Sunday, March 2
Manhattan, Kan.
2 p.m.
Colorado
at
Kansas State
Buffs Visit Wildcats Sunday
March 01, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Game 29 - Kansas State, Sunday, March 2, 2025
Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.
Tip: 2:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Neely, Jess Settles)Â https://buffs.me/3EYghTb
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 386, SXM App 976
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/4h6CrQC
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 11-17 overall and 2-15 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to Kansas, 71-64, on Feb. 24. The Buffaloes have won two of four since snapping a 13-game losing streak, the program's longest since 1985-86.
The Buffaloes are looking for their first true road win, having lost all eight Big 12 road games this season. Colorado is 1-10 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn.
Colorado is averaging 70.2 points per game, shooting 44.7 percent from the field, but those numbers have dipped to 66.0 points on 43.0 percent shooting during conference games. The Buffaloes have scored 76 points in each of their two Big 12 wins, their highest total in a league game this season. Colorado had four players score in double figures for just the third time this season (3-0) in the win over Baylor.
Defensively, Colorado is allowing 71.9 points per game overall while opponents are shooting 43.4 percent. During Big 12 games, Colorado is allowing 74.2 points while opponents shoot 45.0 percent.
The Buffaloes rank fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.755), sixth in defensive rebounds (25.6 drpg), seventh in rebounding defense (32.9 rpg) and eighth in blocked shots (3.9 bpg). Â During Big 12 games, Colorado is in the top half of the league in free throw percentage (4th, .749), blocked shots (7th, 3.8 bpg), rebounding defense (8th, 33.8 rpg) and defensive rebounds (8th, 23.8 drpg).
Colorado has seen an uptick in its rebounding efforts the last four games. The Buffaloes are averaging 40.0 rebounds in those contests, up 4.9 per game over its season average of 35.1. Colorado had a season-high 52 in the win over UCF and its total of 46 against Kansas is the second best this season.
Colorado, which ranks 14th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds at 9.1 per game, has vaulted that number up to 12 per outing during that four-game span. The Buffaloes had a season-high 18 offensive boards against Kansas, the team's most since securing 19 against Florida State on Nov. 21, 2023. Colorado nabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the win over UCF.
Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 116th career game vs. Kansas), leads Colorado at 12.8 points and 3.1 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in steals (33), 3-point field goals made (45), free throws made (73) and free throw percentage (.901).
Hammond is second in the Big 12 and ranks 13th in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 74 of 82 on the season (.902) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati. He is on pace for the second-best single-season free throw percentage in team history.
Recently, Hammond has picked up his rebounding numbers. He is averaging 4.0 rebounds over the last four games, including five against Baylor. He has 16 total in that span after having just two over the four games before that.
Hammond had a game-high 22 points against Houston, highlighted by a career-best five 3-point field goals. It was his team-best sixth 20-point game of the season.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.1 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (43) and rebounding (4.6 rpg) and is third in steals (25).
Jakimovski is averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the field (18-38) the last four games. He had 17 points, hitting 5 of 9 from downtown, seven rebounds and five assists against Baylor. It was his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season and led the Buffs for the sixth time.
Jakimovski's five assists against Baylor are his CU best, and tied for this third-best collegiate game overall. He had back-to-back nine assist games as a freshman with Washington State against California and Stanford, Feb. 18 & 20, 2021. His five 3-pointers tied a career high, done twice this season (CSU Fullerton) and five times overall (three with WSU).
Bangot Dak is averaging 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and leading the Buffaloes in blocked shots (40). During conference games, Dak is Colorado's leading shooter (.535), rebounder (4.5 rpg) and shot blocker (31) and ranks second in scoring at 9.4 points per game.
Dak had a team-high 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting in the home game with Kansas. He scored a game and career-high 20 points on 8 for 14 shooting at Iowa State. Dak is averaging 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over the last nine games.
Dak just missed a double-double with nine points and a career and team season-high 12 rebounds at TCU. It was his first double-figure rebounding game of his career.
Dak is seventh in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.4 bpg) and fourth in league only games (1.8 bpg). He ranks 95th in the nation in total blocks (40).
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 56.7 percent while averaging 7.7 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (15), fourth in scoring and fifth in rebounding at 3.0 per game.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado in rebounding (4.7 rpg), is second in steals (29) and blocks (17), tied for second in assists (53) and third in overall shooting at 50.4 percent.
Javon Ruffin is averaging 5.9 points and is tied for second on the team in assists (53) and fourth in 3-point field goals (23). He led the Buffaloes in scoring for the first time this season with 13 at Utah while matching a personal best with three 3-point field goals.
