Colorado Buffs Eye Defensive Glass Ahead of Big 12 Play, Host Portland State in Final Pre-Holiday Tune-Up
At 9-1, Colorado men’s basketball is off to its best start in a decade. The Buffs have been efficient, explosive, and at times dominant - but there’s one area that continues to raise eyebrows inside the locker room: defensive rebounding.
That concern steps into the spotlight Wednesday night as Colorado hosts Portland State in the final home game before the holidays. And with Big 12 play looming just around the corner, the Buffs know it’s time to clean things up on the glass - or risk paying for it against tougher competition.
“They’ve got good players that play hard, that crash the glass,” said CU head coach Tad Boyle. “It’s going to be a critical part of the game, there’s no doubt about it.
There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be a good rebounding team with our length and our size. It gets down to collective pride.”
Boyle’s frustration isn’t without reason. While Colorado hasn’t been consistently outworked on the boards - they’ve outrebounded eight of their first ten opponents - the Buffs are still allowing nearly 10 offensive rebounds per game. That’s not a stat that screams disaster just yet, but it’s one that could become a problem when the schedule turns brutal in January.
Five of CU’s opponents have snagged double-digit offensive boards, including four of the last five. Three of the last four teams have grabbed 14 offensive rebounds apiece - including UTSA in Saturday’s win. That kind of trend is hard to ignore, especially for a coach who views rebounding as a direct reflection of toughness.
“Rebounding is part of defense. It’s the finishing of the possession,” Boyle said.
“We didn’t do that against Colorado State. We had two competitions in practice (Tuesday), and both were won by the team that offensive rebounded better.”
To be fair, the Buffs haven’t been completely overrun. Against UTSA, they actually won the rebounding battle by 12 and pulled down a season-high 17 offensive boards of their own.
That helped offset UTSA’s 14 offensive rebounds and limited the second-chance damage to just a 10-8 edge for the Roadrunners. But Boyle isn’t interested in playing with fire - especially not with Big 12 play kicking off Jan. 3 at Arizona State.
“Lack of boxing out. Lack of physicality.
Being soft,” Boyle said bluntly. “When the shot goes up, it’s just a matter of hitting somebody and embracing the physicality.
Getting your butt into them, moving your feet, having high hands, getting two-handed rebounds. Rebounding, it’s all about toughness.
That’s why I use the term ‘soft.’”
He didn’t stop there. Boyle also pointed to the Buffs’ offensive struggles in the first half against UTSA, when they went just 5-for-16 at the rim - another sign, in his eyes, that the team needs to play with more grit.
“If we’re that way against UTSA, I don’t know how we’re going to be against Arizona State when Big 12 play starts,” he said. “You’d better finish the ball when you get the ball at the rim, and that takes toughness, too.”
Portland State Brings Physicality, Depth to Boulder
The Buffs won’t have to wait until conference play to get tested. Portland State comes to Boulder as the Big Sky’s top offensive rebounding team, pulling down 13.7 per game. The Vikings also boast a rebounding margin of +7.9 - slightly better than Colorado’s +6.6 - and bring a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double figures.
Led by 6-foot-8 senior forward Terri Miller Jr. (17.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game), Portland State plays with energy and physicality.
Guards Jaylin Henderson (17.0 ppg, 6.4 apg) and Kenyon Kensie Jr. (10.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg) add versatility, while 6-foot-10 center Tre-Vaughn Minott provides size and efficiency inside (11.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, .595 FG%).
This marks the first-ever meeting between the programs, but the Vikings are no strangers to challenging opponents. They dropped a 10-point game at San Francisco earlier this season - the same team Colorado beat on a neutral floor.
Buffs Still Boasting Firepower Despite Flaws
Despite the rebounding concerns, Colorado has been sharp in plenty of areas. The Buffs are shooting 40.78% from three - third-best in the country - and averaging 35.8 bench points per game, good for 22nd nationally. They’ve hit 41% from deep in their seven home games, and their offensive depth continues to shine.
Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson is leading the way with 14.7 points per game on sizzling shooting splits (.562 FG%, .483 3PT). Sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik (13.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and redshirt junior guard Barrington Hargress (12.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, .600 from three) give the Buffs a well-rounded scoring core, while 7-footer Bangot Dak has quietly become a defensive anchor. Dak has recorded multiple blocks in five straight games and is closing in on CU’s all-time top-20 in career blocks.
Colorado will face its third Big Sky opponent of the season on Wednesday, having already notched wins over Montana State and Eastern Washington. A final Big Sky matchup against Northern Colorado looms on Dec. 28, but first, the Buffs will look to lock in and handle business against a Portland State team that won’t back down on the boards.
**Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at the CU Events Center.
The game will stream on ESPN+ and air on KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM. **
After that, it’s off to Phoenix for a neutral-site showdown with Stanford on Saturday - and then the real grind begins. Big 12 play is coming, and if the Buffs want to make noise in their new conference, it starts with getting tougher on the glass.