Colorado University Athletics
Tuesday, March 10
Kansas City, Mo.
7:30 p.m.
Colorado
17-15,7-11Big 12
83
vs
92
Oklahoma State
19-13,6-12Big 12
1
2
F
Oklahoma St.
41
51
92
Colorado
40
43
83
Buffs Fall To Oklahoma State In Big 12 Tournament
March 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Colorado's run in the Big 12 Tournament ended early on Tuesday as the Buffaloes dropped a 92-83 decision to 14th-seeded Oklahoma State in the first round at the T-Mobile Center.
Tad Boyle's 11th-seeded Buffs fell to 17-15 and will wait to see if a postseason invitation is extended. The Cowboys improved to 19-16 and will play in the second round on Wednesday against TCU.
"Tough loss," Boyle said. "It's never easy when it's over with. I told the team a couple of weeks ago that when the season's over, it's over quickly. It's just one day you're playing, one day you're not. Today, we're playing tomorrow, we're not, so we're heading back home, and it's not a good feeling."
Colorado jumped out to a fast start, using an 11-0 run to take a nine-point lead early in the first half. Oklahoma State outscored the Buffs 28-18 to end the half to take a lead at the break. The second half was controlled by the Cowboys, who led for all 20 minutes.
Bangot Dak tied his career-high with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Barrington Hargress contributed 18 points and nine assists, and Ian Inman added 11 points off the bench.
Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson finished with 14 points, but struggled to shoot the ball, going 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-9 from behind the arc.
"The sky's the limit for Isaiah," Boyle commented on his season. "There's no doubt about that. In a normal year, he would be on the All-Freshman team in this league. Isaiah is a warrior, and he's a great teammate. He's given everything he's got this year."
Anthony Roy scored a game-high 24 points to lead Oklahoma State.
Colorado shot 47 percent (32-for-68), including 10-for-29 from long range. The Cowboys shot 29-for-64 and were just 5-for-17 from 3-point range. But Oklahoma State also hit 29-of-35 free throw tries — while CU was 9-for-16 from the line.
Oklahoma State controlled the paint throughout the entire game. The Cowboys outrebounded the Buffs 44-34 and scored 40 points in the paint compared the only 30 for Colorado.
"We did not execute defensively tonight, good enough to beat Oklahoma State, and that was evident with their 92 points," Boyle said. It's disappointing because you have to defend, rebound, and take care of the ball. We didn't defend or rebound tonight, which cost us the game, and our season is over."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dak scorched the nets to open the game, scoring seven of Colorado's first 11 points, including a 3-pointer, to take an 11-9 lead five minutes into the game.
Oklahoma State responded to take a four-point lead, but the Buffs rattled off an 11-0 run behind 3-pointers from Hargress, Johnson, and Inman. They forced an Oklahoma State timeout after the third deep shot, leading 22-13 with 11:32 left before halftime.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cowboys closed the gap, using second-chance points to score offensively. Dak added another basket to grow his scoring total to 11 points and give the Buffs a 24-23 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
The final eight minutes saw both teams attempt to pull away. Colorado took a five-point lead, but Oklahoma State flipped the script and took a five-point lead of its own with 1:23 left. A 3-pointer from Inman and an and-1 with less than a second left for Hargress cut the Cowboy lead to 41-40 at the break.
Colorado found success in the first half beyond the arc, making six compared to only one for Oklahoma State. On the other end of the court, the Cowboys went 14-of-23 on shots inside the arc and outscored the Buffs 20-12 on points in the paint.
Dak and Hargress combined for 23 of Colorado's 40 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor in the first half. Oklahoma State had eight players score at least three points.
Oklahoma State came out firing in the second half, opening on a 7-0 run. Colorado chipped back, getting into the paint and hitting at the free-throw line to trail 49-46 with 16 minutes left.
Colorado struggled to make shots, allowing Oklahoma State to extend its lead. Johnson, after struggling for most of the game, added four points to cut the lead to 68-62 with 7:20 left in the game.
