Colorado head coach Tad Boyle has been tinkering with his lineup lately, and the results have been a mixed bag. Over the last two games, Boyle leaned into youth and speed, starting a smaller group that included four freshmen.
That bold move paid off in a big way against TCU, where the Buffaloes ran away with an 87-61 win. But the same formula didn’t hold up on Wednesday night in Waco, where Colorado ran into a much bigger Baylor squad and took an 86-67 loss.
Now sitting at 13-10 overall and 3-7 in Big 12 play, Colorado is still searching for consistency - and perhaps a lineup that can bring it.
Boyle hasn’t tipped his hand about what he’ll roll out on Saturday when the Buffs host Arizona State in Boulder. But after the Baylor game, he made it clear that the team’s youth showed - especially in how they let offensive struggles affect their effort on the other end.
“I thought in the first half, our youth really showed in terms of letting our frustrations on offense bleed over into defense, and that can't happen, not on the road,” Boyle said. “We’re going to struggle at times on offense, and we did.
We missed shots at the rim that we normally finish. Missed some free throws - just little things like that.
We just didn’t quite have it.”
That frustration was evident in the stat sheet. None of Colorado’s starters grabbed more than three rebounds.
The four freshmen - Jalin Holland (12 points), Isaiah Johnson (10), Josiah Sanders (7), and Fawaz Ifaola (scoreless) - combined for 29 points. Barrington Hargress added 11.
But the Buffs were outmuscled on the boards and couldn’t generate the kind of second-chance opportunities that can keep a team in a tough road game.
Notably, center Elijah Malone didn’t see the floor - a coach’s decision - and regular starting forwards Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik combined for just 10 points. Against a physical Baylor frontcourt, that absence was felt.
On the other side of Saturday’s matchup, Arizona State (12-11, 3-7) is coming off a gritty 71-63 win at Utah - a game that saw head coach Bobby Hurley dip into his bag of tricks. With only seven healthy players, Hurley turned to a zone defense - something the Sun Devils had barely used all season - and it worked like a charm.
“They would not think we would use zone when we have never really used it all year,” Hurley said. “Our guys did a great job of executing it. Their guards were not able to get touches in the paint like they normally do, and they were just not in a great rhythm.”
That defensive wrinkle sparked a 12-0 run that helped ASU build a 29-14 lead and a commanding 41-25 edge at the half. Allen Mukeba was a tone-setter early, coming up with two steals during that run and helping the Sun Devils flip defense into offense - a point of emphasis heading into the game.
“We really worked on turning our defense into offense,” Mukeba said. “We knew if we did that, we would not have to run around as much. We wanted to get out to a big lead to make it easier.”
Massamba Diop led Arizona State with 15 points in that win. He’s been one of the team’s most reliable contributors this season, averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Maurice Odum, the Sun Devils’ leading scorer at 17.0 points per game, chipped in 13 points and added to his season average of 6.2 assists.
So now, both teams come into Saturday’s matchup riding very different waves. Colorado is trying to recalibrate after a tough road loss, while Arizona State is hoping to ride the momentum of a short-handed road win.
For the Buffaloes, the question is whether Boyle sticks with the youth movement or goes back to a more traditional lineup. For the Sun Devils, it’s whether that zone defense becomes more than just a one-time trick.
Either way, with both teams sitting at 3-7 in conference play, Saturday’s game in Boulder is more than just another Big 12 matchup - it’s a chance to shift the trajectory of the season.