While Colorado fans and players anticipate the men’s basketball team’s public exhibition against North Texas in Denver, the Buffaloes are preparing for Saturday’s foe: Marquette.
After Tuesday’s practice, head coach Tad Boyle told the media that CU will take on the Big East’s Golden Eagles in a closed-door scrimmage. He added that the Buffs will also play Saint Mary’s in late October. No locations were shared, and no specific date for the game against the Gaels.
“We have a scrimmage on Saturday against Marquette. So, we're not even thinking about Denver,” Boyle said. “It's a closed scrimmage, so it's not like it's in front of fans. But I've told our team, we're approaching it like a midterm exam.
“Then, we institute those things [we learn from Marquette] for North Texas, and then we'll do it again; we’ll scrimmage Saint Mary's a little bit later,” Boyle continued. “It's great that you have three opportunities to go against different teams, different styles and different strengths. You find out a lot about your team in that as we prepare for our opener on November 2nd.”
The Buffs faced Marquette in private last season, less than two years after losing to Shaka Smart, Tyler Kolek and the Golden Eagles in the round of 32 in 2024’s NCAA tournament. While CU was pleased with last preseason’s showing, more so than after facing Texas ahead of the 2024-25 season, it wound up 17-16 and 7-11 in Big 12 play. Marquette went 12-20 and 7-13 in the Big East last year, in Smart’s worst season in nine years.
However, while CU’s roster looks different, so does Marquette’s.
Of course, 6-foot sophomore Nigel James heads the team, coming off a stellar freshman campaign. He averaged 16.4 points and 4.9 assists per game, and earned the conference’s freshman of the year.
Smart returned a handful of others, bringing in two four-star transfers and two four-star freshmen among an impressive recruiting class. Former St. Thomas guard Nolan Minnessale (19.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.3 APG) is fresh off an All-Summit First-Team selection, and former Louisville forward Sananda Fru posted 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season. Freshmen Ethan Johnston and Alex Egbuonu provide length and depth to the Golden Eagles’ perimeter.
Naturally, the challenge will likely be tougher.
“I feel like the energy and the mentality is just picking up the intensity,” sophomore guard Josiah Sanders said. “Everybody's excited. A little bit anxious; we just want to get out there, we just want to hoop and show what we've been working on.”
Boyle didn’t specifically say when CU will scrimmage Saint Mary’s, though he clarified it will be after the Oct. 18 exhibition against North Texas.
Looking at those two, the Mean Green went 19-14 (9-14 American) last season while the Gaels went 27-6 (16-2 WCC) in its fifth consecutive season making March Madness. UNT head coach Deniyal Johnson is entering his second season with the program, and returning some of his top guys. While SMC returned the fewest of his top players after former head coach Randy Bennett went to Arizona State, Bennett and his replacement Mickey McConnell (who was promoted from associate head coach) consistently relied on the Australian pipeline, which CU is starting to tap into. The Gaels will also have Jeremy Dent-Smith, who grew up with Buffs guard Barrington Hargress.
With Colorado focusing on Marquette, however, all eyes will be on the Golden Eagles within the program leading up to Saturday.
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