Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, December 20
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Colorado
10-2,0-0Big 12
68
vs
77
Stanford
10-2,0-0ACC
1
2
F
Stanford
33
44
77
Colorado
35
33
68
Photo by: Tyler Davis
Buffs Fall To Stanford In Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series
December 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Colorado's late second-half rally was not enough on Saturday, and the Buffaloes dropped a 77-68 decision against Stanford in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series Phoenix at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 10-2 while the Cardinal improved to 10-2 after the first meeting between the former Pac-12 foes since 2024.
"We just got punked tonight," Boyle said. "I don't think there is any other way you can say it. We were up two points at halftime and they out rebounded us by 13 on the glass, nine offensive in the second half alone. We had seven offensive rebounds for the whole 40 minute game, they had nine in the second half. You don't have to look anywhere more than the rebounding column to see why Stanford won and why Colorado lost."
Barrington Hargress led CU with 16 points and six assists. Sebastian Rancik had 14, and Isaiah Johnson contributed 11 as the other two Buffs in double figures.
Stanford was led by freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, who set the Cardinal record for most points in a single game by a freshman with 32. He shot 6-of-13 from the field and 18-of-21 from the free throw line.
Colorado had success in the first half, creating as much as a seven-point lead by controlling the paint, but Stanford cut into the lead after holding the Buffs to only one made shot in the final five minutes of the first half.
The offensive struggles continued through most of the second half, with the Buffs starting 5-of-20 from the field, allowing Stanford to build a 16-point lead with six minutes remaining.
"They came out of halftime and out of 15 possessions, we had five stops," Hargress said. "We stopped getting stops and then we let their shooters get active and then just turning the ball over. It created a disaster, and then we didn't respond. It was a snowball effect that we let avalanche."
Colorado made seven of its last eight shots of the game in a last-ditch attempt but could not get enough stops to complete the comeback.
Despite the late offensive surge, Stanford still held Colorado to 12-of-28 from the field in the second half and forced 11 turnovers that led to 13 points and 18 total turnovers that led to 23 points in the entire game. The Buffs held the Cardinal to 11-of-25 from the field in the second half, but sent them to the line 30 times and 41 overall in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After missing its opening shot of the game, Colorado made its next four shots, with two coming from Rancik, one being a 3-pointer, a dunk by Elijah Malone, and a jumper by Hargress to keep pace early on.
As the game transitioned to the reserves, freshman Jalin Holland provided a spark with five quick points with an and-1, one assist, and one steal in a four-minute burst.
The half continued to be tightly contested, with foul trouble starting to play a factor. On an and-1 by Okorie, Malone got his third of the first half with 9:24 remaining.
CU created some cushion thanks to seven points in less than two minutes by Hargress that included a shot from deep and a run-out off a forced turnover to give a 29-22 lead. With the shot from deep, it was his ninth make in his last 11 attempts.
After pushing the lead to seven points, the offense began to struggle, only making one shot in the final five minutes of the half, but still managed to take a 35-33 lead into the break.
Colorado controlled the paint in the first half, outscoring Stanford 22-10 on points in the paint, and was plus-four on the glass. The Cardinal used the 3-point line to keep in the game with five makes on only 10 made field goals in the first half.
Overall, the Buffs held Stanford to 10-27 (37%) from the field, compared to 14-27 (51.9%) on the other end. Turnovers kept CU from scoring more, with seven committed in the opening 20 minutes, leading to 10 Stanford points.
Stanford opened up the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 43-37 lead while forcing Colorado into five straight missed shots and over three minutes without a point.
The run continued with the Cardinal stifling the Buffs' offense, allowing Stanford to push the lead to 16 points with six minutes left in the game.
Colorado made seven of its last eight shots of the game in a last-ditch attempt but could not get enough stops to complete the comeback.
UP NEXT
The Buffs return to the CU Events Center next Sunday after a holiday break for a 1 p.m. tipoff against Northern Colorado in the final non-conference game (ESPN+).
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 10-2 while the Cardinal improved to 10-2 after the first meeting between the former Pac-12 foes since 2024.
"We just got punked tonight," Boyle said. "I don't think there is any other way you can say it. We were up two points at halftime and they out rebounded us by 13 on the glass, nine offensive in the second half alone. We had seven offensive rebounds for the whole 40 minute game, they had nine in the second half. You don't have to look anywhere more than the rebounding column to see why Stanford won and why Colorado lost."
Barrington Hargress led CU with 16 points and six assists. Sebastian Rancik had 14, and Isaiah Johnson contributed 11 as the other two Buffs in double figures.
Stanford was led by freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, who set the Cardinal record for most points in a single game by a freshman with 32. He shot 6-of-13 from the field and 18-of-21 from the free throw line.
Colorado had success in the first half, creating as much as a seven-point lead by controlling the paint, but Stanford cut into the lead after holding the Buffs to only one made shot in the final five minutes of the first half.
The offensive struggles continued through most of the second half, with the Buffs starting 5-of-20 from the field, allowing Stanford to build a 16-point lead with six minutes remaining.
"They came out of halftime and out of 15 possessions, we had five stops," Hargress said. "We stopped getting stops and then we let their shooters get active and then just turning the ball over. It created a disaster, and then we didn't respond. It was a snowball effect that we let avalanche."
Colorado made seven of its last eight shots of the game in a last-ditch attempt but could not get enough stops to complete the comeback.
Despite the late offensive surge, Stanford still held Colorado to 12-of-28 from the field in the second half and forced 11 turnovers that led to 13 points and 18 total turnovers that led to 23 points in the entire game. The Buffs held the Cardinal to 11-of-25 from the field in the second half, but sent them to the line 30 times and 41 overall in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After missing its opening shot of the game, Colorado made its next four shots, with two coming from Rancik, one being a 3-pointer, a dunk by Elijah Malone, and a jumper by Hargress to keep pace early on.
As the game transitioned to the reserves, freshman Jalin Holland provided a spark with five quick points with an and-1, one assist, and one steal in a four-minute burst.
The half continued to be tightly contested, with foul trouble starting to play a factor. On an and-1 by Okorie, Malone got his third of the first half with 9:24 remaining.
CU created some cushion thanks to seven points in less than two minutes by Hargress that included a shot from deep and a run-out off a forced turnover to give a 29-22 lead. With the shot from deep, it was his ninth make in his last 11 attempts.
After pushing the lead to seven points, the offense began to struggle, only making one shot in the final five minutes of the half, but still managed to take a 35-33 lead into the break.
Colorado controlled the paint in the first half, outscoring Stanford 22-10 on points in the paint, and was plus-four on the glass. The Cardinal used the 3-point line to keep in the game with five makes on only 10 made field goals in the first half.
Overall, the Buffs held Stanford to 10-27 (37%) from the field, compared to 14-27 (51.9%) on the other end. Turnovers kept CU from scoring more, with seven committed in the opening 20 minutes, leading to 10 Stanford points.
Stanford opened up the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 43-37 lead while forcing Colorado into five straight missed shots and over three minutes without a point.
The run continued with the Cardinal stifling the Buffs' offense, allowing Stanford to push the lead to 16 points with six minutes left in the game.
Colorado made seven of its last eight shots of the game in a last-ditch attempt but could not get enough stops to complete the comeback.
UP NEXT
The Buffs return to the CU Events Center next Sunday after a holiday break for a 1 p.m. tipoff against Northern Colorado in the final non-conference game (ESPN+).
Team Stats
Stan
CU
FG%
.404
.473
3FG%
.333
.235
FT%
.683
.923
RB
35
28
TO
9
18
STL
14
7
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
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