Colorado University Athletics
Wednesday, January 14
Cincinnati, Ohio
5 p.m.
Colorado
12-5,2-2Big 12
68
at
77
Cincinnati
9-8,1-3Big 12
1
2
F
Colorado
25
43
68
Cincinnati
43
34
77
Photo by: Lexi Hartmann
Buffs Comeback Attempt Falls Short At Cincinnati
January 14, 2026 | Men's Basketball
CINCINNATIΒ βΒ AΒ slow start doomed ColoradoΒ 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.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado struggled to begin the game, turning the ball over on five of the first seven offensive possessions. On the other end, Cincinnati made its first five shots to take a 10-0 lead early.
Offensively, the Buffs started to take better care of the ball, but were still unable to score, missing six of their first seven shots, allowing the Bearcats to push their lead to as much as 17.
With the offensive struggles, the Buffs looked to freshman guard Ian Inman for a spark, and he delivered a 3-pointer and a pair of assists to cut the lead to 14 points.
At the end of the first half, the Buffs trailed 43-25. Β Colorado committed 10 turnovers in the first half that led to 19 points for Cincinnati. The Bearcats also had 20 points in the paint compared to only eight for Colorado.
The second half began better for Colorado. Five minutes in, Dak gave the Buffs a spark, which led to a 6-0 run, including baskets from him and Josiah Sanders, and a 3-pointer from Johnson, cutting the lead to 12 points with 13:34 remaining.
Colorado continued to cut into the Cincinnati lead, led by seven straight points from Johnson. That was coupled with a ramped-up defensive intensity, forcing misses on nine of the Bearcats' next 10 shots. The Buffs cut the lead to seven points for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.
After cutting the lead to five points on an Alon Michaeli layup, the Bearcats responded with two quick baskets to push the lead back to double digits.
The Buffs started to cut back into the lead at the free throw line, then forced a Bearcat turnover that led to a Hargress 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 68-64 with 1:22 remaining.
As was the case throughout most of the game, turnovers did the Buffs in, as well as strong free throw shooting from Cincinnati to close the game.
UP NEXT
Colorado stays out east for one more this week against West Virginia on Saturday at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Β
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.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado struggled to begin the game, turning the ball over on five of the first seven offensive possessions. On the other end, Cincinnati made its first five shots to take a 10-0 lead early.
Offensively, the Buffs started to take better care of the ball, but were still unable to score, missing six of their first seven shots, allowing the Bearcats to push their lead to as much as 17.
With the offensive struggles, the Buffs looked to freshman guard Ian Inman for a spark, and he delivered a 3-pointer and a pair of assists to cut the lead to 14 points.
At the end of the first half, the Buffs trailed 43-25. Β Colorado committed 10 turnovers in the first half that led to 19 points for Cincinnati. The Bearcats also had 20 points in the paint compared to only eight for Colorado.
The second half began better for Colorado. Five minutes in, Dak gave the Buffs a spark, which led to a 6-0 run, including baskets from him and Josiah Sanders, and a 3-pointer from Johnson, cutting the lead to 12 points with 13:34 remaining.
Colorado continued to cut into the Cincinnati lead, led by seven straight points from Johnson. That was coupled with a ramped-up defensive intensity, forcing misses on nine of the Bearcats' next 10 shots. The Buffs cut the lead to seven points for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.
After cutting the lead to five points on an Alon Michaeli layup, the Bearcats responded with two quick baskets to push the lead back to double digits.
The Buffs started to cut back into the lead at the free throw line, then forced a Bearcat turnover that led to a Hargress 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 68-64 with 1:22 remaining.
As was the case throughout most of the game, turnovers did the Buffs in, as well as strong free throw shooting from Cincinnati to close the game.
UP NEXT
Colorado stays out east for one more this week against West Virginia on Saturday at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Β
Team Stats
CU
UC
FG%
.446
.446
3FG%
.350
.188
FT%
.733
.686
RB
33
32
TO
17
10
STL
5
9
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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