Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Boulder, Colo.
2 p.m.
Colorado
vs
Houston
Buffs Return Home To Host No. 5 Houston
February 07, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Game 23 - Houston, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 2:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Pete Sousa, Scott Williams)Â https://buffs.me/42Hj90L
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 387, SXM App 977
Live Statistics:Â http://statb.us/b/546207
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-13 overall and 0-11 in Big 12 Conference play after falling at Utah, 72-59, on Feb. 5. The Buffaloes have dropped their last 11, their longest losing streak since falling in the final 12 games of the 2008-09 season. It's Colorado's first 0-11 start to conference play since a similar start  to the 1985-86 season (finished 0-14 in the Big Eight).
Colorado is averaging 71.2 points per game, shooting 45.4 percent from the field, but those numbers have dipped to 65.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting during conference games. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 72.1 points per game overall while opponents are shooting 43.4 percent. During Big 12 games, Colorado is allowing 75.9 points while opponents shoot 45.7 percent.
The Buffaloes will be looking to end a rare five-game home skid, their most since the 2008-09 team lost their last five of the season at the CU Events Center. Prior to the beginning of this streak, Colorado had won 24 of 25 at the CU Events Center dating back to last season.
The Buffaloes rank fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.759), sixth in rebounding defense (32.6 rpg), seventh in defensive rebounds (25.5 rpg) and steals (7.6 spg) and eighth in assists (15.1 apg).
Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 110th career game at Utah), leads Colorado at 13.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals made (37) and free throws made (59) and percentage (.908).
Hammond is second the Big 12 and ranks 15th the in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 59 of 65 on the season (.908) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond has five 20-point games this season including a career-high 26 at UCF.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.0 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (30) and is third in steals (21) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). He had a team-high 13 points at TCU, leading the Buffaloes in scoring for the fourth time this season.
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 57.5 percent while averaging 8.1 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (13) and fifth in rebounding at 3.2 per game.
Malone grabbed six rebounds off the bench at Arizona, his most against a Big 12 opponent. He had recorded just five rebounds over his previous four appearances combined.
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 in rebounding (5.6 rpg), is tied for the team lead in steals (26) and is second in blocks (16) and third in overall shooting at 52.5 percent.
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).
Bangot Dak is averaging 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and leading the Buffaloes in blocked shots (32).
Dak is tied for eighth in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.5 bpg) and is fifth in league only games (2.1 bpg).
Dak had 11 points, three blocks and tied a career-high three steals at Utah. He is averaging 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over the last three games. Dak is shooting 63.6 percent during that span and has shot 50 percent or better in eight of his last nine outings.
Dak just missed a double-double with nine points and a career and team season-high 12 rebounds at TCU. It was his first double-figure rebounding game of his career and the sixth overall for the Buffaloes this season.
Javon Ruffin is averaging 6.5 points and ranks second on the team in assists (46) and fourth in 3-point field goals (19). He led the Buffaloes in scoring for the first time this season with 13 at Utah while matching a personal best with three 3-point field goals.
Ruffin is averaging 9.5 points while shooting 47 percent (14-30) the last four games. He has made 10 of his last 20 from 3-point range (.500).
Freshman Sebastian Rancik has received the starting nod the last three contests averaging 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds during that span. In his first career start, against Arizona State, Rancik had nine points, four rebounds and a career-best two steals.
ABOUT THE COUGARS: No. 5 ranked Houston is 18-4 overall and tied with Arizona for the Big 12 lead at 10-1. The Cougars have won 14 of their last 15 and are a perfect 5-0 in true road contests this season. Houston averages 76.0 points on 45.8 percent shooting. The Cougars lead the Big 12 and rank eighth in the nation in 3-point shooting at 39.3 percent. Houston is one of the top defensive teams in the country, leading the NCAA in scoring defense (56.9 ppg) and ranking fourth nationally in field goal defense (.374).
Gradaute guard L.J. Cryer leads Houston at 14.3 points shooting 39 percent from the field and 91 percent from the line. Cryer tops the Cougars with 61 3-point field goals and is second in assists with 41. Junior guard Emanuel Sharp, who missed the Oklahoma State game with an injury, is Houston's second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. Forward J'Wan Roberts tops the Cougars in rebounding at 6.8 per game while pitching in 11.4 points on 53 percent shooting.
Kelvin Sampson is in his 11th year as the head coach at Houston with a record of 282-83. He is in his 36th year overall as a head coach with a record of 782-353.
