Colorado will host the University of Central Florida (UCF) in a men’s basketball game on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the CU Events Center in Boulder. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:01 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke providing commentary. Radio coverage will be available on KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM with Cory Lopez, and fans can also listen online via Sirius XM channel 385 or the SXM App channel 975.
The Colorado Buffaloes enter the matchup with a record of 12-7 overall and a conference record of 2-4, which places them tied for ninth in the Big 12 standings. The team has experienced its longest losing streak of the season, dropping four consecutive games and six out of their last eight.
Despite recent challenges, Colorado has already matched its win total from last season’s regular schedule by midseason. The Buffaloes are one victory away from equaling their conference win tally from last year.
Statistically, Colorado ranks among the top teams nationally in several categories. They lead the Big 12 and are ranked 23rd in the nation for free throw shooting percentage at 77.2 percent. Other notable rankings include turnovers allowed per game (9.9), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), and free throws made per game (18).
In terms of ball security, Colorado’s average of 9.9 turnovers per game is second only to Houston within the Big 12 conference. The team set a new record for fewest turnovers in a conference game with just three against Kansas.
Offensively, Colorado demonstrates scoring balance with at least four players reaching double figures in scoring during fourteen games this season—four times featuring five players scoring ten or more points each.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson leads Colorado with an average of 16 points per game and has recently moved into a starting role after coming off the bench for most of the season. Johnson’s performance includes leading all Power Four Conference players in bench scoring average prior to his starts and ranking third nationally among NCAA Division I freshmen.
Junior Barrington Hargress leads in assists for Colorado while maintaining one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios both within the conference and nationally.
Sophomore Sebastian Rancik contributes significantly to rebounding efforts as well as free throw accuracy, while junior forward Bangot Dak leads in rebounds and blocks for Colorado.
The Buffaloes’ bench averages over thirty-two points per contest, accounting for nearly forty percent of team scoring—a figure that leads all Big 12 teams and ranks thirtieth nationally among Division I programs.
Colorado currently holds a NET ranking of seventy-seven as of January twenty-first; their highest NET rank this season was thirty-nine on December second.
UCF arrives with an overall record of fourteen wins against four losses and holds a three-and-three mark within Big 12 play after two recent defeats against highly ranked opponents Iowa State and Arizona. UCF averages nearly eighty-four points per game while holding opponents to just over seventy-six points on forty-four percent shooting from the field.
The Knights are recognized for strong offensive rebounding—ranking third in their conference—and have multiple players averaging double-digit point totals led by senior guard Riley Kugel at fourteen-point-six points per game.
This meeting marks the fifth time these teams have played each other; they are tied two games apiece historically after splitting last year’s matchups when both won at home venues. Colorado won their most recent encounter seventy-six to sixty-three on February fifteenth last year—their first Big Twelve victory that season—and maintains an undefeated series record when playing UCF at home.
