Buffs bounced by Cowboys in first round of Big 12 Tournament
- Matt Spivack
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
A quick second-half burst turned a tight game into an uphill battle for the No. 11-seeded Colorado Buffaloes (17-15, 7-11 Big 12) as they fell to the No. 14-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys (19-13, 6-12) 92-83 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
Both squads traded baskets throughout the first half, but the Cowboys’ intensity and energy out of halftime proved to be too much for the Buffaloes to handle. Oklahoma State quickly grew its one-point halftime lead to nine points, with a 14-6 run to start the second half, and never looked back. Colorado cut the deficit to single-digits multiple times and trailed by just five points with over 12 minutes left in the game. However, the Buffs’ defense could not string stops together late in the game, and a cluster of Colorado fouls early in the half put the Cowboys in the bonus for almost 10 minutes down the stretch.
The Buffs were without their star forward Sebastian Rancik for the third-straight game due to a concussion. Rancik's absence was heavily felt on the glass, showcased by the Cowboys grabbing 10 more rebounds than the Buffs.
“Sebastian [Rancik] is 6-foot-11; he does help us on the glass, there is no doubt about that,” Boyle said.
The Cowboys were also undermanned, playing without standout forward Parsa Fallah for the fourth game since he tore his ACL in the team’s win over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Feb. 24. Fallah left big shoes to fill, as he led the team in rebounds (six) and was second in points per game (14.7) before his injury.
Freshman center Benjamin Ahmed was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Fallah. He scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in the game, but foul trouble in the second half forced 6-foot-8 guard Christian Coleman to play the center position. Coleman held his own, pulling in a game-high 14 rebounds and adding 17 points to his statsheet.
“Christian Coleman has probably played the center position maybe 10 possessions all year long,” head coach Steve Lutz said. “Tonight, he was able to hold it down while these guys were in foul trouble.”
Although Colorado’s defense gave up 41 first-half points, it managed to hold senior guard Anthony Roy to seven points in the half on just 1-for-3 from the field. Roy would not be contained all night, scoring 17 points on 5-for-6 from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds in the second half.
Colorado’s inability to defend without fouling gifted the Cowboys 22 second-half free throw attempts (19-for-22). Granted, a couple of those fouls came in garbage time, but the defense did not show up as it did against Oklahoma State in Boulder.
Boyle mentioned the team’s offense was not the issue in Tuesday night’s loss.
“We played these guys in Boulder three weeks ago,” Boyle said. “We scored 83 points. We scored 83 tonight, we won convincingly in Boulder. Tonight, we lost convincingly.”
Juniors Bangot Dak and Barrington Hargress carried the Buffs’ offense in Kansas City. Dak was by far the best Colorado player on the floor, doing it all on the biggest stage. He scored a team-high 22 points on 10-for-13 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Dak was the lone starter to stay out of foul trouble, only committing one foul in 30 minutes played. He was a force on the defensive end, recording eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Hargress finished with a near double-double, scoring 18 points and dishing out nine assists. The guard continued to showcase his elite playmaking ability, recording a 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the contest.
The junior duo kept Colorado in the game early, scoring 16 of the Buffs’ first 19 points. The two combined for 40 points on an efficient 16-for-24 from the field (66 percent).
The Buffs’ leading scorer heading into this game, freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, had trouble scoring all night. The 17-point-per-game scorer finished with 14 points, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story. The freshman guard was blitzed and forced into uncomfortable situations by the Cowboys’ defense. He had an inefficient shooting night, finishing 2-for-9 from deep and 33 percent from the field.
“The sky is the limit for Isaiah [Johnson],” Boyle said. “Isaiah’s a warrior, and he’s a great teammate. He’s given everything he’s got this year.”
In all likelihood, the loss ends Colorado’s season. Despite improving from a dead-last three Big 12 wins last season to seven wins this year, the Buffs could not recapture some of their tournament magic from 2025.
“Our whole team got better,” Boyle said. “The future of this program is as bright as it's ever been, if we can keep these guys together.”