Buffs Searching for Answers as Road Struggles Mount Ahead of BYU Clash
At this point in the season, Colorado's road issues have gone from concerning to downright alarming. The Buffaloes aren’t just losing away from home - they’re unraveling. And while no one player can singlehandedly reverse that trend, freshman Ian Inman is quietly emerging as a bright spot in an otherwise dim stretch.
Inman, one of five true freshmen seeing real minutes for CU, has shown a poise that’s rare for a first-year player, especially on a team searching for its identity. He’s not going to carry Colorado out of this slump by himself, but his growing confidence - particularly on the defensive end - is something the rest of the roster could feed off.
“What it was (for me) was just on the defensive side,” Inman said. “I feel like I’ve been trying to work on that the most, just being very decisive on what I’m doing on defense.”
That focus showed up in flashes during CU’s latest road loss, a 34-point drubbing at Texas Tech. Inman briefly kept the Buffs in the game with a perfect 4-for-4 performance from beyond the arc in the first half. But like so many times this season, the effort wasn’t enough to keep Colorado competitive for 40 minutes.
The numbers tell the story. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Colorado is just 1-16 in true road games.
Their last five road outings have all ended in losses, with the most recent three coming by an average of 27.7 points. The Buffs have now dropped 12 straight games against AP Top 25 opponents - the longest such skid in Tad Boyle’s 16-year tenure - and they haven’t won a true road game against a ranked team in their last 24 tries.
The problems aren’t just on the scoreboard. Against Texas Tech, CU hit season lows in points (44), field goal percentage (.291), and assists (5).
The Buffs also managed just 24% from three and turned the ball over 16 times - their third-highest total this season. That’s not a recipe for competing in the Big 12, especially not on the road.
And now, it doesn’t get any easier.
Next up: a trip to Provo to face No. 22 BYU, a team that plays fast, scores in bunches, and features one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country in AJ Dybantsa - a projected NBA lottery pick who’s currently leading the Big 12 in scoring during conference play. BYU ranks second in the league in scoring (85.3 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.469), and they’re coming off a confidence-boosting 99-94 win at Baylor.
But if there’s a silver lining for Colorado, it might be on the offensive end. BYU’s defense hasn’t exactly been airtight. The Cougars rank near the bottom of the Big 12 in points allowed (78.8), overall opponent field goal percentage (.477), and they’ve been especially vulnerable from deep, allowing opponents to shoot 38.2% from three - dead last in the conference.
That could be the opening CU needs to find a rhythm again, especially for a team that’s gone just 12-for-47 (25.5%) from three over its last two games. Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, CU’s leading scorer, has hit a cold patch from beyond the arc, going just 2-for-14 from deep over the last three outings. If the Buffs are going to make BYU sweat, Johnson will need to rediscover his stroke.
Guard Barrington Hargress, one of CU’s most consistent performers this season, knows the team isn’t far off from putting together better performances - but the margin for error is razor thin in this league.
“We’ve just got to understand that we’re playing good teams,” Hargress said. “We find ourselves in these moments like (Texas Tech) where we’re down 11 … with three minutes, maybe four minutes to go, and it stretches to 19 before the half.
Just those little stretches and realizing that we’re there, and we just have to hunker down and execute. And then we’ll be in these games.”
Execution has been elusive, especially in hostile environments. And while Colorado has talent - from Johnson’s scoring punch to the size of Bangot Dak and the versatility of Sebastian Rancik - that talent hasn’t consistently translated into results on the road.
Saturday’s matchup also marks the Buffs’ first visit to BYU since 2016, when Derrick White dropped 21 points in a narrow 79-71 loss. Last season, BYU came into Boulder and left with an 83-67 win, powered by Richie Saunders’ 25-point outburst. Saunders is back and playing some of his best basketball, averaging 18.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 49% from the field.
And then there’s Dybantsa. The 6-foot-9 freshman is a matchup nightmare - averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 boards, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 54.9% from the floor. He’s been nearly unstoppable in Big 12 play, and slowing him down will be a tall task for a CU defense that’s struggled to contain elite scorers all season.
Still, this is a chance - maybe not to fix everything in one night, but to start turning the tide. The Buffs will return home for two games after this, including a Feb. 21 matchup against Oklahoma State. But if they want to go into that stretch with any momentum, it starts with showing some fight in Provo.
Colorado’s season isn’t over. But if they want to keep postseason hopes alive and salvage something from this rugged Big 12 slate, it’s time to start competing - and winning - on the road.