On Feb. 7, 2013, the Colorado men’s basketball team eked out a blood-and-guts 48-47 win at No. 19 Oregon.
It was a much different world in college basketball 13 years ago, and the Buffaloes were no different. CU was in its second season in the Pac-12 Conference, back when a return to the Big 12 seemed preposterous. The Buffs were the reigning Pac-12 tournament champions, but at that point they had earned only the first of what became three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
The win that night in Eugene, Oregon, was No. 63 for the Buffs in two-plus seasons under head coach Tad Boyle. Colorado has recorded another 263 wins since that night against the Ducks. The Buffs have even made five more NCAA Tournament appearances since then, but one thing they haven’t done in the 13 years since is post a win against an AP Top 25 team in a true road game.
The Buffs will get two chances to end that drought this week, beginning with a Wednesday night date at No. 16 Texas Tech.
“It’s hard to win on the road. You play a top-10, 20, 25 team, it’s even harder,” said Boyle, in his 16th season at CU. “But you know? All you can ask for in life is an opportunity. We got it. Let’s make the most of it. That’s how I look at it.”
CU’s winless run against AP Top 25 teams on the road reached 23 in a row with a Jan. 29 loss at Iowa State, which was ranked eighth at the time but has climbed to No. 5. During that time, the Buffs have gone 8-15 against AP Top 25 teams in neutral-floor games. That mark is weighted by an 0-7 winless run immediately after the 2013 win at Oregon, and the Buffs actually have fared well in recent years against ranked teams on neutral floors.
From the start of the 2022-23 season through last year’s win against UConn at the Maui Invitational, the Buffs won six of eight matchups against ranked teams on neutral floors.
Of course, none of those numbers will mean a thing when the Buffs tip off in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday night. But the comparative success on neutral floors speaks to just how difficult it is to beat good teams in their gyms.
“It’s hard, for sure,” CU forward Bangot Dak said. “Going on the road and beating a team, the fan bases are crazy almost everywhere we go. Officiating is not always going to go your way and you have to play through some stuff, especially on the road. But as you see, it’s tough. We haven’t won in over a decade. That’s something I’m going to make sure I tell the guys and make sure we have that on our minds.”
Texas Tech pulled away late in a home win against the Buffs last year in Lubbock, and CU put up a gutsy, if flawed, battle against the Red Raiders at the CU Events Center a month ago.
The Buffs fell behind by 24 points with less than 14 minutes to play before rallying, getting within an errant Barrington Hargress 3-pointer at the buzzer of pulling off what would’ve been the largest comeback victory in program history.
A tough two-game road swing continues on Saturday at No. 22 BYU (2 p.m. MT, Fox Sports 1).
“Obviously it starts at Tech,” Dak said. “We’ve got to execute and make sure coach feels confident going into this game. We’re going to play how we practice, and then we’ll worry about BYU after that.”
CU Buffs men’s basketball at No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders
TIPOFF: Wednesday, 6 p.m. MT, United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas.
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.
RECORDS: Colorado 14-10, 4-7 Big 12; Texas Tech 17-6, 7-3.
COACHES: Colorado — Tad Boyle, 16th season (326-214, 382-280 overall). Texas Tech — Grant McCasland, 3rd season (68-26; 279-115 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Isaiah Johnson, 6-1, Fr. (16.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, .494 FG%, .398 3%); G Barrington Hargress, 6-1, R-Jr. (14.1 ppg, 4.4 apg, .548 FG%, .507 3%); F Sebastian Rancik, 6-11, So. (13.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .368 3%); F Bangot Dak, 7-0, Jr. (10.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, .477 FG%); F Alon Michaeli, 6-9, Fr. (8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg); G Josiah Sanders, 6-5, Fr. (4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .462 FG%); G Jalin Holland, 6-5, Fr. (4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Texas Tech — F JT Toppin, 6-9, Jr. (21.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, .551 FG%); G Christian Anderson, 6-3, So. (19.3 ppg, 3.3 rug, 7.7 apg, .436 3%); F LeJuan Watts, 6-6, R-Jr. (12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, .345 3%); G Donovan Atwell, 6-5, Sr. (12.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .447 FG%); G Jaylen Petty, 6-1, Fr. (9.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, .376 3%); G Tyree Bryan, 6-5, Sr. (4.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg).
NOTES: Johnson went 13-for-13 on free throws and scored a game-high 21 points during CU’s 73-71 home loss against Texas Tech on Jan. 10. Toppin recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Red Raiders. … Toppin leads the Big 12 in rebounding and ranks third in scoring. Texas Tech has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for a team-record 23 consecutive weeks. … In Big 12 road games, the Buffs have shot just .320 (33-for-103) on 3-pointers. … Rancik is coming off his first career double-double, recording 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in last week’s home win against Arizona State. Rancik finished with 13 points and eight rebounds during last month’s home loss against Texas Tech.
