven transfers including Chris Hodges (Wisconsin), Christian King (Washington), Waka Mbatch (Florida State) and Jaden Steppe (Colorado State).
Montana State was picked to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Big Sky Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and sixth in the media's version of the preseason poll.
THE SERIES: This will be the ninth all-time meeting between Colorado and Montana State, with the Bobcats holding a 6-2 series lead. The Buffaloes one the last meeting a 94-90 overtime decision on Nov. 9, 2021 in the season opener. The last two meetings have gone to overtime. Montana State's last win was an extra period session at the CU Events Center, defeating the Buffaloes 85-82 on Nov. 18, 2008. The series is tied 2-2 in Boulder.
BOYLE MILESTONES: Head coach Tad Boyle, entering his 16th season, is the winningest men's basketball head coach in program history with a career record of 312-204. He picked up milestone win No. 300 against his former team, Northern Colorado, on Nov. 8, 2024.
Boyle-led teams own 10 of the 14 20-win seasons in team history, the top five single-season win totals and seven of the top eight. He owns the second-best winning percentage in team history with at least four seasons coached at .606, trailing Forrest "Frosty" Cox who was 147-89 (.623) from 1936-50.
During Colorado's 13-year stint in the Pac-12 Conference, Boyle won 131 regular season league games, tying with Ernie Kent (Oregon 1998-2010 & Washington State 2014-19) for 17th in conference history.
Boyle owns the most wins at a state of Colorado NCAA Division I institution. He is 368-270 (.577) in his 20th year between Colorado and Northern Colorado (four seasons, 2006-10). Boyle is currently fifth in career wins for a head coach at any Colorado four-year school.
GOLD STANDARD: Colorado is 96-6 in the Tad Boyle era when meeting the program's "Gold Standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less from the field and having a plus-8 rebounding edge. The Buffaloes met that mark seven times in 2024-25 (7-0).
PRESEASON POLLS: For the second-straight season, Colorado was picked to finish 15th in the annual Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll released Oct. 16. The conference debuted a Media Preseason Poll this which also slated the Buffaloes for a 15th place finish. Arizona State took the bottom spot in both polls.
Houston was the consensus favorite to repeat its Big 12 title. Both polls had the same teams in the top five. BYU was second in the coaches' poll and Texas Tech third with those teams swapping places in the media version. Arizona was picked fourth with Iowa State fifth in both polls.
AUSTRALIA TRIP: Colorado enjoyed a summer to remember with a four-game exhibition tour in Australia (July 23-Aug. 5).
Colorado finished its tour of Australia with a 2-2 record. The Buffaloes opened with a 92-82 win over Hoop City in Melbourne. Sebastian Rancik led the Buffaloes with 25 points, hitting 7 of 13 from the field, knocking down three 3-pointers and 8 of 9 from the line. Elijah Malone had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Colorado then rolled to a 100-88 win over the Gold Coast Rollers, an NBL1 North team that competes in the Gold Coast City Regional Basketball Association. It was a well-balanced effort for the Buffaloes. Six players scored in double figures while six collected at least four rebounds. Malone topped the team in scoring with 15 points, hitting 6 of 7 from the field, missing only on a 3-point attempt.
The marquee event of the trip was a meeting with The Boomers, Australia's Men's National Team. The Boomers held off the Buffaloes, 93-87 in front of 5,000 fans at the Gold Coast Leisure Centre. Isaiah Johnson led Colorado off the bench with 19 points, hitting 6 of 10 from the field. Rancik scored 16 points while grabbing five rebounds. The Boomers used this game as a tune-up for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup, which they eventually won in August.
Colorado wrapped up the four-game tour by dropping a 93-74 decision to the Sydney Kings in Sydney. No official stats were kept during the contest, but it was a tight battle through three quarters before the host Kings pulled away in the fourth. Colorado led by two at the half (34-32) and trailed by only four through three (59-55). Sydney, affiliated with the NBL, Australia's professional basketball league, wore down the young Buffaloes down the stretch, outscoring Colorado 34-19 over the final 10 minutes.
