Colorado University Athletics

Saturday, January 10
Boulder, Colo.
5 p.m.

Colorado

vs

Texas Tech

MBB vs. Texas Tech

Big Saturday Looms For The Buffaloes

January 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Burks' No. 10 Unveiled on Wall of Honor

Game 16 - Texas Tech, Saturday, January 10, 2026
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip:
5:05 p.m. MT
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis, Chris Walker, Brandon Baylor) https://buffs.me/454HT3o
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 383, SXM App 973 https://sxm.app.link/SXM973
Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/611127
 
GOLD RUSH, LOVO "BACK TO SCHOOL": All fans are encouraged to wear gold to Saturday's game against No. 14 ranked Texas Tech. New Colorado athletic director Fernando Lovo will look to improve his CU Events Center record to 2-0 by getting the full back to school experience by sitting in the student section for Saturday's big game.

BURKS TO BE HONORED: Buffaloes great Alec Burks will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game as his No. 10 Buffaloes jersey will be officially unveiled on the Men's Basketball Wall of Honor on the northwest side of the arena. The Wall of Honor display, honors a select group who's on the court achievements have expanded well beyond their days in Boulder, celebrating those former Buffaloes that have achieved at least five years of service in the NBA or competed on the world stage as an Olympic Gold Medalist. Burks, the 2009-10 Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Colorado, was the 12th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz and enjoyed a 14-year career in the Association.

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 12-3 overall and 2-0 in league play for the second time in three seasons (2023-24 Pac-12) after its 85-73 win over Utah on Jan. 7 in its conference home opener.
 
It's CU's third 2-0 start in its Big 12 history joining the 2010-11 and 1996-97 teams. Colorado has matched its win total from the 2024-25 31-game regular season (12-19). The Buffaloes would finish with 14 wins after a pair of wins in the Big 12 Championship (14-21 overall).
 
Colorado's offense has been strong ranking among the nation's best in several categories. The Buffaloes are 30th in the nation in field goal shooting at 49.7 percent, which also ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Colorado has risen to the top of the Big 12 in free throw shooting at 77.7 percent, also 20th in NCAA Division I. The Buffaloes are a national top-50 team in scoring (39th, 86.5 ppg), assist-to-turnover ratio (39th, 1.6) and 3-point shooting (47th, .369).
 
 
SCORING BALANCE: Colorado has had at least four players score in double figures in 13 of its first 15 games, including the first nine. The Buffaloes have had four games with at least five scoring in double digits.
 
Colorado had only four games with four players scoring in double figures in 35 contests last year (3-1 record) and none with five. Prior to this season, the NCAA Tournament win over Florida on March 22, 2024 was the last instance of five double-digit scorers.
 
The Buffaloes have had five different players lead the team in scoring this season and four have had 20-point games. Freshman Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes for a team-best sixth time this season with 19 points off the bench at Arizona State.
 
Colorado is averaging 34.4 points per game from its bench accounting for 40 percent of the team's scoring. The Buffaloes' reserves are shooting 48.2 percent from the field while also pitching in 13.1 rebounds per game.
 
Colorado's 34.4 bench points per game leads the Big 12 and ranks 22nd in NCAA Division I.
 
Freshman Isaiah Johnson is Colorado's leading scorer while coming off the bench in all 15 games. His 15.6 points per game average off the bench leads Power 4 Conference players and is third in NCAA Division I overall, trailing only Tarleton State's Dior Johnson (23.8 ppg) and Northern Kentucky's Donovan Oday (16.4 ppg).
 
Johnson has a team-best three 20-point games, including a career and team season-high 25 against Northern Colorado, a game in which he also pulled down a career-best eight rebounds. He had 20 points in the win over Portland State, including a perfect 11 of 11 showing from the free throw line. Johnson leads the Buffaloes in free throws made and attempted, 3-pointers made (22) and 3-point percentage (.449) and steals (17) while ranking second in assists (35).
 
