Colorado’s men’s basketball rotation is starting to come into focus, and Tad Boyle may have already tipped his hand a little in the Buffs’ exhibition win over North Texas.
In Sunday’s 67-64 victory at Metro State in Denver, Boyle opened with Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Josiah Sanders, Justin Neely and Goc Malual. Off the bench, Ian Inman, Jalin Holland and Noah Feddersen each played at least 19 minutes, while Inman wound up with the most court time of anyone on the roster at 29 minutes, 57 seconds.
That doesn’t mean the coach is ready to lock in a lineup before the season opener, but the pieces are starting to settle. Hargress and Dickeson look set as the first two guards.
Neely appears entrenched up front. And the second-year group of Sanders, Holland and Inman gives Boyle options he can mix and match.
At the five, Malual and Feddersen seem likely to share the workload no matter who gets the nod to start.
One other piece of the puzzle got a short look. Charlotte transfer David Gomez checked in for five minutes off the bench, though that role figures to stay small for now as he continues working back into shape after missing the entire offseason and the first two-plus weeks of preseason while recovering from foot surgery. In his brief run, Gomez picked up two rebounds, threw down a dunk off a feed from Sanders and also committed three turnovers.
“We kind of went with an eight-man rotation,” Boyle said. “David Gomez got some minutes there in the first half, so we played nine guys.
That’s what you’re going to see probably from this team this year. So each guy has a responsibility when he’s in there to play to his capability.
That’s all I want. I don’t want guys to feel like they’ve got to play better.
Just do what you do, do it well, do what the team needs to win games.”
Boyle said the exhibition wasn’t about the final score so much as getting the group moving in the right direction before the Nov. 2 season opener at home against Abilene Christian. CU will get another look at its revamped group Saturday in a closed scrimmage against St. Mary’s.
“These are all about learning opportunities for your team,” Boyle said. “It’s about learning about what we need to get better at in the next week.
These are really, really great opportunities for our guys to figure out where we need to get better as a team, and where individually each player needs to get better. As long as we continue to do that between now and November 2, we’re going to be OK.
We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, and (North Texas) was a good opportunity for us to learn and squeak one out.”
The Buffs also added to their future roster Tuesday, landing a commitment for the 2027 recruiting class from Mana Winitana, according to a report from On3 Sports. Winitana, a 6-foot-2 guard at Wasatch Academy in Utah, is rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com.
Boyle also took the stage Tuesday in Kansas City for Big 12 Conference media day alongside Hargress and Sanders. With his 17th season at CU underway, he was asked about managing a roster with fresh faces every year, and he said the newcomers bring something valuable to the mix.
“The one thing about having new players each year, it’s really nice to have returning guys like (Hargress and Sanders), but the new guys bring an energy,” Boyle said. “Whether it’s the freshmen, whether it’s the transfers.
We all have them. That really kind of makes you feel alive as a coach.”
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Colorado Opens With One Big Question Around Its New-Look Roster
Colorados men's basketball team spent Big 12 Media Day talking through a roster that looks very different from a year ago, with head coach Tad Boyle joined by Josiah Sanders and Barrington Hargress to help sketch out the early shape of the 2026-27 group. Boyle spent much of the day on the blend of new faces and returning pieces, while Sanders and Hargress offered a players view of how leadership and chemistry are developing before the season gets going.
What stands out for Colorado is how much of the conversation still centers on identity, not just talent. Freshman guard Alex Dickeson, graduate forward Justin Neely and sophomore forward Goc Malual are among the names giving this roster a new look, but the bigger question is how quickly that mix settles into something cohesive under Boyle. Sanders and Hargress both sounded focused on the day-to-day work, which is usually the first clue whether a team with this many moving parts is going to come together in time. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Sent A Clear Message About This Season At Big 12 Media Day
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Colorados offseason also had a little more substance than the usual summer workout grind. The group talked through the teams trip to Portugal, a stretch that gave the Buffs extra time together before the real schedule begins, with an exhibition set for Oct. 27 and the regular season opening Nov. 4. For a team trying to define itself early, those are the kinds of details that can matter long after media day has ended. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Has A Defensive Strength Its Record Shouldn't Allow
Colorados defense has been one of the few things keeping the Buffaloes competitive through a rough start, and the production has been impossible to ignore even if the record says otherwise. Through six games, the unit has piled up enough disruption to lead the Big 12 in tackles for loss and sit among the nations best in that category, a striking contrast to a 2-4 team trying to find its footing.
The latest flashpoint came from Santana Hopper, whose pressure-filled performance helped underline just how much havoc Colorado can create up front. Deion Sanders has praised the effort, but he has also pointed to the same familiar concern: the defense has had a way of loosening up late in games, leaving the Buffs to wonder how much of this strength can truly show up in the final result. [Read more 🡒]