Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Houston, Texas
10 a.m.
Colorado
16-13,6-10Big 12
62
at
102
#5/4 Houston
24-5,12-4Big 12
1
2
F
Colorado
29
33
62
Houston
55
47
102
Photo by: Ashton Scott
Buffs Fall To No. 5 Houston
February 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON, Texas – Colorado had no answer for Houston's offense Saturday, as the Buffaloes dropped a 102-62 decision at the Fertitta Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 16-13 overall and 6-10 in the Big 12, while the fifth-ranked Cougars improved to 24-5 overall and 12-4 in the Big 12.
"I liked the way we started the game," Boyle said. "But we couldn't sustain it, and Houston is so good on both sides of the ball. It's a great learning opportunity for our young guys to see what a top five team in the country looks like."
Freshman Isaiah Johnson led CU with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Bangot Dak scored 15 points. Sebastian Rancik added 11 points.
Houston put six players in double figures, led by 26 points from Milos Uzan.
The Cougars' offense caused CU problems throughout the game. Houston shot 60 percent on 34-of-57 from the field. They also finished 10-of-17 from behind the arc for 59 percent. The Houston bench outscored Colorado 29-8.
"That's what makes good teams, is it can't just be your starting five," Boyle commented. "It's got to be those guys coming off the bench, and when they get in foul trouble and they give them production. That's what that's what a team is all about."
The Buffs jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, but after going up 16-11 following a Johnson and-1 in the first half, Houston outscored the Buffs 44-13 in the final 14:34 before halftime. Colorado never threatened again. CU kept pace through most of the second half but never cut the lead below 20 points.
Colorado struggled to shoot the ball from deep, making just three of 14 and only one of the last 12 after Johnson made the first two of the game. The Buffs also committed 15 turnovers, with 10 coming in the first half. That led to 21 points for Houston, compared to only nine points off seven Cougars' turnovers for the Buffs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado opened the game firing on all cylinders. On offense, the Buffs made four of their first five shots while holding Houston to 1-of-5 to start the game to give the Buffs a 10-2 lead three minutes in.
Houston slowly crept back into the game, but Johnson's offense kept the Buffs ahead with two 3-pointers and an and-1 for nine early points. After the Buffs went ahead 16-11, the Cougars responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the game and lead 23-16 with 11:32 remaining in the first half.
The offense continued to struggle for Colorado, going more than six minutes without a field goal, allowing Houston to push the lead to 32-19 with 8:09 left in the opening half.
On offense, the Buffs took the lid off the basket by making three at the rim,, but Houston continued to score on the other end of the court, pushing the lead to 16 points with three minutes until halftime.
Following an offensive foul, Boyle was given two technical fouls, leading to his ejection. Houston then closed the half on a 7-0 run to go up 55-29.
Houston took control of the first half on the glass and by creating turnovers. The Cougars tallied eight offensive rebounds in the first half and converted those into eight second-chance points. On the defensive end, they forced 10 Colorado turnovers that led to 14 points.
Dak and Johnson scored 20 of the 29 first-half points and made seven of the 10 shots in the opening 20 minutes.
The second half opened, and both offenses scored with ease. Colorado made five of its first seven shots, but allowed Houston to make six of its first seven to push the lead to 68-41 with 15 minutes left in the game.
Colorado kept pace for most of the second half, but never cut the Houston lead below 20 points.Â
UP NEXT
Colorado will stay on the road, traveling to Salt Lake City to face off against Utah in the final road regular-season game on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 16-13 overall and 6-10 in the Big 12, while the fifth-ranked Cougars improved to 24-5 overall and 12-4 in the Big 12.
"I liked the way we started the game," Boyle said. "But we couldn't sustain it, and Houston is so good on both sides of the ball. It's a great learning opportunity for our young guys to see what a top five team in the country looks like."
Freshman Isaiah Johnson led CU with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Bangot Dak scored 15 points. Sebastian Rancik added 11 points.
Houston put six players in double figures, led by 26 points from Milos Uzan.
The Cougars' offense caused CU problems throughout the game. Houston shot 60 percent on 34-of-57 from the field. They also finished 10-of-17 from behind the arc for 59 percent. The Houston bench outscored Colorado 29-8.
"That's what makes good teams, is it can't just be your starting five," Boyle commented. "It's got to be those guys coming off the bench, and when they get in foul trouble and they give them production. That's what that's what a team is all about."
The Buffs jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, but after going up 16-11 following a Johnson and-1 in the first half, Houston outscored the Buffs 44-13 in the final 14:34 before halftime. Colorado never threatened again. CU kept pace through most of the second half but never cut the lead below 20 points.
Colorado struggled to shoot the ball from deep, making just three of 14 and only one of the last 12 after Johnson made the first two of the game. The Buffs also committed 15 turnovers, with 10 coming in the first half. That led to 21 points for Houston, compared to only nine points off seven Cougars' turnovers for the Buffs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado opened the game firing on all cylinders. On offense, the Buffs made four of their first five shots while holding Houston to 1-of-5 to start the game to give the Buffs a 10-2 lead three minutes in.
Houston slowly crept back into the game, but Johnson's offense kept the Buffs ahead with two 3-pointers and an and-1 for nine early points. After the Buffs went ahead 16-11, the Cougars responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the game and lead 23-16 with 11:32 remaining in the first half.
The offense continued to struggle for Colorado, going more than six minutes without a field goal, allowing Houston to push the lead to 32-19 with 8:09 left in the opening half.
On offense, the Buffs took the lid off the basket by making three at the rim,, but Houston continued to score on the other end of the court, pushing the lead to 16 points with three minutes until halftime.
Following an offensive foul, Boyle was given two technical fouls, leading to his ejection. Houston then closed the half on a 7-0 run to go up 55-29.
Houston took control of the first half on the glass and by creating turnovers. The Cougars tallied eight offensive rebounds in the first half and converted those into eight second-chance points. On the defensive end, they forced 10 Colorado turnovers that led to 14 points.
Dak and Johnson scored 20 of the 29 first-half points and made seven of the 10 shots in the opening 20 minutes.
The second half opened, and both offenses scored with ease. Colorado made five of its first seven shots, but allowed Houston to make six of its first seven to push the lead to 68-41 with 15 minutes left in the game.
Colorado kept pace for most of the second half, but never cut the Houston lead below 20 points.Â
UP NEXT
Colorado will stay on the road, traveling to Salt Lake City to face off against Utah in the final road regular-season game on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Â
Team Stats
CU
UH
FG%
.460
.596
3FG%
.214
.588
FT%
.722
.774
RB
22
34
TO
15
7
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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