Junior Barrington Hargress leads Colorado in assists (72) and is second in steals (16) and field goal percentage (.576). He had nine points and dished out five assists in the win over Utah. 
 
Hargress made 4 of 9 from the floor against the Utes, dipping below 50 percent for just the first time in the last six outings. During that span, he has shot 62.3 percent from the field (42 of 67), including 11 of 19 from 3-point range (.579).
 
On the Big 12 charts, Hargress ranks fifth in field goal percentage, sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) and 11th in assists (4.8 apg).
 
Sophomore Sebastian Rancik is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (5.5 rpg), 3-point field goals (19), free throws made (78) and attempted (89) and third in assists (29) and steals (11). He's averaging a team-best 18.5 points over the first two Big 12 games.
 
Rancik had a game-high 19 points against Utah, hitting all nine of his free throw attempts.  He scored 18 points and had six rebounds in the win at Arizona State. He made 12 of 14 from the free throw line, career highs in both categories and the most from the line by a Buffalo since KJ Simpson was 13 of 14 against Washington State on Dec. 31, 2023.
 
Rancik leads the team and ranks third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 87.6 percent. He has made 78 of 89 from the line, which includes a string of 25-straight made between the Eastern Washington and UC Davis games.
 
Junior forward Bangot Dak leads the Buffaloes and is 13th in the Big 12 at 7.4 rebounds per game and 10th in blocks at 1.7 per outing.  He is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
 
Dak recorded 16 points and matched a career-best 12 rebounds against Utah. It was second-straight double-double and third in the last five games. All four of his double-doubles have come in the last nine games. The last Buff to have back-to-back double-doubles was Eddie Lampkin Jr. at Oregon State (March 9, 2024) and vs. Utah (March 14, 2024) in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Dak also matched a season high with three blocked shots.
 
Freshman Alon Michaeli is averaging 10.0 points on 46 percent shooting in his 13 games off the bench. He has scored in double figures in eight of those contests. Michaeli had a team-high 19 points at Colorado State, hitting 8 of 12 from the field. He just missed a double-double against Portland State with a career-high 10 rebounds and nine points.
 
CU IN THE NET: A snapshot of Colorado's NET rankings in 2025-26 (through games of Jan. 8).
 
Current: 71 | Highest: 39 (Dec. 2) | Lowest: 84 (Jan. 1)
 
Opponent Net Rank: 80 | Opponent Avg. Net: 151
 
Quad 1: 0-0 | Quad 2: 2-2 | Quad 3: 6-1 | Quad 4: 4-0
 
ABOUT THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech is 11-4  overall 1-1 in the Big 12 and ranked No. 14 in the country, heading to Boulder after dropping its first conference game on the road to No. 7 Houston 69-65. The Red Raiders are averaging 83.7 points per game, shooting 46.8 percent from the field. Texas Tech attempts 29 3-pointers a game and makes them at a 37.7 percent clip, both numbers ranking second the Big 12. With the high percentage on that many attempts they make 10.9 per game which leads the conference and is 14th in the country. Defensively, the Red Raiders are allowing 73.3 points per game, and have held opponents to 44.3 percent shooting. Texas Tech averages 6.7 steals and 3.6 blocks per game and commits the second fewest turnovers in the Big 12 with 10.9 per game.
 
The Red Raiders are led by the duo of  junior forward JT Toppin and sophomore guard Christian Anderson. Toppin leads team with 20.9 points per game which ranks fourth in the conference and 20th in the nation and 10.9 rebounds per game which ranks second in the Big 12 and ninth in the nation. Anderson averages 19.6 points per game  and 7.5 assists per game which leads the Big 12 and is fourth in the country. Texas Tech has two other players who average double-digits in points: junior forward LeJuan Watts (13.4) and senior guard Donovan Atwell (11.4).  Atwell makes his presence known from beyond the arc. He has put up the third most 3-pointers in the Big 12 with 114 and has made 48 which is fourth in the conference and 27th in the country on 42.1 percent shooting which is seventh in the conference and 39th in the nation.
 
