Saturday, January 18
Stillwater, Okla.
1 p.m.
Colorado
at
Oklahoma State
Buffs Renew Big 12 Rivalry With Oklahoma State
January 17, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Game 17 - Oklahoma State, Saturday, January 18, 2025
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Tip: 1:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (James Westling, Bryndon Manzer)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 381, SXM App 971
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/3CfciAJ
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-7 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to Cincinnati on Jan. 15. The Buffaloes are 0-5 in conference play for the first time since 2016-17, when Colorado dropped its first seven Pac-12 games before rebounding to win eight of its last 11. Overall, it's Colorado's first five-game skid since dropping the final five games of the 2019-20 season ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of conference and national postseason tournaments.
Colorado is averaging 73.8 points per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 70.8 points per game while opponents are shooting 41.8 percent.
The Buffaloes will be playing in their third true road game of the season and looking for their first win. Colorado is 1-4 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn. Colorado will play four of its next six on the road.
The Buffaloes rank third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.762), fifth in defensive rebounds (27.1 drpg) and eighth in steals (7.6 spg), blocks (4.0 bpg) and rebounding defense (32.7 rpg).
Against Cincinnati, the Buffaloes had nine blocked shots, the team's
most since recording nine vs. Loyola Marymount on Dec. 4, 2019 in Boulder. Colorado had a season-low in assists (8) and matched a season-low in 3-point field goals made (3).
HAMMOND TIME: Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 104th career game vs. West Virginia), leads Colorado at 13.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals (29) and is shooting 92.0 percent from the free throw line.
Hammond leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 46 of 50 on the season (.920) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond had 23 points against West Virginia, recording his fifth 20-point game of the season, second-straight and third in a five-game span. Â He shook off a scoreless outing at Arizona State, erupting for a career-high 26 points at UCF, hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line.
GRAND GRADS: As anticipated, Colorado's three graduate transfers, spanning all levels of collegiate basketball, have made immediate impacts for the Buffaloes.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.5 points ranking second on the team in steals (18) and third in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and 3-point field goals (23). He had 16 points at UCF, hitting 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. That performance pushed him over 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
Jakimovski averaged 11.3 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds at the Maui Invitational. He had Colorado's first double-double of the season, and the fifth of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. He also hit the eventual game-winning shot against the No. 2 ranked Huskies with under eight seconds remaining.
It was Jakimovski's eighth career double-figure rebounding game. One of his four previous double-doubles came against Colorado while he was at Washington State on Jan. 30, 2022.
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 61.0 percent (61-100) while averaging 10.1 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (11) and fourth in rebounding at 3.5 per game.
Malone had 15 points and a personal CU-high nine rebounds against South Dakota State. He hit 7 of 8 from the field, matching the team's best this season in terms of percentage (.875) with at least four field goals made.
Against Harvard, he went over the 2,000-point milestone for his collegiate career.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado and ranks 16th in the Big 12 in rebounding (6.2 rpg). He also leads the Buffaloes in steals (20) while ranking second in blocks (13) and overall shooting at 52.7 percent (49-93).
Baskin led Colorado at Arizona State with a personal CU-high 23 points on 9 of 14 from the field. He added a game-high 10 rebounds for his second CU double-double and 24th overall in his collegiate career. It was also his 24th collegiate 20-point scoring game.
Baskin flirted with a triple-double against Pacific, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. His seven assists were a team season-high and were an overall collegiate personal best (he had six in a game at New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 23, 2024).
SMITH'S HOT START: Sophomore guard RJ Smith is averaging 7.1 points while shooting 48 percent from the field in his return to action after missing the final 30 games of 2023-24 with a leg injury.
Smith had a career-high 14 against Iowa State, on 5 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Against Bellarmine, Smith scored 11 points hitting 3 of 4 from 3-point range and led the Buffaloes in rebounding for the first time in his career, finishing with five. Against South Dakota State, he was 4 of 6 from the field including 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Smith, shooting a team-best 49.0 percent overall from long range (24-49), had a career-best eight rebounds at UCF.
In Maui, Smith averaged 5.3 points and was second on the team in assists with eight. He had eight points hitting a perfect 3 of 3 from the field against UConn.
DIOP A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sophomore forward Assane Diop registered his third career double-figure scoring game pitching in 13 points against West Virginia hitting 3 of 4 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. Diop is sixth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting during league-only games at 89.5 percent (17 of 19). He's 15 of 17 from the line in the last three games alone after having only 16 attempts over his first 13 games. Overall on the season he  has made 28 of 33 attempts from the line (.848).
Diop led Colorado in scoring for the first time with a career-best 15 points on 7 of 11 from the field in the win over Bellarmine. He ranks second on the team in rebounding at 4.9 per game.
BD's BIG DAY: Sophomore forward Bangot Dak had a career-night against Cincinnati with 19 points, eight blocks and eight rebounds. He recorded career highs in points, blocks, 3-point field goals (2) and overall field goal attempts (13) while matching personal bests in rebounds and field goals made (7).
