Colorado men’s basketball 2026-27 preview

For anyone wondering what the Colorado Buffaloes may bring to the table in their third year back in the Big 12, the expectations are similar to the last few years: low.

17th-year head coach Tad Boyle and the Buffs were voted among the conference’s bottom three teams in both the coaches’ and media polls.

After all, CU lost three of its top four players and didn’t replace them with players making similar moves. While Isaiah Johnson, Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak found homes in the SEC and ACC, the Buffs replaced them and the other departures with freshmen and mid-major players.

With star guard Barrington Hargress and three talented sophomores returning, however, the Black-and-Gold has a nucleus to rely on that it hasn’t had in the last two seasons. While the freshmen class ranked lower on recruiting websites, Australians Alex Dickeson and Goc Malual bring experience and talent. All the transfers are at least 22 and have college or international experience.

Naturally, question marks arise because so much of the roster is unproven and small inside. Yet, with everyone looking to show they can contribute to wins, CU offers more for a surprise than in years past.

Depth chart

The Buffs played nine men against North Texas, mainly inspiring this chart.

Since Boyle said the starters in the exhibition will likely differ from opening night (and the rest of the season), the “potential starters” column includes the top eight players. The rotation moved those players around, so most were each listed again in the “secondary positions” column, where they spent time outside of their primary position. Players such as Josiah Sanders begged to be listed thrice, while Jalin Holland, Ian Inman and Justin Neely may flip-flop their “secondary” spot on any given night. Bolded players are sure starters.

Scoring

Inside: A fair amount of the Buffs’ inside scoring will actually come from the smaller players.

6-foot-1 Hargress (14.7 PPG) scored at the rim in transition and on blow-bys. In Dickeson’s team-leading 15-point showing against North Texas, he showcased some tough finishes and floaters. Strong guards like Holland and Sanders will look to drive. And 6–6 Neely’s 17.9 points per game relied on his physical post player for a wing.

Still, the bigs should provide some help. 6-8 Malual, 6-10 Feddersen and 6-9 Gomez have all shown they can get above the rim after catching drop-off passes, and offer touch in the short roll. They may surprise at times with an off-the-dribble blow-by.

Outside: CU has several proven shooters: 6-6 Inman, Hargress and Dickeson. Inman shot 36.7% from the 3-point line last year and looks to stress the defense with quick catch-and-shoot 3s. While Hargress has shown he can hit deep shots off the dribble, he saw more catch-and-shoot opportunities with the Buffs and shot 48.1% last season. Dickeson may not be as accurate as Hargress, but should receive similar looks.

The nice thing with those three is that they can all score off the bounce in the mid-range. The smaller Hargress works more off deep step-backs. Inman’s quick stroke leads into one-dribble pull-ups. Dickeson’s height allows him to drive and pivot into jumpers.

Beyond that, Holland and Sanders look to improve unfavorable 3-point shooting percentages from a year ago. Improvement is awaiting to be seen.

The frontcourt can all step out and hit a jumper. Neely (31.4%) and Feddersen (29.3%) are looking to improve their 3-point marks, but are respectable. Malual and Gomez have smooth shooting strokes from international play.

Conclusion: Hargress and Neely will take on the brunt of one-on-one situations. One of them will likely have the ball if the shot clock is running down or a play needs to be made. Dickeson has the makings to join that bunch, though the other two can draw fouls at a high rate.

While someone like Inman may be less isolation-minded, his shooting stroke and scorer’s mindset give him many shot attempts in CU’s offense; he’s the lone non-ball-dominant player who can consistently lace 3-pointers. If he makes the leap as a scorer, not just a shooter, he could have a big role.

Beyond those four, the points will fall where the opposition lets them. Until Sanders or Holland prove to be consistent 3-point shooters, their game will be limited to driving. Unless one of the bigs gets hot from deep, they likely won’t have a more pronounced scoring role than one another. At 6-10 and smaller but with limited perimeter skills, they will look to get others open with occasional open 3s and dunks. But since the bigs can all shoot a little bit, the guards’ ability to drive should be easier to capitalize on.

While CU’s interior likely won’t draw many fouls, Neely, Hargress and the big guards are solid at getting to the line.

Playmaking

Distributing: Since the ball will be in Hargress’s or Dickeson’s hands crossing halfcourt, they will be the ones finding others. Hargress led the team in assists last year (4.5 APG), and Dickeson has been called the “best passing guard” that Boyle has ever coached.

But as talented scorers, they pull attention, leaving bigs open for dunks or shooters open for 3-pointers. Their passes will make some highlight reels.

Beyond them, Neely’s ability to pull mismatches opens up others. He had six assists against North Texas. And while Sanders plays a different game as a guard, he has solid vision for his size; he garners more attention on drives and knows how to distribute.

Of course, other players will make passes. The smaller bigs are crafty, and the other guards will look to drive-and-kick. But Hargress, Dickeson, Neely and Sanders will likely be the ones distributing to their teammates.

Getting people open without the ball: The whole team will be relied on to get others open without the ball. But with no one who is an overly demanding presence while rolling, whoever hits jumpers will help the most. Spacing is important, and a help defender can’t help as far off of a shooter.

So, someone like Inman should create a lot of offense without touching the ball. Drives will be more open. Rolls will be more open. Off-ball action involving Inman could confuse the defense due to his gravity. And Inman should be open on backdoor cuts if defenders are too worried about leaving him open.

Holland and Sanders will have to see if their jump shot can pull a share of the respect Inman’s does to experience the same benefits. But with Neely’s post-ups, they are athletic enough to finish at the rim off cuts.

The bigs, however, will really have to shoot well to be as useful. They won’t roll with much success, so capitalizing on pops and short rolls will keep defenders from hounding ball handlers.