The tour took place at an ideal time for Colorado, which features 10 newcomers, including eight freshmen. Along with the four exhibition games, the Buffaloes were allowed 10 practices leading up to the trip.
Along with competing in exhibition games, the Buffaloes explored some of Australia's finest attractions, including tours of the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House. Colorado also attended an Australian Football League game in Melbourne and the Australia Zoo near Brisbane.
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4ny9znq
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Jerry Schemmel)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 380, SXM App 970
Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/611122
OPENERS: Colorado is 87-35 (.713) in all-time season openers and has won its last nine. The Buffaloes are 13-2 under head coach Tad Boyle and 40-5 in overall season openers since 1980-81.
The Buffaloes are 98-24 (.803) all-time in home openers, have won their last 17 and 23 of their last 24. Boyle's teams are 15-0 in home openers.
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 136-41 (.768) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including an 89-24 mark (.788) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 104-8 (.929) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 7-2 mark in postseason action.
RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
- 14 of their last 21
- 27 of 35 (27-8)
- 40 of 53 (40-13)
- 63 of 84 (63-21)
- 76 of 99 (76-23)
- 91 of 116 (91-25)
- 103 of 131 (103-28)
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 204-47 at home (.813). The Buffaloes are 517-198 (.723) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 16 seasons.
EXHIBITION RECAP: Colorado used a huge second half to run away with a 92-66 exhibition win over Grace (Ind.) College, Oct. 19 at the CU Events Center.
After trailing by three points at halftime, the Buffaloes surged ahead with a dominant 58-point second half. The Buffaloes capitalized on Grace's 20 turnovers, converting them into 21 points, while also outscoring Grace 46-24 in the paint. The Buffs' bench contributed 40 points to secure the win.
Isaiah Johnson led the scoring with 21 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and added two steals. Jalin Holland contributed 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and collected three steals while also dishing out four assists. Alon Michaeli posted 12 points and recorded two steals, adding five rebounds. Josiah Sanders tallied 11 points and distributed a team-high five assists, along with two rebounds.
A defensive mindset is what sparked the Buffaloes in the second half. Michaeli had back-to-back steals, the first resulting in a pair of free throws and the second a breakaway dunk that gave the Buffaloes a 49-44 lead, their best since the opening minutes of the game.
Elijah Malone scored on a 3-point play to give Colorado it's first double-digit lead at 58-48. Grace's Hunter Walston countered with one of his own to briefly knock CU's lead back to seven.
From there, Colorado took control of the game, thanks to a 16-0 run. Andrew Crawford hit a 3-pointer and Felix Kossaras scored on three-straight fast-break layups. A Holland dunk capped off the run as the Buffaloes took a 74-51 lead with just under six minutes remaining.
Colorado forced 15 of Grace's 20 turnovers in the second half. The Buffaloes held the Lancers to 29 second-half points, compared to allowing 37 in the first period.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State was 15-18 in 2024-25, placing fifth in the Big Sky Conference at 9-9.
The Bobcats have five returning players and 10 newcomers on their squad this season. Redshirt senior guard Patrick McMahon is Montana State's leading returning scorer at 9.9 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field last season. Senior Jed Miller is the only other Bobcat with significant playing time in 2024-25, averaging 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 33 games off the bench. MSU does get back Jeremiah Davis, who saw action in just eight games before an injury ended his season.
Montana State brings in seven transfers including Chris Hodges (Wisconsin), Christian King (Washington), Waka Mbatch (Florida State) and Jaden Steppe (Colorado State).
Montana State was picked to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Big Sky Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and sixth in the media's version of the preseason poll.
THE SERIES: This will be the ninth all-time meeting between Colorado and Montana State, with the Bobcats holding a 6-2 series lead. The Buffaloes one the last meeting a 94-90 overtime decision on Nov. 9, 2021 in the season opener. The last two meetings have gone to overtime. Montana State's last win was an extra period session at the CU Events Center, defeating the Buffaloes 85-82 on Nov. 18, 2008. The series is tied 2-2 in Boulder.
BOYLE MILESTONES: Head coach Tad Boyle, entering his 16th season, is the winningest men's basketball head coach in program history with a career record of 312-204. He picked up milestone win No. 300 against his former team, Northern Colorado, on Nov. 8, 2024.
