First Visit To Cincinnati For Buffs In Big 12 Era

Wednesday, January 14

Cincinnati, Ohio

5 p.m.

Colorado

Cincinnati

Bangot Dak

Photo by: Larry Dreyer

January 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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By: Troy Andre, Associate Director/Athletic Communications

Game 17 - Cincinnati, Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Tip: 5:05 p.m. MT
Watch: Peacock (Eric Rothman, Dalen Cuff)
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)
Listen Online: Sirius XM 386, SXM App 976 https://sxm.app.link/SXM976
Live Statistics: https://buffs.me/3Lzowc1

THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 12-4 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, dropping its first conference game of the season at the hands of No. 14 ranked Texas Tech, 73-71, on Jan. 10. The Buffaloes enjoyed a 2-0 start to league play for the second time in three seasons (2023-24 Pac-12) after its 85-73 win over Utah on Jan. 7 in its conference home opener. It was CU's third 2-0 start in its Big 12 history joining the 2010-11 and 1996-97 teams.

Colorado has matched its win total from the 2024-25, 31-game regular season (12-19). The Buffaloes are just one win away from matching their conference win total from a year ago. Colorado would finish with 14 overall wins after a pair of wins in the Big 12 Championship (14-21).

Colorado's offense has been strong ranking among the nation's best in several categories. The Buffaloes top the Big 12 and are 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 78.1 percent. Colorado makes 19.4 free throws per game, ranking 24th in the country, on 24.9 attempts, that average just making it into the top 50 at 49th in NCAA Division I. The Buffaloes also sport top 50 national rankings in assist-to-turnover ratio (35th, 1.6), field goal percentage (36th, .491), turnovers (10.2 topg) and scoring offense (44th, 85.5).

SCORING BALANCE: Colorado has had at least four players score in double figures in 13 of 16 games, including the first nine. The Buffaloes have had four games with at least five scoring in double digits.

Colorado had only four games with four players scoring in double figures in 35 contests last year (3-1 record) and none with five. Prior to this season, the NCAA Tournament win over Florida on March 22, 2024 was the last instance of five double-digit scorers.

The Buffaloes have had five different players lead the team in scoring this season and four have had 20-point games. Freshman Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes for a team-best seventh time this season with 21 points off the bench against Texas Tech.

Colorado is averaging 34.1 points per game from its bench accounting for 40 percent of the team's scoring. The Buffaloes' reserves are shooting 46.9 percent from the field while also pitching in 12.8 rebounds per game.

Colorado's 34.1 bench points per game leads the Big 12 and ranks 23rd in NCAA Division I.

Freshman Isaiah Johnson is Colorado's leading scorer while coming off the bench in all 16 games. His 15.9 points per game average off the bench leads Power 4 Conference players and is third in NCAA Division I overall, trailing only Tarleton State's Dior Johnson (23.8 ppg) and Northern Kentucky's Donovan Oday (17.7 ppg).

Johnson is 15th in the nation, and third in the Big 12, in scoring by freshmen.

Johnson has a team-best four 20-point games, including his 21 in the last game with Texas Tech. In that contest, Johnson was 13 of 13 from the line, marking the fourth-most free throws without a miss in team history and the most since Spencer Dinwiddie was 14 of 14 against Arizona State on Feb. 16, 2013.

Johnson leads the Buffaloes in free throws made and attempted, 3-pointers made (24) and steals (18) while ranking second in assists (37), 3-point attempts (53) and 3-point percentage (.444).

Johnson is tied for fourth in the nation for free throws made by a freshman with 93. He has the second-best percentage (.830) among those freshman nationally that have at least 90 attempts on the season. Overall, he is 12th in the country among freshmen in free throw shooting.

Junior Barrington Hargress leads Colorado in assists (76) and is second in steals (17) and field goal percentage (.567). He had 17 assists and dished out four assists against Texas Tech.

On the Big 12 charts, Hargress ranks fifth in field goal percentage, sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2) and 11th in assists (4.8 apg).

Hargress has shot well, particularly over the last seven games, hitting an even 60 percent during that span (48 of 80).

Hargress has seven games with at least five assists and also eight games with no more than one turnover. His 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is the 34th best mark in the nation.

Sophomore Sebastian Rancik is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (5.6 rpg), 3-point field goals (22), free throws made (78) and attempted (89) and third in assists (34) and steals (11). He's averaging 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the first three Big 12 games.

Rancik had 13 points and eight rebounds against Texas Tech. He tied his season-high in 3-pointers made, hitting 3 of 6 against the Red Raiders. Rancik had a game-high 19 points against Utah, hitting all nine of his free throw attempts. He scored 18 points and had six rebounds in the win at Arizona State. He made 12 of 14 from the free throw line, career highs in both categories.

