Colorado basketball’s 2026-27 nonconference slate is set, and it gives Tad Boyle’s team very little room to ease into the season.
The Buffs open at home against Abilene Christian on Nov. 2, but the comfort doesn’t last long. San Diego State waits in the Bill Walton Classic on Nov. 7, followed by San Diego on Nov.
- Colorado then heads to Providence on Nov. 14 to finish a home-and-home series, a trip that should serve as an early barometer for one of the Big 12’s youngest rosters.
November keeps building from there. The Buffs will host Portland and former Pac-12 foe Stanford, and they’ll also take part in the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert over Thanksgiving. Colorado State is on the schedule too, renewing an in-state rivalry before the calendar flips.
The biggest nonconference spotlight lands on Dec. 19, when Colorado takes on Purdue in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That game against a Big Ten heavyweight gives Boyle’s group a chance to play on a national stage just before league play begins.
And when Big 12 action starts, the test only gets steeper. Colorado’s 18-game conference schedule includes home-and-home series with Utah, Houston and Baylor. Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia are set to visit Boulder, while the Buffs will have to travel to Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU and UCF.
How well Colorado handles that grind will likely come down to how fast a young roster comes together. Eleven of the 15 players on the team are underclassmen, and seven are freshmen.
Boyle has singled out sophomore guards Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders and Ian Inman as tone-setters after encouraging first seasons. Junior guard Barrington Hargress returns as the primary offensive engine, while senior transfers Noah Feddersen from North Dakota State and Justin Neely from UNC Greensboro are expected to help steady the frontcourt and bring experience around a mostly new rotation.
Boyle is entering his 17th season and already stands as the winningest coach in program history.
In Other News...
Julian Lewis Is Giving Colorado Fans Real Reason To Believe
Colorados offense is heading into a new era in 2026, and the attention is already starting to land on Julian Lewis. ESPNs Adam Rittenberg recently put the Buffaloes quarterback on a list of Big 12 passers to watch, a notable nod for a former five-star recruit entering his second collegiate season. Lewis is being mentioned in the same conversation as some of the sports most closely watched young quarterbacks, which says plenty about the expectations forming around him.
The timing matters for Colorado, too, because the Buffs are also adjusting to a new offensive coordinator in Brennan Marion. For a program looking to take a meaningful step forward, Lewis has become one of the clearest reasons for optimism, the kind of player who can shape how high this offense can climb if the new system clicks. The buzz is early, but it is real, and it is only going to grow once the offseason gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Colorado Recruiting Shift Is Starting To Look Very Different
Colorados 2027 recruiting class is beginning to show a different kind of blueprint under Deion Sanders, with more than 20 high school commitments already on board. For a program that has leaned heavily on the transfer portal in recent seasons, the current class suggests a more deliberate push to build from the ground up, with the staff putting a new premium on getting young talent in the door early.
One of the clearest signs of that shift has been the work done on the offensive line, where Gunnar White has become a steady presence on the trail and a central figure in the class so far. His emphasis on recruiting and developing high school players fits the larger direction around the program, as Colorado tries to create more long-term stability and lessen its dependence on quick fixes. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Is Betting This Fall Camp Reset Will Bring The Team Together
Colorado opened fall camp in a different setting this year, taking its work to Colorado Springs and practicing at local facilities while living in dorms at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The change of scenery has been framed internally as more than a logistical adjustment, with players and the athletic director describing it as a chance to tighten the group and strip away some of the usual distractions that come with being back in Boulder.
For a team trying to build chemistry before the season, the move is meant to create more time together and a sharper daily focus. Colorado is betting that a reset like this can do some of the quiet but important work of camp, helping the Buffaloes connect as a roster and carry a little more cohesion into the fall. [Read more 🡒]