His eight blocks are the third-most in a single game since the stat became official in 1977-78.
CU Single Game Blocks
11, David Harrison vs. Nebraska, March 8, 2003
10, David Harrison vs. Stetson, Nov. 24, 2002
8, Bangot Dak vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 15, 2025
7, eight times, last by Wesley Gordon vs. Nicholls, Dec. 18, 2015
Dak is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and is tied for the conference lead in league only games (2.4 bpg).
ABOUT THE COWBOYS: Oklahoma State is 9-7 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, coming off an 0-2 road trip at Utah and BYU over the last week. The Cowboys have won six of seven at home this season. OSU averages 73.4 points per game and ranks last in the Big 12 in shooting at 41.9 percent. The Cowboys are a top 30 team nationally in getting to the line (24.4 FTApg) and shoot 72.3 percent from the charity stripe. OSU allows 74.0 points per game and ranks last in field goal defense at 47 percent. The Cowboys are second in the Big 12 in steals (9.0 spg) and turnovers forced (15.3 topg).
Fifth-year forward Abou Ousmane leads Oklahoma State at 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. Fifth-year forward Marchelus Avery is second on the team at 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the team with 27 3-point field goals made coming off the bench. Â Junior Arturo Dean leads the Cowboys in steals (31) and ranks second in assists (45) while scoring 6.6 points an outing.
Steve Lutz is in his first season as the head coach at Oklahoma State and fourth overall at the NCAA Division I level, having previously led Western Kentucky (2023-24) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2021-23). He is 78-42 as a head coach.
THE SERIES: This will be the 110th meeting between Colorado and Oklahoma State in a series that dates back to 1948, 11 seasons before the Cowboys would join the Big Eight Conference. Oklahoma State holds a 61-48 all-time series lead. This will be the first meeting in 11 years, since a nonconference neutral site game in Las Vegas on Dec. 21, 2013, won by the Cowboys, 78-73. Oklahoma State has won 27 of 37 all-time meetings in Stillwater. Colorado last won in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Jan. 21, 2006, in overtime.
Tad Boyle is 1-1 against Oklahoma State as a head coach, defeating the Cowboys 75-71 in Boulder during Colorado's last Big 12 season prior to this year. Steve Lutz has never faced Colorado as a head coach.
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Tip: 1:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (James Westling, Bryndon Manzer)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 381, SXM App 971
Live Statistics:Â https://buffs.me/3CfciAJ
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-7 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 Conference play after falling to Cincinnati on Jan. 15. The Buffaloes are 0-5 in conference play for the first time since 2016-17, when Colorado dropped its first seven Pac-12 games before rebounding to win eight of its last 11. Overall, it's Colorado's first five-game skid since dropping the final five games of the 2019-20 season ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of conference and national postseason tournaments.
Colorado is averaging 73.8 points per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 70.8 points per game while opponents are shooting 41.8 percent.
The Buffaloes will be playing in their third true road game of the season and looking for their first win. Colorado is 1-4 away from Boulder this season, that win coming at the Maui Invitational against defending NCAA champion UConn. Colorado will play four of its next six on the road.
The Buffaloes rank third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.762), fifth in defensive rebounds (27.1 drpg) and eighth in steals (7.6 spg), blocks (4.0 bpg) and rebounding defense (32.7 rpg).
Against Cincinnati, the Buffaloes had nine blocked shots, the team's
most since recording nine vs. Loyola Marymount on Dec. 4, 2019 in Boulder. Colorado had a season-low in assists (8) and matched a season-low in 3-point field goals made (3).
HAMMOND TIME: Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 104th career game vs. West Virginia), leads Colorado at 13.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals (29) and is shooting 92.0 percent from the free throw line.
Hammond leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 46 of 50 on the season (.920) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond had 23 points against West Virginia, recording his fifth 20-point game of the season, second-straight and third in a five-game span. Â He shook off a scoreless outing at Arizona State, erupting for a career-high 26 points at UCF, hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line.
GRAND GRADS: As anticipated, Colorado's three graduate transfers, spanning all levels of collegiate basketball, have made immediate impacts for the Buffaloes.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.5 points ranking second on the team in steals (18) and third in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and 3-point field goals (23). He had 16 points at UCF, hitting 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. That performance pushed him over 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
Jakimovski averaged 11.3 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds at the Maui Invitational. He had Colorado's first double-double of the season, and the fifth of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UConn. He also hit the eventual game-winning shot against the No. 2 ranked Huskies with under eight seconds remaining.
It was Jakimovski's eighth career double-figure rebounding game. One of his four previous double-doubles came against Colorado while he was at Washington State on Jan. 30, 2022.