Rancik leads the team and ranks second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 87.6 percent. He has made 78 of 89 from the line, which includes a string of 25-straight made between the Eastern Washington and UC Davis games.

Junior forward Bangot Dak leads the Buffaloes and is 11th in the Big 12 at 7.8 rebounds per game and ninth in blocks at 1.7 per outing. He is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

Through the first three Big 12 games, Dak leads all conference players in rebounding at 11.7 per contest. Dak grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against Texas Tech, marking his fifth double-figure rebounding game of the year, third in a row and fourth in six games. All 13 rebounds were on the defensive side, the most defensive rebounds by a Buff since Jabari Walker had 14 (15 total) against California on Feb. 17, 2022. It was the most rebounds, without an offensive board, since Andre Roberson had 14 defensive against Dayton on Nov. 15, 2012.

Dak recorded 16 points and matched a career-best 12 rebounds against Utah. All four of his double-doubles have come in the last 10 games.

Freshman Alon Michaeli is averaging 9.7 points on 46 percent shooting in his 14 games off the bench. He has scored in double figures in eight of those contests.

Michaeli is ninth in the Big 12 among freshmen in rebounding. He has hit his last 12 free throws and his 8 of 8 total in league play has him ranking at the top of the conference leaderboard through three Big 12 games.

CU IN THE NET: A snapshot of Colorado's NET rankings in 2025-26 (through games of Jan. 12).

Current: 69 | Highest: 39 (Dec. 2) | Lowest: 84 (Jan. 1)

Opponent Net Rank: 60 | Opponent Avg. Net: 144

Quad 1: 0-1 | Quad 2: 2-2 | Quad 3: 6-1 | Quad 4: 4-0

ABOUT THE BEARCATS: Cincinnati is 8-8 overall 0-3 in the Big 12, returning home after dropping two games on the road including a heartbreaking 73-72 loss to then No. 25 UCF. The Bearcats are averaging 73.6 points per game, shooting 42.5 percent from the field. Cincinnati attempts 28.5 3-pointers a game which ranks second in the Big 12, but only makes 31.1 percent which is last in the conference. Due to the high volume, Cincinnati makes 8.9 per game which is good for fourth in the Big 12. Defensively, the Bearcats are allowing 65.8 points per game, and have held opponents to 40.7 percent shooting. Cincinnati forces 14.6 turnovers per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12 to only 12.5 committed for a 2.1 turnover margin.

The Bearcats are led by senior forward Baba Miller who leads the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game. Miller controls the glass with 8.4 defensive rebounds per game which is second in the country and leads the Big 12. In total rebounds Miller averages 10.6 per game, good for ninth in the nation and second in the conference. Cincinnati has two other players who average double-digits in points: graduate guard Day Day Thomas (12.4) and sophomore center Moustapha Thiam (11.4). Thomas leads the team shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range. His prolific shooting ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 17th in the country. He shoots that clip on 2.5 3-pointers a game which is the 10th most in the conference.

THE SERIES: This will be the 10th meeting between Colorado and Cincinnati and the second in 43 years. Cincinnati holds a 8-1 advantage, winning the first seven before the Buffaloes picked their lone win, 79-65, on Dec. 18, 1982, at the CU Events Center. Cincinnati has won all three matchups on its home court with the last win coming on Dec. 28, 1981, an 87-76 victory.

Colorado and Cincinnati met six times in the 1960s, an era where both program enjoyed success on a national level. The teams battled in consecutive NCAA Midwest Regional Finals in 1962 and '63, with the Bearcats winning both over the reigning two-time Big Eight champions. Cincinnati's 1962 team won its second-straight NCAA title and fell just short of a three-peat in 1963, falling to Loyola Chicago in the NCAA championship game.

FREE THROW SUCCESSES: Over the last six games, the Buffaloes are 118 of 135 from the charity stripe (.874). During that stretch Isaiah Johnson is 42 of 35 (.933) and riding a current streak of 23 consecutive made. Alon Michaeli is a perfect 10 of 10 while Sebastian Rancik is 32 of 35 (.914).

In the win over Utah Colorado made 19 of 21 free throw attempts (.905) marking the third time in a five-game stretch the Buffaloes shot 90 percent or better from the line.

Colorado made 32 free throws against Arizona State, its most in a true road game in exactly 49 years, as the Buffaloes hit 33 at UNLV on Jan. 3, 1977, during a 113-91 loss. It was the most at any venue since making 34 in a home win over Omaha on Nov. 22, 2015.

Colorado's 32 free throws made tie for the second-most in a road game in the nation this season. The Buffaloes achieved that number on just 38 attempts. Colorado's 84.2 percent performance from the line was the best with at least 30 free throws made since a 33 for 39 (.846) outing against No. 10 Oregon on Jan. 5, 2014, a 100-91 Colorado win.