The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team will play Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Championship on March 10 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The game is scheduled for a 7:31 p.m. Mountain Time tip-off and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This matchup is significant as both teams look to advance in the tournament, with the winner set to face No. 6 seed TCU on March 11. Colorado enters as the No. 11 seed after finishing the regular season with a 17-14 record and a conference mark of 7-11, securing their seeding by sweeping Arizona State during league play.
The Buffaloes have shown improvement over last season, more than doubling their conference win total and finishing above .500 for the fourteenth time in sixteen seasons under head coach Tad Boyle. Colorado has won three of its last five games, including a notable road victory against Utah that ended a seven-game away losing streak.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson leads Colorado with an average of 17 points per game, ranking third in the Big 12 and fifteenth nationally among freshmen scorers. Johnson recently broke Colorado’s freshman season scoring record previously held by Alec Burks and posted his ninth twenty-point game of the year against Arizona. Junior Barrington Hargress leads in assists and shooting efficiency, while sophomore Sebastian Rancik contributes significantly in rebounding and free throw percentage.
Oklahoma State comes into the tournament as the No. 14 seed with an overall record of 18-13 and averages nearly eighty-four points per game. Senior guard Anthony Roy leads their offense, supported by several teammates averaging double figures.
This meeting marks the one hundred twelfth contest between Colorado and Oklahoma State since their series began in 1948, with Oklahoma State holding a slight advantage historically. The teams have split previous conference tournament matchups.