Boyle-led teams own 10 of the 14 20-win seasons in team history, the top five single-season win totals and seven of the top eight. He owns the second-best winning percentage in team history with at least four seasons coached at .606, trailing Forrest "Frosty" Cox who was 147-89 (.623) from 1936-50.
During Colorado's 13-year stint in the Pac-12 Conference, Boyle won 131 regular season league games, tying with Ernie Kent (Oregon 1998-2010 & Washington State 2014-19) for 17th in conference history.
Boyle owns the most wins at a state of Colorado NCAA Division I institution. He is 368-270 (.577) in his 20th year between Colorado and Northern Colorado (four seasons, 2006-10). Boyle is currently fifth in career wins for a head coach at any Colorado four-year school.
GOLD STANDARD: Colorado is 96-6 in the Tad Boyle era when meeting the program's "Gold Standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less from the field and having a plus-8 rebounding edge. The Buffaloes met that mark seven times in 2024-25 (7-0).
PRESEASON POLLS: For the second-straight season, Colorado was picked to finish 15th in the annual Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll released Oct. 16. The conference debuted a Media Preseason Poll this which also slated the Buffaloes for a 15th place finish. Arizona State took the bottom spot in both polls.
Houston was the consensus favorite to repeat its Big 12 title. Both polls had the same teams in the top five. BYU was second in the coaches' poll and Texas Tech third with those teams swapping places in the media version. Arizona was picked fourth with Iowa State fifth in both polls.
AUSTRALIA TRIP: Colorado enjoyed a summer to remember with a four-game exhibition tour in Australia (July 23-Aug. 5).
Colorado finished its tour of Australia with a 2-2 record. The Buffaloes opened with a 92-82 win over Hoop City in Melbourne. Sebastian Rancik led the Buffaloes with 25 points, hitting 7 of 13 from the field, knocking down three 3-pointers and 8 of 9 from the line. Elijah Malone had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Colorado then rolled to a 100-88 win over the Gold Coast Rollers, an NBL1 North team that competes in the Gold Coast City Regional Basketball Association. It was a well-balanced effort for the Buffaloes. Six players scored in double figures while six collected at least four rebounds. Malone topped the team in scoring with 15 points, hitting 6 of 7 from the field, missing only on a 3-point attempt.
The marquee event of the trip was a meeting with The Boomers, Australia's Men's National Team. The Boomers held off the Buffaloes, 93-87 in front of 5,000 fans at the Gold Coast Leisure Centre. Isaiah Johnson led Colorado off the bench with 19 points, hitting 6 of 10 from the field. Rancik scored 16 points while grabbing five rebounds. The Boomers used this game as a tune-up for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup, which they eventually won in August.
Colorado wrapped up the four-game tour by dropping a 93-74 decision to the Sydney Kings in Sydney. No official stats were kept during the contest, but it was a tight battle through three quarters before the host Kings pulled away in the fourth. Colorado led by two at the half (34-32) and trailed by only four through three (59-55). Sydney, affiliated with the NBL, Australia's professional basketball league, wore down the young Buffaloes down the stretch, outscoring Colorado 34-19 over the final 10 minutes.
The tour took place at an ideal time for Colorado, which features 10 newcomers, including eight freshmen. Along with the four exhibition games, the Buffaloes were allowed 10 practices leading up to the trip.
Along with competing in exhibition games, the Buffaloes explored some of Australia's finest attractions, including tours of the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House. Colorado also attended an Australian Football League game in Melbourne and the Australia Zoo near Brisbane.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballLeonardo Van Elswyk Freshman center No. 33 #basketball #coloradobuffaloes
Wednesday, October 29
Jalin Holland. Freshman guard. No. 11. #basketball #coloradobuffaloes
Tuesday, October 28
Josiah Sanders. Freshman guard. No. 5. #coloradobuffaloes #collegebasketball #gobuffs
Monday, October 27
Alon Michaeli. Freshman forward. No. 3. #coloradobuffaloes #collegebasketball #gobuffs
Monday, October 27