Colorado University Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Boulder, Colo.
1 p.m.
Colorado
12-8,2-5Big 12
86
vs
95
UCF
15-4,4-3Big 12
1
2
F
UCF
49
46
95
Colorado
47
39
86
Buffs Fall To UCF At Home
January 24, 2026 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – Colorado's defense struggled against UCF, allowing 15 3-pointers as the Buffaloes dropped a 95-86 decision Saturday afternoon at the CU Events Center   Â
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 12-8 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play while the Knights improved to 15-4, 4-3.
The Buffs trailed by as many as 15 points with 6:48 left in the game, and, as in the past few games, Colorado mounted a late rally but couldn't get closer than six points. UCF built its lead back up to double figures before a last-second basket cut the final difference to nine points.
"We want to take away three-point shooters," Barrington Hargress said. "Some of the shooters got off. No. 11, Carmelo (Pacheco) had three in the first half. So that's a shooter on our scout. So some of it was our defense, some of it was shots that we were willing to live with. But either way, you can't let a team hit 15 (3-pointers) on your home court."
Colorado had three 20-point scorers with Hargress, Isaiah Johnson, and Sebastian Rancik scoring 20 points. This was the first game with three 20-point scorers since February 9, 2014, against Washington. Bangot Dak added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Riley Kugel led the way for the Knights, scoring 22 points off six 3-pointers.
UCF shot over 60 percent from the field and from the 3-point line, both the highest marks allowed this season. The Knights finished with 15 makes from deep, which is the second most allowed this season.
"UCF played their tail off tonight," Boyle said. "We didn't do anything to slow them down or shut them down by any means. When the team comes in your building and shoots 61 percent and out rebounds you by nine and you miss 27 shots. We only had four offensive rebounds. So we have to get better."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hargress jump-started Colorado, scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the game off two 3-pointers and a couple of free throws to put the Buffs up 12-7 early.
Behind an opportunistic defense and a continued offensive explosion by Hargress, Colorado's lead was pushed to eight points, led by 16 points from Hargress with eight minutes left in the first half.
The offense began to struggle controlling the ball, leading to turnovers that allowed UCF to get back into the game. The Knights used their 3-point stroke, making two in a row to cut the lead to one point.
Finishing the first half, the Buffs used Holland to get out in transition. He played 14 minutes in the first half, already more than in all but eight games this season, and scored six points.
"Jalin (Holland) has been great," Rancik commented. "He learned to embrace his role. He plays really hard in practice. He's just one of those guys that comes in every day and brings a lot of effort and energy into our practices and works hard. So I'm really happy for him that he's getting the time he deserves and the production that we all know in the locker room that he's capable of."
Down five points, Johnson knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the time expired to cut the lead to 49-47.
Neither team excelled on the defensive side of the ball, with both shooting above 60 percent from the field and beyond the arc. Colorado used transition scoring to keep pace, outscoring
UCF 9-0 on fast break points. UCF used the 3-point line, going 10-of-13 in the first half.
Hargress led the Buffs with 18 points in the first half, but picked up his third foul early in the second half, forcing him to the bench.
After an offensive masterclass in the first half, both teams struggled to begin the second half, shooting below 40 percent with 12 minutes left.
UCF found its footing first, returning to the 3-point line for success. After hitting four more, the lead ballooned to 13 points with 8:37 remaining.
As the Colorado offense hit its stride, making five straight shots, UCF kept pace scoring and keeping the lead in double figures.
After back-to-back 3-pointers from Holland and Johnson, cutting the lead to six, UCF had an inbound with 0.6 seconds left on the shot clock, and Kugel banked in a 3-pointer to go back up nine points. UCF controlled the game the rest of the way, winning 95-86.
UP NEXT
Colorado goes on the road to take on No. 9 ranked Iowa State on Thursday at 5 p.m. on FS1.
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Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 12-8 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play while the Knights improved to 15-4, 4-3.
The Buffs trailed by as many as 15 points with 6:48 left in the game, and, as in the past few games, Colorado mounted a late rally but couldn't get closer than six points. UCF built its lead back up to double figures before a last-second basket cut the final difference to nine points.
"We want to take away three-point shooters," Barrington Hargress said. "Some of the shooters got off. No. 11, Carmelo (Pacheco) had three in the first half. So that's a shooter on our scout. So some of it was our defense, some of it was shots that we were willing to live with. But either way, you can't let a team hit 15 (3-pointers) on your home court."
Colorado had three 20-point scorers with Hargress, Isaiah Johnson, and Sebastian Rancik scoring 20 points. This was the first game with three 20-point scorers since February 9, 2014, against Washington. Bangot Dak added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Riley Kugel led the way for the Knights, scoring 22 points off six 3-pointers.
UCF shot over 60 percent from the field and from the 3-point line, both the highest marks allowed this season. The Knights finished with 15 makes from deep, which is the second most allowed this season.
"UCF played their tail off tonight," Boyle said. "We didn't do anything to slow them down or shut them down by any means. When the team comes in your building and shoots 61 percent and out rebounds you by nine and you miss 27 shots. We only had four offensive rebounds. So we have to get better."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hargress jump-started Colorado, scoring eight points in the first four minutes of the game off two 3-pointers and a couple of free throws to put the Buffs up 12-7 early.
Behind an opportunistic defense and a continued offensive explosion by Hargress, Colorado's lead was pushed to eight points, led by 16 points from Hargress with eight minutes left in the first half.
The offense began to struggle controlling the ball, leading to turnovers that allowed UCF to get back into the game. The Knights used their 3-point stroke, making two in a row to cut the lead to one point.
Finishing the first half, the Buffs used Holland to get out in transition. He played 14 minutes in the first half, already more than in all but eight games this season, and scored six points.
"Jalin (Holland) has been great," Rancik commented. "He learned to embrace his role. He plays really hard in practice. He's just one of those guys that comes in every day and brings a lot of effort and energy into our practices and works hard. So I'm really happy for him that he's getting the time he deserves and the production that we all know in the locker room that he's capable of."
Down five points, Johnson knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the time expired to cut the lead to 49-47.
Neither team excelled on the defensive side of the ball, with both shooting above 60 percent from the field and beyond the arc. Colorado used transition scoring to keep pace, outscoring
UCF 9-0 on fast break points. UCF used the 3-point line, going 10-of-13 in the first half.
Hargress led the Buffs with 18 points in the first half, but picked up his third foul early in the second half, forcing him to the bench.
After an offensive masterclass in the first half, both teams struggled to begin the second half, shooting below 40 percent with 12 minutes left.
UCF found its footing first, returning to the 3-point line for success. After hitting four more, the lead ballooned to 13 points with 8:37 remaining.
As the Colorado offense hit its stride, making five straight shots, UCF kept pace scoring and keeping the lead in double figures.
After back-to-back 3-pointers from Holland and Johnson, cutting the lead to six, UCF had an inbound with 0.6 seconds left on the shot clock, and Kugel banked in a 3-pointer to go back up nine points. UCF controlled the game the rest of the way, winning 95-86.
UP NEXT
Colorado goes on the road to take on No. 9 ranked Iowa State on Thursday at 5 p.m. on FS1.
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Team Stats
UCF
CU
FG%
.611
.518
3FG%
.625
.550
FT%
.667
.773
RB
32
23
TO
12
9
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
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