Conclusion: Colorado has several talented distributors. Hargress and Dickeson will likely lead the team in assists and limit turnovers; Hargress led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Neely will have playmaking opportunities because of his post presence.

Where the other playmaking comes from will have to be seen. The others haven’t been particularly strong with the ball, which led to turnover issues in preseason showings. But the perimeter shooting also hasn’t stressed the defense despite finding open looks. CU made just 4-of-15 3-point attempts against UNT, which helped the Mean Green key in on Hargress and Dickeson.

So, if the team can shoot as a whole, the opposition won’t be able to apply as much individual pressure. The less physically demanding bigs will still stress defenses with screens, especially in Boyle’s offense. CU’s bigs often get the ball on the perimeter, looking for hand-offs or finding backdoor cutters.

If they can’t shoot, things could become quite scary outside of three or four players.

Defense

Perimeter: CU has talented on-ball defenders. 6-5 Holland and 6-5 Sanders lead the bunch. They’ll take players out of games. 6-4 Dickeson and 6-6 Inman also get after it. The guards look to cull-court guard.

Since the bigs are smaller, a guy like 6-8 Malual can switch on the perimeter. 6-10 Feddersen is mobile, and 6-9 Gomez has a 7-3 wingspan.

With 6-1 Hargress and 6-6 Neely, though, those two may find issues. The smaller Hargress may get overpowered by bigger guards. And Neely may get burned by what makes him a mismatch nightmare on offense; he’s smaller than bigs but slower than guards. They both try hard and are decent enough that there shouldn’t be too much worry, but they should be the weaker perimeter defenders.

Interior: Until seeing the top bigs in the Big 12, it should be fine inside. With taller guards and athletic bigs, things won’t come easy for opposing teams; Colorado’s smaller lineups will be quicker to plug up driving lanes, double-team the post and scramble.

Yet, once the ball gets inside, it will be hard to get it back out. Feddersen or Malual may rise to block a shot, or Gomez’s long arms will get a piece. But someone like Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas can just shoot over anyone on the team unless CU can dig the ball out of the post with double teams.

Conclusion: Colorado should be a solid defensive team. In its only public showing, it held North Texas to 64 points on sub-40% shooting and double-digit turnovers. Reports from the closed-door scrimmages indicate decent efforts.

With versatile frontcourt options and only one smaller guard, the Buffs shouldn’t be susceptible to mismatches. Even against taller bigs, CU has athletes who should be able to pressure other teams and scramble well. Boyle likes running man-to-man and will do so most of the season, but he can press or play zone if need be.

Rebounding

Offensive: Boyle emphasizes offensive rebounding. Extra possessions mathematically win ball games. However, outside of Neely (11.5 RPG), the preseason offensive rebounding hasn’t been pretty; Neely grabbed two of CU’s three offensive boards against UNT.

Malual, and potentially Gomez, have the best shot at being the next best. But both are undersized and rely on other physical traits and high motor on the glass.

Guards like Sanders and Holland may help on the offensive glass; they did so last year. Dickeson also rebounded well in Australia. But creating second-chance looks with guards has risks, so Boyle usually sends at least one guard back.

Defensive: Colorado has struggled to keep the opposition off the offensive boards. North Texas grabbed 12 offensive rebounds in the exhibition, and St. Mary’s had 21 a week and a half later.

Funnily enough, CU can partially blame turnovers for their rebounding woes. Their turnovers have led to shot-attempt disparities, giving the opposition more chances to grab offensive boards.

Yet, St. Mary’s didn’t pressure the Buffs into turnovers. It has even players who are 6-8 or taller, including two 7-footers. The Gaels’ height gave the smaller CU problems.

The guards will be far more impactful on the defensive glass, which may limit transition chances.

Conclusion: Colorado will have at least a few games this season that they lose (or almost lose) because of rebounding; it will shoot better than the other team but on fewer shot attempts. Turnovers will also impact the issue.

CU does have some solid rebounders who try hard. But physically, it may just be overpowered against top opponents. Even the mid-major opponents will give the Buffs a run for their money on the glass.

Boyle called rebounding a “major concern.”

The outlook

Regular season prediction: 19-13

Nonconference: 11-3

Conference: 8-10

Colorado’s floor is higher than in past years. With more experience and more players built for Boyle’s basketball philosophy, the Buffs should play gritty defense almost every night. Two viable scorers, though with different styles, should add enough offense to complement the defensive effort, especially with the unselfish style of basketball.

However, the ceiling isn’t too much higher than the floor.

The lack of height will consistently plague the Black-and-Gold. The Big 12’s top teams and frontcourts may be impossible to stop, especially on the glass.

While CU has some offensive talent, shooting will be important because it lacks interior scoring. Yet the Buffs only have a few proven shooters. So, opposing defenses have played with high pressure and forced turnovers because only several players have significant gravity.

Home: 14-4

Naturally, Colorado should be hard to beat at home. With the altitude advantage and a physical team, opponents will wear out. CU is also used to shooting on its home rims, which are one of only two pairs that still hang from the ceiling.

Neutral: 2-2

The Buffs have a tough neutral slate. Both San Diego State and Purdue games will be played in the opponent’s home state. The Acrisure Series should be easier, though Saint Louis or Grand Canyon will offer tough challenges.

Away: 3-7

CU hasn’t been good on the road in quite some time. Even the 2023-24 team had woes until late in the season. This year shouldn’t be too different, especially with the conference opponents Colorado is visiting this season. Yet with the nonconference slate offering two tough games at hostile neutral sites and the Providence contest, the Buffs should fare better on the road against comparable opponents.

Coaches Mentioned

Tad Boyle

Head Coach