Buffs to face Cowboys in Big 12 tournament first round

The Cowboys hold a major advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, with a record of 62-49 entering Tuesday's contest. (Photo by Tony Harman/CU Athletics)

The No. 11-seeded Colorado Buffaloes (17-14, 7-11 Big 12) are set to face a familiar foe in the first round of the 2026 Big 12 tournament. They will face the No. 14-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys (18-13, 6-12), whom they defeated 83-69 at the CU Events Center on Feb. 21. 

The Buffaloes’ key to success in that game was shutting down star Cowboys guard Anthony Roy. The senior guard leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. The Buffaloes held him to just six points in 19 minutes of play off the bench. Roy went 3-for-10 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the contest.

“To hold Roy, who’s a hell of a shooter, to 0-for-7 from 3 was key,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “He’s a guy who can get going…and we got him off the line, and he made some tough 2’s, but we can live with that.”

However, Cowboys forward Parsa Fallah stepped up amid Roy’s struggles. The senior registered a team-leading 14 points and two steals in the game despite the loss. 

But the Cowboys will be without Fallah on Tuesday, as they have been since Feb. 24, when he suffered a torn ACL against West Virginia. His absence will not only be felt offensively, but also on the glass. Fallah is the Cowboys’ leading rebounder on the season, averaging six rebounds per game.

It’s not all good news for Colorado, though, as it will be missing a key player of its own to injury. Forward Sebastian Rancik is slated to miss his third-straight game since suffering a concussion in practice on March 2. His presence was felt for the Buffaloes in their first meeting with Oklahoma State as he recorded a team-leading 10 rebounds.

This will be the first time these two teams have met in the Big 12 tournament since 2005. In that quarterfinals matchup 21 years ago, the Cowboys emerged victorious 87-85 at Kemper Arena. Oklahoma State was led by star forward Joey Graham, who scored 24 points in the contest. 

The Buffaloes enter the tournament with a renewed mindset after testing No. 2 Arizona in Boulder on Saturday.

“It’s a new season now,” Colorado guard Barrington Hargress said following the loss. “Everybody is 0-0, we have a chance to reset and the team that wants to play the longest will play the longest.”

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MT from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri (ESPN+).