Colorado men’s basketball now knows where and when most of its 2026-27 season will land on TV, and ESPN platforms are carrying the bulk of the load.
The Buffaloes announced Tuesday that 21 of their 32 regular-season games will air on ESPN outlets. Colorado opens the season Nov. 2 against Abilene Christian at the CU Events Center, with a 7 p.m. MT tip on ESPN+.
That streaming platform will show 16 Colorado games overall, including eight of the Buffaloes’ 14 nonconference matchups and eight Big 12 games. The television assignments for the Nov. 24-25 Acrisure Series have not been announced.
Conference play starts with a road trip to Oklahoma State on Jan. 2.
That game is set for 6 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
Colorado’s Big 12 home opener comes three days later against Iowa State, with a 9 p.m. tip on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Several of CU’s league home games were slotted into late-night windows. The Buffaloes will host Houston on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2, then welcome Texas Tech on Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Colorado’s road games at Kansas and Houston will air on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
The schedule also includes a few marquee nonconference and rivalry matchups with broader TV exposure. Colorado hosts Colorado State on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m.
MT on TNT, with simulcasts on truTV and streaming on HBO Max. That same broadcast setup will be used for the Feb. 27 home game against Arizona State at 1 p.m.
The Buffaloes will meet San Diego State on Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m. on USA Network in the Bill Walton Classic. Their Dec. 19 game against Purdue in Indianapolis is set for 3:30 p.m. on FS1.
Peacock is carrying Colorado’s Nov. 14 game at Providence and its Feb. 17 home game against BYU. The Oct. 18 exhibition against North Texas in Denver will not be televised, though it will have a radio broadcast.
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Colorado Faces A Utah Twist That Could Complicate Saturday
Saturday brings more than just a ranked opponent for Colorado. Utah comes to Boulder with Morgan Scalley in his first year as head coach, a familiar face who spent a decade as Kyle Whittinghams defensive coordinator and helped shape the programs identity from the back end as a former Utah safety. The Utes are 5-0 and sitting at No. 11, and their defense remains the kind of calling card that can make life difficult for any offense.
For Colorado, the matchup gets even trickier because Scalley knows Isaac Wilson well from their time together at Utah. That familiarity adds another layer to a game that already asks the Buffaloes to solve one of the nations better defenses while preparing for a coach who knows the personnel, the system and the quarterback hes now trying to stop. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Defense Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against Unbeaten Utah
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For Colorado, the task is less about simply slowing Utah down than finding a way to disrupt the rhythm before it gets established. Santana Hopper will be central to that effort, and the Buffs could use another key presence if the defense is at full strength. Lamont Lester Jr. is still in question, leaving a bit of uncertainty on the back end as Colorado prepares for an 8:15 p.m. MT kickoff on ESPN in what feels like its biggest defensive test of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Faces A Brutal Big 12 Test At The Worst Time
The Big 12 schedule is set up to stir plenty of movement again this week, and Colorado is stuck in the middle of a league slate that could reshape the standings quickly. There is a top-10 showdown between Notre Dame and BYU, some upset potential in Oklahoma States meeting with Houston, and a few other conference games that should tell us more about where everyone really stands as the season tightens.
For Colorado, the timing makes the next stretch feel especially unforgiving. With three Big 12 teams on bye, the Buffs do not have the luxury of letting the league sort itself out around them, and every result around the conference only sharpens the pressure on a team still trying to find traction in its first season of this new race. The matchup ahead offers a chance to answer some of those questions, but it also comes against one of the leagues most complete teams, which is exactly the kind of test no one wants when momentum is already hard to come by. [Read more 🡒]