Monday, November 2
Boulder, Colo.
7 p.m.
Colorado
vs
Abilene Christian
October 31, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Game 1 - Abilene Christian, Monday, November 2, 2026
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4iuPtdC
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Jerry Schemmel)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 261, SXM App 971
Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/680173
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 7:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke) https://buffs.me/4iuPtdC
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Jerry Schemmel)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 261, SXM App 971
Live Statistics: http://statb.us/b/680173
OPENERS: Colorado is 88-35 (.715) in all-time season openers and has won its last 10. The Buffaloes are 14-2 under head coach Tad Boyle and 41-5 in overall season openers since 1980-81.
The Buffaloes are 99-24 (.805) all-time in home openers, have won their last 18 and 24 of their last 25. Boyle's teams are 16-0 in home openers.
NONCONFERENCE NUMBERS: Colorado is 146-44 (.768) in nonconference regular season games under head coach Tad Boyle including a 99-27 mark (.786) since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
Colorado is 112-9 (.926) in nonconference home games under Boyle, a record which includes a 7-2 mark in postseason action.
Colorado had 10 wins during the 2025-26 nonconference season, the most for the Buffaloes since 2019-20 (11-2).
RIGHT AT HOME: At the CU Events Center, the Buffaloes have won:
- 14 of their last 19 (14-5)
- 27 of 39 (27-12)
- 40 of 53 (40-13)
- 53 of 71 (53-19)
- 76 of 102 (75-27)
- 89 of 117 (89-28)
- 104 of 134 (104-30)
- 116 of 149 (116-33)
In the Tad Boyle era, Colorado is 217-52 at home (.807). The Buffaloes are 530-203 (.723) all-time at the CUEC. The Buffaloes have won at least 10 games at home each of the last 17 seasons.
EXHIBITION RECAP: Colorado defeated North Texas 67-64 in an exhibition game on Oct. 18 in the Auraria Event Center at Metropolitan State University in Denver.
In a physical battle that resulted in 50 total free-throw attempts, the Buffs clung to a three-point lead with 10 seconds to go, but UNT missed a pair of threes as time expired and CU secured the hard-fought win.
The free event, branded the Mile High Hoops Classic, brought Buffaloes basketball action closer to CU fans in Denver.
The duel gave fans a glimpse of what to expect from Buffs hoops this season, with new additions such as guard Alex Dickeson, a freshman from Adelaide, Australia, and graduate student forward Justin Neely, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, playing major roles in the team's win.
Dickeson finished with a team-high 15 points, while Neely led the squad in assists and rebounds, with six and nine, respectively.
CU also showed grit on the defensive side, recording seven total blocks, with center Noah Feddersen responsible for three.
"This was a great test for us this year," Head Coach Tad Boyle said. "On Oct. 18, to play a team like North Texas, with veteran guards, a tough-minded coach and system, and it was a physical game, obviously. Our guys answered the bell down the stretch. These are all about learning opportunities for our team."
"It was great having the Denver people who didn't have to drive to Boulder," Boyle added. "Before we left the gym, there were still a bunch of kids getting autographs from our players that maybe don't get a chance to come up to Boulder for a game. It's a great venue."
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Abilene Christian was 14-19 in 2025-26, tying for sixth in the Western Athletic Conference at 5-13, rebranded as the United Athletic Conference this summer. The Wildcats' roster features four returning players, led by senior guard Yaniel Rivera who led ACU with 47 3-point field goals and ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 7.2 points per game. Fifth-year forward Cade Hornecker averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds a year ago for the Wildcats shooting 45.6 percent.
Abilene Christian has 11 newcomers on its roster, headlined by junior guard Noah Bolanga, a transfer from Utah Tech, who averaged 11.9 points 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2025-26 while drilling 59 3-point field goals.
The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in the UAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Bolanga was selected as a member of the Preseason All-UAC team.
THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between Colorado and Abilene Christian.
Players Mentioned
Monday, October 19
Monday, October 12
Thursday, September 24
Thursday, September 24