THE SERIES: This will be the seventh meeting between Colorado and Houston and the first conference game between the two programs. The series is split 3-3 with each team holding a 2-1 advantage at home. Saturday's game will be the first meeting in nearly 30 years, Dec. 9, 1995, when Colorado claimed a 77-74 decision at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle has never faced Houston as a head coach. Kelvin Sampson is 14-3 all-time as a head coach against Colorado, all with Oklahoma between 1995-2006.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Taking the latest rankings into account, the Buffaloes are projected to have nine games against ranked opponents this season, which would tie for the most in program history, joining teams in 1989-90, 1991-92 and 2010-11. Colorado is 1-3 against ranked opponents in 2024-25.
The win over No. 2/2 UConn marks the highest-ranked win away from Boulder in program history. Colorado has two previous wins over No. 2 teams, both coming in Boulder (Feb. 12, 1992 vs. #2 Oklahoma State, 57-53 & Feb. 26, 2022 vs. #2 Arizona, 79-63). Senior Julian Hammond III and redshirt junior Javon Ruffin were both on that team that defeated Arizona. The previous best neutral site win came against No. 4 Washington on Dec. 30, 1953 in Kansas City (Big 7 Holiday Tournament).
Colorado's last win against a defending national champion came against the 1952 NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 20, 1953, 72-68 in Boulder.
Colorado's 28 wins over ranked Associated Press ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 28-52, have accounted for 39 percent of wins over ranked opponents (72) since 1949-50.
Colorado faced two ranked nonconference opponents on back-to-back days for the first time in 26 years, Nov. 26-27, 1998, when the Buffaloes played No. 4 Kentucky (L, 52-64) and No. 10 Xavier (L, 61-74) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
TOP 5 RARITY: Saturday's game against Houston will be Colorado's fourth top 5 ranked opponent this season. It's just the fourth time in the AP rankings era (since 1948-49) the Buffaloes have played four top 5 opponents in one season. The others were 1957-58, 1989-90 and 2001-02.
In 2001-02, Colorado played three games against Kansas teams ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 and once against No. 5 Oklahoma - then coached by current Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. Colorado's first three top 5 battles this year came within the first 12 games of the season.
The most top 5 teams Colorado has faced in one season came in 1989-90 when the Buffaloes had five games against top 5 opponents shared between Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
CU Events Center, Boulder, Colo.
Tip: 2:01 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN+ (Pete Sousa, Scott Williams)Â https://buffs.me/42Hj90L
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 387, SXM App 977
Live Statistics:Â http://statb.us/b/546207
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 9-13 overall and 0-11 in Big 12 Conference play after falling at Utah, 72-59, on Feb. 5. The Buffaloes have dropped their last 11, their longest losing streak since falling in the final 12 games of the 2008-09 season. It's Colorado's first 0-11 start to conference play since a similar start  to the 1985-86 season (finished 0-14 in the Big Eight).
Colorado is averaging 71.2 points per game, shooting 45.4 percent from the field, but those numbers have dipped to 65.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting during conference games. Defensively, Colorado is allowing 72.1 points per game overall while opponents are shooting 43.4 percent. During Big 12 games, Colorado is allowing 75.9 points while opponents shoot 45.7 percent.
The Buffaloes will be looking to end a rare five-game home skid, their most since the 2008-09 team lost their last five of the season at the CU Events Center. Prior to the beginning of this streak, Colorado had won 24 of 25 at the CU Events Center dating back to last season.
The Buffaloes rank fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.759), sixth in rebounding defense (32.6 rpg), seventh in defensive rebounds (25.5 rpg) and steals (7.6 spg) and eighth in assists (15.1 apg).
Julian Hammond III, the most experienced player in terms of games for the Buffaloes (played in his 110th career game at Utah), leads Colorado at 13.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. Hammond also tops the Buffaloes in 3-point field goals made (37) and free throws made (59) and percentage (.908).
Hammond is second the Big 12 and ranks 15th the in the nation in free throw percentage. He has made 59 of 65 on the season (.908) which includes consecutive made streaks of 21 (between UNC and UCF) and 18 which ended against Cincinnati.
Hammond has five 20-point games this season including a career-high 26 at UCF.
Andrej Jakimovski, a four-year standout at old Pac-12 rival Washington State, is averaging 10.0 points ranking second on the team in 3-point field goals (30) and is third in steals (21) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). He had a team-high 13 points at TCU, leading the Buffaloes in scoring for the fourth time this season.
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 57.5 percent while averaging 8.1 points an outing. Malone is third on the team in blocks (13) and fifth in rebounding at 3.2 per game.
Malone grabbed six rebounds off the bench at Arizona, his most against a Big 12 opponent. He had recorded just five rebounds over his previous four appearances combined.
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 in rebounding (5.6 rpg), is tied for the team lead in steals (26) and is second in blocks (16) and third in overall shooting at 52.5 percent.
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).