Freshman Sebastian Rancik is averaging 6.0 points on the season, but since entering the starting lineup against Arizona State he is averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Rancik had 10 points and six rebounds in the win over Baylor. He averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds during the two-game span at Kansas and home vs. UCF. Rancik had a career-night at Kansas leading the Buffaloes with 19 points and nine rebounds, both personal bests. Â
Sophomore Assane Diop is averaging 3.7 points and is third on the team in rebounding at 4.1 per game. Diop matched his career-best 10 rebounds in the win over UCF, also hitting that mark against Northern Colorado. Diop has made 33 of 40 free throw attempts during the conference season (.825).
Sophomore RJ Smith is averaging 5.4 points and is second on the team in 3-point percentage (.375), while ranking third in 3-pointers made (27), fourth in assists (50) and fifth in steals (18). Smith had 13 points against Baylor recording his fifth career double-figure scoring game and fourth this year. He has blocked a shot in six-straight games with seven overall during that span. He had two blocks in his first 28 career games.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Kansas State is 13-15 overall and tied for 10th in the Big 12 at 7-10. The Wildcats have lost their last four, most recently an 80-76 setback at UCF on Feb. 26. Kansas State averages 72.6 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting. The Wildcats are in the top half of the Big 12 in assists, ranking sixth at 15.8 per contest. Defensively, Kansas State allows 70.8 points per game while opponents shoot 43.7 percent.
Senior wing David N'Guessan leads Kansas State at 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th in the nation in shooting at 62.8 percent. Junior guard Brendan Hausen averages 11.8 points and is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made (83) and percentage (.397). Junior guard Dug McDaniel leads the Wildcats in assists (131) while averaging 11.1 points per game. Senior wing Coleman Hawkins, who has missed the last two games, averages 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Jerome Tang is in his third year as the head coach of Kansas State with a record of 58-40 (.592).
THE SERIES: This will be the 145th meeting between Colorado and Kansas State in a series that dates back to 1934. Kansas State holds a 96-48 all-time lead in the series. Colorado has won the last four meetings, including a nonconference win at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 27, 2020. Kansas State holds a 54-12 all-time advantage in Manhattan.
Tad Boyle is 4-0 against Kansas State as a head coach. Bill Self is 20-1 against Colorado as a head coach. Jerome Tang has not faced Colorado as a head coach, although he was 7-6 against the Buffaloes during his 19 years as a Baylor assistant/associate head coach (2003-22).
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Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.
Tip: 2:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Neely, Jess Settles)Â https://buffs.me/3EYghTb
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 386, SXM App 976
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/4h6CrQC
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 11-17 overall and 2-15 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to Kansas, 71-64, on Feb. 24. The Buffaloes have won two of four since snapping a 13-game losing streak, the program's longest since 1985-86.
The Buffaloes are looking for their first true road win, having lost all eight Big 12 road games this season. Colorado is 1-10 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn.
Colorado is averaging 70.2 points per game, shooting 44.7 percent from the field, but those numbers have dipped to 66.0 points on 43.0 percent shooting during conference games. The Buffaloes have scored 76 points in each of their two Big 12 wins, their highest total in a league game this season. Colorado had four players score in double figures for just the third time this season (3-0) in the win over Baylor.
Defensively, Colorado is allowing 71.9 points per game overall while opponents are shooting 43.4 percent. During Big 12 games, Colorado is allowing 74.2 points while opponents shoot 45.0 percent.
The Buffaloes rank fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.755), sixth in defensive rebounds (25.6 drpg), seventh in rebounding defense (32.9 rpg) and eighth in blocked shots (3.9 bpg). Â During Big 12 games, Colorado is in the top half of the league in free throw percentage (4th, .749), blocked shots (7th, 3.8 bpg), rebounding defense (8th, 33.8 rpg) and defensive rebounds (8th, 23.8 drpg).
Colorado has seen an uptick in its rebounding efforts the last four games. The Buffaloes are averaging 40.0 rebounds in those contests, up 4.9 per game over its season average of 35.1. Colorado had a season-high 52 in the win over UCF and its total of 46 against Kansas is the second best this season.
Colorado, which ranks 14th in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds at 9.1 per game, has vaulted that number up to 12 per outing during that four-game span. The Buffaloes had a season-high 18 offensive boards against Kansas, the team's most since securing 19 against Florida State on Nov. 21, 2023. Colorado nabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the win over UCF.
Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 116th career game vs. Kansas), leads Colorado at 12.8 points and 3.1 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in steals (33), 3-point field goals made (45), free throws made (73) and free throw percentage (.901).