Elijah Malone, the 2024 Bevo Francis Award winner as the best small-school player in the nation (Grace College [Ind.] - NAIA) tops the Buffaloes in shooting at 61.0 percent (61-100) while averaging 10.1 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (11) and fourth in rebounding at 3.5 per game.
Malone had 15 points and a personal CU-high nine rebounds against South Dakota State. He hit 7 of 8 from the field, matching the team's best this season in terms of percentage (.875) with at least four field goals made.
Against Harvard, he went over the 2,000-point milestone for his collegiate career.
Trevor Baskin, an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado Mesa, leads Colorado and ranks 16th in the Big 12 in rebounding (6.2 rpg). He also leads the Buffaloes in steals (20) while ranking second in blocks (13) and overall shooting at 52.7 percent (49-93).
Baskin led Colorado at Arizona State with a personal CU-high 23 points on 9 of 14 from the field. He added a game-high 10 rebounds for his second CU double-double and 24th overall in his collegiate career. It was also his 24th collegiate 20-point scoring game.
Baskin flirted with a triple-double against Pacific, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. His seven assists were a team season-high and were an overall collegiate personal best (he had six in a game at New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 23, 2024).
SMITH'S HOT START: Sophomore guard RJ Smith is averaging 7.1 points while shooting 48 percent from the field in his return to action after missing the final 30 games of 2023-24 with a leg injury.
Smith had a career-high 14 against Iowa State, on 5 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Against Bellarmine, Smith scored 11 points hitting 3 of 4 from 3-point range and led the Buffaloes in rebounding for the first time in his career, finishing with five. Against South Dakota State, he was 4 of 6 from the field including 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Smith, shooting a team-best 49.0 percent overall from long range (24-49), had a career-best eight rebounds at UCF.
In Maui, Smith averaged 5.3 points and was second on the team in assists with eight. He had eight points hitting a perfect 3 of 3 from the field against UConn.
DIOP A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Sophomore forward Assane Diop registered his third career double-figure scoring game pitching in 13 points against West Virginia hitting 3 of 4 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. Diop is sixth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting during league-only games at 89.5 percent (17 of 19). He's 15 of 17 from the line in the last three games alone after having only 16 attempts over his first 13 games. Overall on the season he  has made 28 of 33 attempts from the line (.848).
Diop led Colorado in scoring for the first time with a career-best 15 points on 7 of 11 from the field in the win over Bellarmine. He ranks second on the team in rebounding at 4.9 per game.
BD's BIG DAY: Sophomore forward Bangot Dak had a career-night against Cincinnati with 19 points, eight blocks and eight rebounds. He recorded career highs in points, blocks, 3-point field goals (2) and overall field goal attempts (13) while matching personal bests in rebounds and field goals made (7).
His eight blocks are the third-most in a single game since the stat became official in 1977-78.
CU Single Game Blocks
11, David Harrison vs. Nebraska, March 8, 2003
10, David Harrison vs. Stetson, Nov. 24, 2002
8, Bangot Dak vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 15, 2025
7, eight times, last by Wesley Gordon vs. Nicholls, Dec. 18, 2015
Dak is tied for 10th in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and is tied for the conference lead in league only games (2.4 bpg).
ABOUT THE COWBOYS: Oklahoma State is 9-7 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, coming off an 0-2 road trip at Utah and BYU over the last week. The Cowboys have won six of seven at home this season. OSU averages 73.4 points per game and ranks last in the Big 12 in shooting at 41.9 percent. The Cowboys are a top 30 team nationally in getting to the line (24.4 FTApg) and shoot 72.3 percent from the charity stripe. OSU allows 74.0 points per game and ranks last in field goal defense at 47 percent. The Cowboys are second in the Big 12 in steals (9.0 spg) and turnovers forced (15.3 topg).
Fifth-year forward Abou Ousmane leads Oklahoma State at 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. Fifth-year forward Marchelus Avery is second on the team at 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the team with 27 3-point field goals made coming off the bench. Â Junior Arturo Dean leads the Cowboys in steals (31) and ranks second in assists (45) while scoring 6.6 points an outing.
Steve Lutz is in his first season as the head coach at Oklahoma State and fourth overall at the NCAA Division I level, having previously led Western Kentucky (2023-24) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2021-23). He is 78-42 as a head coach.
THE SERIES: This will be the 110th meeting between Colorado and Oklahoma State in a series that dates back to 1948, 11 seasons before the Cowboys would join the Big Eight Conference. Oklahoma State holds a 61-48 all-time series lead. This will be the first meeting in 11 years, since a nonconference neutral site game in Las Vegas on Dec. 21, 2013, won by the Cowboys, 78-73. Oklahoma State has won 27 of 37 all-time meetings in Stillwater. Colorado last won in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Jan. 21, 2006, in overtime.
Tad Boyle is 1-1 against Oklahoma State as a head coach, defeating the Cowboys 75-71 in Boulder during Colorado's last Big 12 season prior to this year. Steve Lutz has never faced Colorado as a head coach.
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