Colorado University Athletics
Wednesday, January 7
Boulder, Colo.
7 p.m.
Colorado
12-3,2-0Big 12
85
vs
73
Utah
8-7,0-2Big 12
1
2
F
Utah
38
35
73
Colorado
42
43
85
Buffs Hold On Against Utah
January 07, 2026 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – Colorado's Bangot Dak recorded his fourth career double-double, and the Buffaloes held off Utah down the stretch Wednesday to collect an 85-73 win at the CU Events Center, giving the Buffs a 2-0 start in the Big 12 for just the third time.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 11-3 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play. The Utes lost their third in a row, falling to 8-7, 0-2.
Dak finished the game with 16 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, with three blocks and one steal for the game. Sebastian Rancik led the team with 19 points. Off the bench, Isaiah Johnson added 12 points, and Alon Michaeli tallied 10 points.
Don McHenery led the Utes with 24 points, and Terrance Brown added 16 points. After halftime, the Buffs held the scoring duo to only 10 points combined.
The Buffs led by 10 points at multiple points throughout the game, but couldn't push the lead further. After Utah cut the lead to two points, 69-67 with 3:58 remaining, Colorado finished the game on a 16-6 run, playing strong on both sides of the ball to win by double-digits.
On defense, the Buffs used a zone defense more than they had at any point this season but held Utah to shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range.
"It helps us get into our press, try to speed their guards up, and to take some time off the clock, and then it's just a different type of defense," Rancik on the zone. "Like Coach [Boyle] always says, to play any defense, you just have to play hard. It's the same as man, just a little of a different concept."
A big difference came from the bench. Colorado outscored Utah 33-8 in bench points led by Johnson and Michaeli as well as nine points from Josiah Sanders.
"I think Josiah [Sanders], Jalin [Holland], Isaiah [Johnson], and Alon [Michaeli], those four guys coming off the bench are pretty darn good," Boyle commented on the bench. "I think the depth of this team is one of the strengths of this team. Our bench is huge, and Isaiah is a big part of that, but he's not the only part of that. I'm really pleased with him. I say this all the time, but the ceiling of this team is still higher than where we're playing."
New Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo attended his first official athletic event in front of Buff Nation and spoke to the faithful at halftime. He told the fans, "When we are united in our purpose and aligned in our vision, there is absolutely no limit to what we can achieve here. We're going to lock arms shoulder to shoulder, and we're going to have some fun. We're going to win some games, win some championships, and we're going to make this great state proud."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado opened the game on an 11-1 run, forcing the Utes into misses on their first five shots, and with four different Buffs scoring, culminating in a 3-pointer by Barrington Hargress at the top of the key.
Utah began to find its footing offensively, but a five-point burst by Sanders and success at the foul line kept the Buffs ahead as the first half progressed.
Following the first Utah lead of the game, Colorado responded with a 12-2 run, which included two 3-pointers from Johnson and one from Michaeli, as well as an and-1 from Rancik.
After another Utah run, Rancik added another bucket right before halftime to give the Buffs a 42-28 lead. Colorado used a 16-4 bench point advantage to stay ahead in the opening 20 minutes, along with a team-leading nine points from Rancik.
Coming out of the break, the Buffs started fast with three 3-pointers from Dak, Felix Kossaras, and Michaeli to push the lead to 10 points. As the offense began to struggle, the defense picked it up, holding Utah to 36.8% from the field in the second half, with 8 minutes left, leading by six.
With Utah closing in down two, they put up a layup attempt that was blocked by Dak, who sprinted down the court and finished the possession with a putback dunk to give him his fourth double-double of the season and second straight game.
A late offensive push coupled with defensive stops gave Colorado the win 85-73.
UP NEXT
Colorado returns to the CU Events Center on Saturday to take on No. 14 Texas Tech at 5:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 11-3 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play. The Utes lost their third in a row, falling to 8-7, 0-2.
Dak finished the game with 16 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, with three blocks and one steal for the game. Sebastian Rancik led the team with 19 points. Off the bench, Isaiah Johnson added 12 points, and Alon Michaeli tallied 10 points.
Don McHenery led the Utes with 24 points, and Terrance Brown added 16 points. After halftime, the Buffs held the scoring duo to only 10 points combined.
The Buffs led by 10 points at multiple points throughout the game, but couldn't push the lead further. After Utah cut the lead to two points, 69-67 with 3:58 remaining, Colorado finished the game on a 16-6 run, playing strong on both sides of the ball to win by double-digits.
On defense, the Buffs used a zone defense more than they had at any point this season but held Utah to shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.3% from 3-point range.
"It helps us get into our press, try to speed their guards up, and to take some time off the clock, and then it's just a different type of defense," Rancik on the zone. "Like Coach [Boyle] always says, to play any defense, you just have to play hard. It's the same as man, just a little of a different concept."
A big difference came from the bench. Colorado outscored Utah 33-8 in bench points led by Johnson and Michaeli as well as nine points from Josiah Sanders.
"I think Josiah [Sanders], Jalin [Holland], Isaiah [Johnson], and Alon [Michaeli], those four guys coming off the bench are pretty darn good," Boyle commented on the bench. "I think the depth of this team is one of the strengths of this team. Our bench is huge, and Isaiah is a big part of that, but he's not the only part of that. I'm really pleased with him. I say this all the time, but the ceiling of this team is still higher than where we're playing."
New Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo attended his first official athletic event in front of Buff Nation and spoke to the faithful at halftime. He told the fans, "When we are united in our purpose and aligned in our vision, there is absolutely no limit to what we can achieve here. We're going to lock arms shoulder to shoulder, and we're going to have some fun. We're going to win some games, win some championships, and we're going to make this great state proud."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado opened the game on an 11-1 run, forcing the Utes into misses on their first five shots, and with four different Buffs scoring, culminating in a 3-pointer by Barrington Hargress at the top of the key.
Utah began to find its footing offensively, but a five-point burst by Sanders and success at the foul line kept the Buffs ahead as the first half progressed.
Following the first Utah lead of the game, Colorado responded with a 12-2 run, which included two 3-pointers from Johnson and one from Michaeli, as well as an and-1 from Rancik.
After another Utah run, Rancik added another bucket right before halftime to give the Buffs a 42-28 lead. Colorado used a 16-4 bench point advantage to stay ahead in the opening 20 minutes, along with a team-leading nine points from Rancik.
Coming out of the break, the Buffs started fast with three 3-pointers from Dak, Felix Kossaras, and Michaeli to push the lead to 10 points. As the offense began to struggle, the defense picked it up, holding Utah to 36.8% from the field in the second half, with 8 minutes left, leading by six.
With Utah closing in down two, they put up a layup attempt that was blocked by Dak, who sprinted down the court and finished the possession with a putback dunk to give him his fourth double-double of the season and second straight game.
A late offensive push coupled with defensive stops gave Colorado the win 85-73.
UP NEXT
Colorado returns to the CU Events Center on Saturday to take on No. 14 Texas Tech at 5:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Team Stats
Utah
CU
FG%
.394
.468
3FG%
.313
.333
FT%
.696
.905
RB
35
41
TO
7
11
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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