In a tough outing at the Big 12 Tournament, the Colorado Buffaloes saw their run come to an abrupt end, falling to the 14th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys, 92-83, in the first round at the T-Mobile Center.
Tad Boyle’s squad, seeded 11th, now stands at 17-15 and will await word on a potential postseason bid. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, improving to 19-16, advance to face TCU in the next round.
Reflecting on the loss, Boyle remarked, "It's never easy when it's over. One day you're playing, the next you're not. We're heading home, and it's not a good feeling."
Colorado started strong, bursting out with an 11-0 run to grab an early nine-point lead. However, Oklahoma State rallied, outscoring the Buffs 28-18 to close the first half with a lead. The Cowboys maintained control throughout the second half.
Bangot Dak matched his career-high with 22 points, adding eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Barrington Hargress chipped in with 18 points and nine assists, while Ian Inman contributed 11 points off the bench.
Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson added 14 points, but struggled with his shot, going 5-of-15 overall and 2-of-9 from three-point range. Boyle praised Johnson's potential, saying, "The sky's the limit for Isaiah.
In a normal year, he’d be on the All-Freshman team. He's a warrior and a great teammate."
Oklahoma State’s Anthony Roy led all scorers with 24 points.
The Buffs shot 47% from the field, including 10-of-29 from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Cowboys shot 29-of-64 and were just 5-of-17 from three-point land. Crucially, Oklahoma State capitalized at the free-throw line, hitting 29-of-35 attempts compared to Colorado’s 9-for-16.
Dominating the paint, the Cowboys outrebounded Colorado 44-34 and scored 40 points inside, while the Buffs managed 30.
Boyle lamented the defensive lapses, noting, "We didn’t execute defensively well enough to beat Oklahoma State. You have to defend, rebound, and take care of the ball, and we didn't do that tonight."
Game Recap
Dak got things rolling for Colorado, scoring seven of the team’s first 11 points, including a three-pointer, to take an early 11-9 lead.
The Cowboys responded, taking a four-point lead before the Buffs unleashed an 11-0 run with threes from Hargress, Johnson, and Inman. This forced an Oklahoma State timeout as Colorado led 22-13 midway through the first half.
Out of the timeout, Oklahoma State closed the gap with second-chance points. Dak added another basket, bringing his total to 11 and giving Colorado a 24-23 edge with eight minutes left in the half.
Both teams traded leads in the final minutes of the half. Colorado briefly held a five-point lead, but Oklahoma State surged ahead, ending the half with a narrow 41-40 advantage.
The Buffs found success from deep in the first half, hitting six threes compared to Oklahoma State’s one. However, the Cowboys dominated inside, going 14-of-23 on two-point attempts and outscoring Colorado 20-12 in the paint.
Dak and Hargress combined for 23 of Colorado’s 40 first-half points on efficient 10-of-14 shooting. Oklahoma State spread the scoring, with eight players contributing at least three points.
The Cowboys started the second half strong, opening with a 7-0 run. Colorado battled back, narrowing the gap to 49-46 with 16 minutes left.
Despite their efforts, the Buffs struggled to hit shots, allowing Oklahoma State to extend its lead. Johnson, after a tough game, added four points to cut the deficit to 68-62 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Oklahoma State responded with another 7-0 run, pushing the lead into double digits. Colorado continued to fight, trimming the lead to seven with 37 seconds left, but couldn’t close the gap further.