Bangot Dak is averaging 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and leading the Buffaloes in blocked shots (32).
Dak is tied for eighth in the Big 12 in overall blocked shots (1.5 bpg) and is fifth in league only games (2.1 bpg).
Dak had 11 points, three blocks and tied a career-high three steals at Utah. He is averaging 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over the last three games. Dak is shooting 63.6 percent during that span and has shot 50 percent or better in eight of his last nine outings.
Dak just missed a double-double with nine points and a career and team season-high 12 rebounds at TCU. It was his first double-figure rebounding game of his career and the sixth overall for the Buffaloes this season.
Javon Ruffin is averaging 6.5 points and ranks second on the team in assists (46) and fourth in 3-point field goals (19). He led the Buffaloes in scoring for the first time this season with 13 at Utah while matching a personal best with three 3-point field goals.
Ruffin is averaging 9.5 points while shooting 47 percent (14-30) the last four games. He has made 10 of his last 20 from 3-point range (.500).
Freshman Sebastian Rancik has received the starting nod the last three contests averaging 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds during that span. In his first career start, against Arizona State, Rancik had nine points, four rebounds and a career-best two steals.
ABOUT THE COUGARS: No. 5 ranked Houston is 18-4 overall and tied with Arizona for the Big 12 lead at 10-1. The Cougars have won 14 of their last 15 and are a perfect 5-0 in true road contests this season. Houston averages 76.0 points on 45.8 percent shooting. The Cougars lead the Big 12 and rank eighth in the nation in 3-point shooting at 39.3 percent. Houston is one of the top defensive teams in the country, leading the NCAA in scoring defense (56.9 ppg) and ranking fourth nationally in field goal defense (.374).
Gradaute guard L.J. Cryer leads Houston at 14.3 points shooting 39 percent from the field and 91 percent from the line. Cryer tops the Cougars with 61 3-point field goals and is second in assists with 41. Junior guard Emanuel Sharp, who missed the Oklahoma State game with an injury, is Houston's second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. Forward J'Wan Roberts tops the Cougars in rebounding at 6.8 per game while pitching in 11.4 points on 53 percent shooting.
Kelvin Sampson is in his 11th year as the head coach at Houston with a record of 282-83. He is in his 36th year overall as a head coach with a record of 782-353.
THE SERIES: This will be the seventh meeting between Colorado and Houston and the first conference game between the two programs. The series is split 3-3 with each team holding a 2-1 advantage at home. Saturday's game will be the first meeting in nearly 30 years, Dec. 9, 1995, when Colorado claimed a 77-74 decision at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle has never faced Houston as a head coach. Kelvin Sampson is 14-3 all-time as a head coach against Colorado, all with Oklahoma between 1995-2006.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Taking the latest rankings into account, the Buffaloes are projected to have nine games against ranked opponents this season, which would tie for the most in program history, joining teams in 1989-90, 1991-92 and 2010-11. Colorado is 1-3 against ranked opponents in 2024-25.
The win over No. 2/2 UConn marks the highest-ranked win away from Boulder in program history. Colorado has two previous wins over No. 2 teams, both coming in Boulder (Feb. 12, 1992 vs. #2 Oklahoma State, 57-53 & Feb. 26, 2022 vs. #2 Arizona, 79-63). Senior Julian Hammond III and redshirt junior Javon Ruffin were both on that team that defeated Arizona. The previous best neutral site win came against No. 4 Washington on Dec. 30, 1953 in Kansas City (Big 7 Holiday Tournament).
Colorado's last win against a defending national champion came against the 1952 NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 20, 1953, 72-68 in Boulder.
Colorado's 28 wins over ranked Associated Press ranked opponents in the Tad Boyle era is by far the best in team history. In fact Boyle coached teams, with a record of 28-52, have accounted for 39 percent of wins over ranked opponents (72) since 1949-50.
Colorado faced two ranked nonconference opponents on back-to-back days for the first time in 26 years, Nov. 26-27, 1998, when the Buffaloes played No. 4 Kentucky (L, 52-64) and No. 10 Xavier (L, 61-74) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
TOP 5 RARITY: Saturday's game against Houston will be Colorado's fourth top 5 ranked opponent this season. It's just the fourth time in the AP rankings era (since 1948-49) the Buffaloes have played four top 5 opponents in one season. The others were 1957-58, 1989-90 and 2001-02.
In 2001-02, Colorado played three games against Kansas teams ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 and once against No. 5 Oklahoma - then coached by current Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. Colorado's first three top 5 battles this year came within the first 12 games of the season.
The most top 5 teams Colorado has faced in one season came in 1989-90 when the Buffaloes had five games against top 5 opponents shared between Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
Players Mentioned
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