Buffaloes Blown Out by Cyclones as Rebounding, Defensive Woes Mount
AMES, Iowa - The Colorado Buffaloes are in a freefall, and Thursday night in Ames was another hard lesson in just how far they’ve got to climb. Facing a tough road test against eighth-ranked Iowa State, the Buffs were overwhelmed in nearly every phase, falling 97-67 at Hilton Coliseum. But while the scoreboard told a story of a lopsided loss, it was the rebounding numbers that truly underscored Colorado’s ongoing struggles.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that this 2025-26 Colorado squad might be the weakest rebounding team of the Tad Boyle era - and that’s saying something, considering Boyle is in his 16th season at the helm. This was the sixth straight game in which the Buffs were outrebounded, and it wasn’t even close.
Iowa State owned the glass with a 38-22 advantage, including nine offensive rebounds on just 22 missed shots. Colorado, meanwhile, could only muster five offensive boards on 31 misses.
To put that in perspective: two Iowa State bench players - Nate Heise (8 rebounds) and Dominykas Pleta (6) - each out-rebounded every single player on Colorado’s roster. Pleta’s four offensive rebounds nearly matched CU’s entire team total.
Colorado’s leading rebounder on the night was Josiah Sanders, who came off the bench and grabbed five. The starting five?
They combined for just six rebounds. That’s not going to cut it in the Big 12 - not against a team with Iowa State’s size, energy, and execution.
And the rebounding issues weren’t the only thing haunting the Buffs. For the second straight game, Colorado allowed an opponent to shoot 60% in both halves.
That’s not just a defensive lapse - that’s a full-on collapse. The Cyclones, who entered the week as the Big 12’s top 3-point shooting team, knocked down 10 of their 21 attempts from deep.
Over the last three games, CU opponents are shooting a scorching 51.6% from beyond the arc (33-for-64). That’s a defensive red flag waving in high winds.
Head coach Tad Boyle didn’t sugarcoat it postgame.
“At some point you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror,” Boyle said. “There’s good players in this league.
There’s good coaches in this league. There’s good defenses in this league.
We’re just not one of them.”
Boyle pointed to a second-half sequence that summed up the disarray. Three subs checked in, and the team didn’t know what defense they were in. Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey - who’s been a steady hand all season - took advantage and walked in for an easy layup.
“They throw it to Lipsey and he just lays it in,” Boyle said. “It’s like, who the hell’s coaching that team?
I am. When you don’t know what defense you’re in at the end of January, after the scouting report, after the shoot-around, after practicing, it’s just difficult to swallow.
But it’s where we are.”
Bright Spots in a Tough Night
Despite the blowout, there were a few silver linings for the Buffs. Josiah Sanders, who had been in a bit of a slump, delivered a solid performance off the bench. He finished 3-for-5 from the field with six points, five rebounds, and two assists - and perhaps most importantly, zero turnovers.
Freshman wing Andrew Crawford also saw the floor for the first time since Dec. 13 and made the most of his limited minutes. He went 2-for-2, including a three-pointer, and scored five points.
It’s a small sample size - five games, 21 total minutes - but Crawford has quietly gone 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep. That’s efficiency the Buffs could use more of as the season grinds on.
Players Era Tournament Update
On the scheduling front, the Big 12 clarified how teams will qualify for the 2026 Players Era Championship - a new tournament that’s quickly becoming a marquee event in the nonconference calendar. The top eight teams from the 2024-25 Big 12 regular season will earn invites to the 2026 field.
However, because Arizona and BYU - both top-eight finishers last season - already had prior commitments, they’ll be replaced by TCU and West Virginia, who finished ninth and tenth, respectively. That means the Big 12’s 2026 tournament representatives will be Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, TCU, and West Virginia.
Around the Big 12
Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson, both key contributors in Iowa State’s win, were named to the midseason watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. They’re joined on the 26-player list by four other Big 12 standouts: Kansas’ Flory Bidunga, Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, BYU’s Keba Keita, and Houston’s Joseph Tugler.
Also of note: former Colorado star Spencer Dinwiddie was in attendance Thursday night. The Buffs’ 30-point loss was their worst since a 47-point defeat at Arizona back on Jan. 4, 2024 - a game in which they were severely shorthanded.
Looking Ahead
For Colorado, the road doesn’t get any easier. The Buffs are now 12-9 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 play, and the margin for error is disappearing fast.
If they’re going to turn this season around, it starts with getting back to basics - rebounding, communication, and defensive effort. Because right now, they’re not just losing games - they’re getting outworked.