THE SERIES: This will be the 33rd meeting between Colorado and  Texas Tech and the first in Boulder since the Buffaloes' departure to the Pac-12 in 2011. Colorado holds an 18-14 series lead, winning two of the last three played in Colorado. The last game in Boulder was a 101-90 Buffaloes win on Mar. 6, 2010. Colorado holds a 10-3 advantage in Boulder.
 
FREE THROW SUCCESSES: Over the last five games, the Buffaloes are 99 of 113 from the charity stripe (.876). During that stretch Alon Michaeli is a perfect 10 of 10, Sebastian Rancik is 32 of 35 (.914), Isaiah Johnson is 29 of 32 (.906) and Bangot Dak is 12 of 13 (.923).
 
In the win over Utah Colorado made 19 of 21 free throw attempts (.905) marking the third time in the last five games the Buffaloes have shot 90 percent or better from the line.
 
Colorado made 32 free throws against Arizona State, its most in a true road game in exactly 49 years, as the Buffaloes hit 33 at UNLV on Jan. 3, 1977, during a 113-91 loss. It was the most at any venue since making 34 in a home win over Omaha on Nov. 22, 2015.
 
Colorado's 32 free throws made tie for the second-most in a road game in the nation this season. The Buffaloes achieved that number on just 38 attempts. Colorado's 84.2 percent performance from the line was the best with at least 30 free throws made since a 33 for 39 (.846) outing against No. 10 Oregon on Jan. 5, 2014, a 100-91 Colorado win.
 
BD CAREER BLOCKS: With three blocks against Utah, junior Bangot Dak entered Colorado's career top 20 in that category. He is tied with two others for 17th with 75 blocks in 73 career games. Dak is 10 blocks away from entering the top 15.
 
Colorado Career Blocks
Rk.        Name Gm        Blocks                Avg.      Seasons
15.        Martice Moore               58          85          1.5        1995-97
16.        Ronnie DeGray              58          79          1.4        1996-98
17.        Bangot Dak    73          75          1.0        2023-pre
                Stephane Pelle              94          75          1.3        1999-03
                Fred Edmonds               91          75          0.8        1993-97
20.        Randy Downs                112       74          0.7        1982-86
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Colorado will face its first ranked opponent of 2025-26 on Saturday vs. No. 14 Texas Tech. Eight of Colorado's upcoming Big 12 opponents are currently ranked in the Associated Press poll with seven appearing in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Red Raiders are the only currently ranked opponent the Buffaloes are scheduled to meet twice. Two other Big 12 opponents are receiving votes in the polls.
 
Colorado faced a gauntlet of ranked opponents in 2024-25. The Buffaloes played nine ranked opponents, tying for the most in program history, joining the 1989-90, 1991-92 and 2010-11 teams. The Buffaloes were 1-8 against ranked opponents in 2024-25.
 
Colorado played eight ranked opponents during the regular season, tying the 1991-92 for the most in team history.
 
The Buffaloes tied school records set by the 1989-90 squad for the program's most top 10 (seven) and top 5 (five) opponents (including postseason).
 
Colorado's six top 10 opponents during the regular season sit alone as the most in program history. Of Colorado's seven top 10 opponents in 1989-90 two occurred during the Big Eight Tournament.
 
Colorado's 28 wins over ranked Associated Press ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 28-57, have accounted for 39 percent of wins over ranked opponents (72) since 1949-50.
 
HIGHLIGHTS: Colorado Men's Basketball vs. Utah | 1.7.26
Thursday, January 08
Basketball Coaches Show featuring Tad Boyle and JR Payne | 1.5.26
Monday, January 05
HIGHLIGHTS: Colorado Men's Basketball at Arizona State | 1.3.26
Sunday, January 04
Join Mark Johnson at Carelli’s every Monday night at 7 PM for the CU Basketball radio show #gobuffs
Tuesday, December 30