Buffs Stumble Into Big 12 Play After Stunning Loss to Northern Colorado
The Colorado Buffaloes couldn’t have picked a worse time to deliver one of their flattest performances of the season.
With Big 12 play looming - a gauntlet of elite competition awaiting them in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball - the Buffs were looking to build momentum. Instead, they were handed a gut-punch at home by Northern Colorado, falling 86-81 in a game that will sting for a while.
This wasn’t just a bad loss. It was historic.
Northern Colorado hadn’t beaten Colorado since 1936. That’s nearly 90 years of futility snapped in one afternoon at the CU Events Center.
And the Bears didn’t just sneak by - they earned it. Colorado’s defense never found its footing, and Northern Colorado made them pay.
The Bears shot a blistering 73.9% from the field in the second half, going 17-for-23 after the break. They were lights out from deep as well, finishing 11-of-21 from beyond the arc.
The star of the day? Quinn Denker, who returned from a two-game injury absence and immediately made his presence felt.
The senior guard torched the Buffs for 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three. He also added eight rebounds and eight assists, putting together a complete performance that Colorado had no answer for.
Credit also goes to freshman guard Yuto Yamazaki, who chipped in 19 points and knocked down four threes of his own. Northern Colorado’s offense hummed with confidence and rhythm, and Colorado simply couldn’t keep up defensively.
For the Buffs, freshman Isaiah Johnson was the bright spot. He poured in a season-high 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting, adding eight rebounds and showing once again why he’s one of the most promising young players in the program. J’Vonne Hargress added 18 points and five assists, while Cody Williams Dak contributed 16.
But the bigger story was Colorado’s inability to get stops - a theme that’s become too familiar. The Buffs allowed 86 points at home, were out-assisted 17 to 11, and gave up 39 rebounds to their own 37. They also shot just 30-of-76 from the field (39.5%) and 7-of-23 from three (30.4%), struggling to find consistent offensive rhythm despite solid individual performances.
The loss drops Colorado to 10-3 on the season, but more importantly, it raises serious questions heading into conference play. The Big 12 isn’t forgiving.
Teams won’t just take advantage of defensive lapses - they’ll bury you with them. If the Buffs can’t tighten up their perimeter defense and bring more intensity on that end, they could be in for a rough stretch.
This one will leave a mark. It’s not just the loss - it’s how it happened, and who it happened against. Northern Colorado came into Boulder and took it to the Buffs, snapping a nearly century-long drought in the process.
Now, Colorado has to regroup - and fast. Big 12 play is here, and the margin for error just got a whole lot smaller.