Colorado picked to finish near bottom of Big 12 in preseason coaches' poll

Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball coach Tad Boyle looks on during practice at the CU Events Center on Oct. 16, 2026, in Boulder, Colorado (photo by Liam Howard/Sko Buffs Sports).

Head coach Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team will once again carry a chip on their shoulder into the 2026-27 season.

The Buffs were voted 14th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, tying with the Kansas State Wildcats. Only the Utah Utes were voted below them.

2026-27 Big 12 men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll:

1. Arizona (12 first-place votes): 220 points

2. Houston (4): 214 points

3. Kansas: 186 points

4. Iowa State: 181 points

5. Texas Tech: 180 points

6. BYU: 148 points

7. TCU: 137 points 

8. T8. Cincinnati: 116 points 

9. T8. West Virginia: 116 points

10. Baylor: 102 points

11. Oklahoma State: 98 points

12. Arizona State: 75 points

13. UCF: 55 points 

14. T14. Colorado: 34 points 

15. T14. Kansas State: 34 points

16. Utah: 24 points

"My thing is to just use it as motivation and a chip on your shoulder," said Boyle after practice on Friday. "There's nothing more irrelevant than preseason [rankings] ... I just want to punch above our weight, win the games we should win and win a bunch of them that we're not supposed to win."

The Arizona Wildcats were picked to finish first after winning the conference last season. Interestingly, the Buffs played the Wildcats close, losing 89-79 at home last season.

The league’s coaches clearly aren’t high on Colorado, which is 10-28 in Big 12 play over its first two years back in the conference. But the Buffs took a step forward from year one to year two, going from 14-21 overall and 3-17 in the Big 12 to 17-16 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

Can they keep that upward trend going? It could be tough. Colorado lost standout freshman guard Isaiah Johnson to the Texas Longhorns, one of seven players who left through the transfer portal. Veteran forwards Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak were also part of the group that departed from Boulder.

That leaves the 2026-27 roster with 10 newcomers, one of the highest totals of the Boyle era, and no Buff was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team.

There is still a core to build around, though. Senior guard Barrington Hargress is back, along with sophomore guards Jalin Holland and Josiah Sanders, who are expected to lead the group as some of the few returners. 

Two newcomers are expected to round out the starting five. Senior power forward Justin Neely (6-foot-6) comes over from the UNC Greensboro Spartans, where he averaged 17.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Senior center Noah Feddersen (6-foot-10) arrives from the North Dakota State Bisons.

For Boyle, now in his 17th year at the helm, the goal for year three in the Big 12 is to keep building.

Colorado gets its first chance to prove the coaches wrong when it opens the season at home against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at 7 p.m. MT on Nov. 2 at the CU Events Center (ESPN+).