Hammond is second in the Big 12 and ranks 13th in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 74 of 82 on the season (.902) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati. He is on pace for the second-best single-season free throw percentage in team history.
Recently, Hammond has picked up his rebounding numbers. He is averaging 4.0 rebounds over the last four games, including five against Baylor. He has 16 total in that span after having just two over the four games before that.
Hammond had a game-high 22 points against Houston, highlighted by a career-best five 3-point field goals. It was his team-best sixth 20-point game of the season.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.1 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (43) and rebounding (4.6 rpg) and is third in steals (25).
Jakimovski is averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from the field (18-38) the last four games. He had 17 points, hitting 5 of 9 from downtown, seven rebounds and five assists against Baylor. It was his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season and led the Buffs for the sixth time.
Jakimovski's five assists against Baylor are his CU best, and tied for this third-best collegiate game overall. He had back-to-back nine assist games as a freshman with Washington State against California and Stanford, Feb. 18 & 20, 2021. His five 3-pointers tied a career high, done twice this season (CSU Fullerton) and five times overall (three with WSU).
Bangot Dak is averaging 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and leading the Buffaloes in blocked shots (40). During conference games, Dak is Colorado's leading shooter (.535), rebounder (4.5 rpg) and shot blocker (31) and ranks second in scoring at 9.4 points per game.
Dak had a team-high 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting in the home game with Kansas. He scored a game and career-high 20 points on 8 for 14 shooting at Iowa State. Dak is averaging 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over the last nine games.
Dak just missed a double-double with nine points and a career and team season-high 12 rebounds at TCU. It was his first double-figure rebounding game of his career.
Dak is seventh in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.4 bpg) and fourth in league only games (1.8 bpg). He ranks 95th in the nation in total blocks (40).
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 56.7 percent while averaging 7.7 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (15), fourth in scoring and fifth in rebounding at 3.0 per game.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado in rebounding (4.7 rpg), is second in steals (29) and blocks (17), tied for second in assists (53) and third in overall shooting at 50.4 percent.
Javon Ruffin is averaging 5.9 points and is tied for second on the team in assists (53) and fourth in 3-point field goals (23). He led the Buffaloes in scoring for the first time this season with 13 at Utah while matching a personal best with three 3-point field goals.
Freshman Sebastian Rancik is averaging 6.0 points on the season, but since entering the starting lineup against Arizona State he is averaging 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Rancik had 10 points and six rebounds in the win over Baylor. He averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds during the two-game span at Kansas and home vs. UCF. Rancik had a career-night at Kansas leading the Buffaloes with 19 points and nine rebounds, both personal bests. Â
Sophomore Assane Diop is averaging 3.7 points and is third on the team in rebounding at 4.1 per game. Diop matched his career-best 10 rebounds in the win over UCF, also hitting that mark against Northern Colorado. Diop has made 33 of 40 free throw attempts during the conference season (.825).
Sophomore RJ Smith is averaging 5.4 points and is second on the team in 3-point percentage (.375), while ranking third in 3-pointers made (27), fourth in assists (50) and fifth in steals (18). Smith had 13 points against Baylor recording his fifth career double-figure scoring game and fourth this year. He has blocked a shot in six-straight games with seven overall during that span. He had two blocks in his first 28 career games.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Kansas State is 13-15 overall and tied for 10th in the Big 12 at 7-10. The Wildcats have lost their last four, most recently an 80-76 setback at UCF on Feb. 26. Kansas State averages 72.6 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting. The Wildcats are in the top half of the Big 12 in assists, ranking sixth at 15.8 per contest. Defensively, Kansas State allows 70.8 points per game while opponents shoot 43.7 percent.
Senior wing David N'Guessan leads Kansas State at 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th in the nation in shooting at 62.8 percent. Junior guard Brendan Hausen averages 11.8 points and is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made (83) and percentage (.397). Junior guard Dug McDaniel leads the Wildcats in assists (131) while averaging 11.1 points per game. Senior wing Coleman Hawkins, who has missed the last two games, averages 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Jerome Tang is in his third year as the head coach of Kansas State with a record of 58-40 (.592).
THE SERIES: This will be the 145th meeting between Colorado and Kansas State in a series that dates back to 1934. Kansas State holds a 96-48 all-time lead in the series. Colorado has won the last four meetings, including a nonconference win at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 27, 2020. Kansas State holds a 54-12 all-time advantage in Manhattan.
Tad Boyle is 4-0 against Kansas State as a head coach. Bill Self is 20-1 against Colorado as a head coach. Jerome Tang has not faced Colorado as a head coach, although he was 7-6 against the Buffaloes during his 19 years as a Baylor assistant/associate head coach (2003-22).
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