Preview: Buffs and Cowboys battle for 13th place in Big 12

Guards Isaiah Johnson (left) and Anthony Roy (right) both lead their teams in scoring and will do battle on Saturday. (Photos by Christian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports (left) & Mitch Alcala/AP (right))

The Colorado Buffaloes (14-12, 4-9 Big 12) take the floor for the first time in a week on Saturday when they face the Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-10, 4-9). In a game that’s crucial for Big 12 championship seeding, both teams look to snap a losing skids.

The Cowboys are in the midst of the worst of the two skids, as they’ve lost four straight dating back to Feb. 7. In those games, they’ve lost by an average of 15.25 points.  That includes a 37-point road loss to the Arizona Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 at the time.

As for Colorado, it has lost two straight games, both on the road against ranked opponents. First, the Buffs suffered their worst loss of the season, falling by 34 points to the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders. However, they followed that up by taking No. 22 BYU to overtime, though they still fell by four points. 

Both the Buffaloes and Cowboys have struggled defensively all season, ranking 12th and 16th in the Big 12 in points allowed per game, respectively.

Despite the defensive struggles, though, they are led offensively by dangerous backcourts. The battle of those units will likely determine the outcome of this high-scoring affair. 

Colorado is led by guards Isaiah Johnson and Barrington Hargress, who average a combined 30.6 points per game. In the Buffaloes’ tight loss to BYU, they combined for 47 points on 50 percent shooting.

The Cowboys are led by star guard Anthony Roy, who averages 17.5 points per game. He recorded a season-high 30 points in OSU’s upset of the Cougars earlier this month.

Joining him in the backcourt is sophomore guard Vyctorious Miller. He averages 12 points per game in a supportive role to Roy. 

This game marks the first matchup between Colorado head coach Tad Boyle and Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz since Jan. 18, 2025, and their second meeting all-time. The Cowboys won last season’s battle 83-73 off the back of a 15-point, seven-rebound performance from forward Marchelus Avery. Boyle looks to avenge that 2025 loss and secure Colorado’s first win over the Cowboys since his inaugural season in 2010.

The rebounding battle will also tell a crucial part of this game’s story. Colorado forwards Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik led their team in rebounds against BYU with seven and 10, respectively. Their emergence on the glass is something CU’s coaching staff has been hoping for all season, and the moment may finally be here.

But that pair will be tasked with matching up against an OSU team that rebounds well as a unit. While forward Parsa Fallah leads the team in rebounds per game with just 6.1, the Cowboys still rank fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding. They have gotten contributions from everyone on the floor in the rebounding game this season, so Dak and Rancik’s ability to box out down low will be put to the test on Saturday.

The battle for 13th place in the Big 12 is set to tip off at 1:30 p.m. MT at the CU Events Center (TNT, truTV).