The Cowboys responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead into double digits. The rest of the game, Colorado was playing catch-up. The Buffs cut the lead to as little as seven points with 37 seconds remaining, but could never get closer.
UP NEXT
Colorado will wait and see if a postseason bid is extended on Sunday.
Tad Boyle's 11th-seeded Buffs fell to 17-15 and will wait to see if a postseason invitation is extended. The Cowboys improved to 19-16 and will play in the second round on Wednesday against TCU.
"Tough loss," Boyle said. "It's never easy when it's over with. I told the team a couple of weeks ago that when the season's over, it's over quickly. It's just one day you're playing, one day you're not. Today, we're playing tomorrow, we're not, so we're heading back home, and it's not a good feeling."
Colorado jumped out to a fast start, using an 11-0 run to take a nine-point lead early in the first half. Oklahoma State outscored the Buffs 28-18 to end the half to take a lead at the break. The second half was controlled by the Cowboys, who led for all 20 minutes.
Bangot Dak tied his career-high with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Barrington Hargress contributed 18 points and nine assists, and Ian Inman added 11 points off the bench.
Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson finished with 14 points, but struggled to shoot the ball, going 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-9 from behind the arc.
"The sky's the limit for Isaiah," Boyle commented on his season. "There's no doubt about that. In a normal year, he would be on the All-Freshman team in this league. Isaiah is a warrior, and he's a great teammate. He's given everything he's got this year."
Anthony Roy scored a game-high 24 points to lead Oklahoma State.
Colorado shot 47 percent (32-for-68), including 10-for-29 from long range. The Cowboys shot 29-for-64 and were just 5-for-17 from 3-point range. But Oklahoma State also hit 29-of-35 free throw tries — while CU was 9-for-16 from the line.
Oklahoma State controlled the paint throughout the entire game. The Cowboys outrebounded the Buffs 44-34 and scored 40 points in the paint compared the only 30 for Colorado.
"We did not execute defensively tonight, good enough to beat Oklahoma State, and that was evident with their 92 points," Boyle said. It's disappointing because you have to defend, rebound, and take care of the ball. We didn't defend or rebound tonight, which cost us the game, and our season is over."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dak scorched the nets to open the game, scoring seven of Colorado's first 11 points, including a 3-pointer, to take an 11-9 lead five minutes into the game.
Oklahoma State responded to take a four-point lead, but the Buffs rattled off an 11-0 run behind 3-pointers from Hargress, Johnson, and Inman. They forced an Oklahoma State timeout after the third deep shot, leading 22-13 with 11:32 left before halftime.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cowboys closed the gap, using second-chance points to score offensively. Dak added another basket to grow his scoring total to 11 points and give the Buffs a 24-23 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
The final eight minutes saw both teams attempt to pull away. Colorado took a five-point lead, but Oklahoma State flipped the script and took a five-point lead of its own with 1:23 left. A 3-pointer from Inman and an and-1 with less than a second left for Hargress cut the Cowboy lead to 41-40 at the break.
Colorado found success in the first half beyond the arc, making six compared to only one for Oklahoma State. On the other end of the court, the Cowboys went 14-of-23 on shots inside the arc and outscored the Buffs 20-12 on points in the paint.
Dak and Hargress combined for 23 of Colorado's 40 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor in the first half. Oklahoma State had eight players score at least three points.
Oklahoma State came out firing in the second half, opening on a 7-0 run. Colorado chipped back, getting into the paint and hitting at the free-throw line to trail 49-46 with 16 minutes left.
Colorado struggled to make shots, allowing Oklahoma State to extend its lead. Johnson, after struggling for most of the game, added four points to cut the lead to 68-62 with 7:20 left in the game.
The Cowboys responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead into double digits. The rest of the game, Colorado was playing catch-up. The Buffs cut the lead to as little as seven points with 37 seconds remaining, but could never get closer.
UP NEXT
Colorado will wait and see if a postseason bid is extended on Sunday.
Team Stats
OSU
CU
FG%
.453
.471
3FG%
.294
.345
FT%
.829
.563
RB
44
34
TO
7
8
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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/ Men's BasketballG
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