Tad Boyle isn’t at a point where it’s time to worry about job security with the Colorado Buffaloes. But that awful campaign of a year ago certainly doesn’t set well.
The Buffs returned to the Big 12 Conference and were the worst team in the league by conference record. Boyle is intent on getting Colorado back on the right side of .500, but like many coaches in the conference he’s dealing with transfer portal turnover.
Here is a preview of the 2025-26 season for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Colorado Buffaloes
2024-25: 14-21, 3-17 in Big 12, 16th place. Reached Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals before losing to Houston. Lost to Villanova in the first round of the College Basketball Crown.
Head coach: Tad Boyle is entering his 16th season at Colorado. He has a 312-203 record with the Buffs. Colorado won the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament title, and he’s led the program to six NCAA Tournament and five NIT bids. The program’s most recent NCAA Tournament berth was in 2024.
Big 12 history: Colorado was an original member of the Big 12 after the Big Eight Conference and parts of the Southwest Conference merged. The Buffs moved to the Pac-12 in 2011 and returned to the Big 12 last season after the Pac-12 broke up.
2025-26 Schedule: Click here for the full Big 12 men’s schedule.
Colorado 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: G Julian Hammond III (12.5 PPG), F Andrej Jakimovski (10.2 PPG), F Trevor Baskin (7.0 PPG), G RJ Smith (6.2 PPG), G Javon Ruffin (5.6 PPG), F Assane Diop (3.8 PPG), G/F Harrison Carrington (3.1 PPG), G Courtney Anderson Jr., F/C Greg Gerhardt, G Grady Whitt
Returning: F Bangot Dak (8.2 PPG), C Elijah Malone (7.9 PPG), F Sebastian Rancik (5.9 PPG), G Felix Kossaras (2.0 PPG), G Andrew Crawford (redshirt), F Nick Crawford (redshirt)
Incoming transfers: G Barrington Hargress (20.2 PPG at UC Riverside), G Jon Mani (2.9 PPG at Denver)
Incoming freshmen: G Josiah Sanders (four-star), G Jalin Holland (four-star), G/F Ian Inman, C Tacko Ifaola, G Isaiah Johnson, F Alon Michaeli, C Leonardo Van Elswyk.
Projected Starting Lineup
G Barrington Hargress: The leading candidate to be the Buffs’ leading scorer.
G Josiah Sanders: The four-star recruit is going to get a chance to start.
F Sebastian Rancik: Could become a double-digit average scorer this season. He’s the most likely to lose his spot to another player.
F Bangot Dak: He’s a high-wire act who should be more assertive this season
C Elijah Malone: Gives the Buffs some an earth mover inside.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Jalin Holland: Another four-star recruit who could compete for a starting job.
Lineup Competition
This is a hard lineup to figure for opening night. Hargress is the only player on the roster that averaged more than 10 points at a four-year institution last year. Barring injury, he must start. Dak and Malone give Colorado the height they’ll need to compete in the Big 12, and Dak is a high wire act worth tuning in for each night. But the other two spots are going to be fluid early. The two four-star freshmen could trade off starting jobs or even crash the lineup together. What the Buffs have is length and one quality scorer. CU is going to have to develop more and fast.
Early Prediction
This could be another hard year for the Buffs. Boyle didn’t pull much from the portal, though Hargress is one of the best gets in the conference. He did gather an enormous freshman class, and two players could have an early impact. But depth is a concern early and Colorado could be limited to an eight-man rotation in conference play. There is too much unknown to consider the Buffs contenders. A finish in the middle of the pack in the league would be the ceiling.
