Colorado’s men’s basketball team was eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament after a 92-83 loss to Oklahoma State on March 10 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Buffaloes, seeded eleventh, fell to a season record of 17-15 and will now wait to see if they receive an invitation to a postseason tournament. Fourteenth-seeded Oklahoma State improved to 19-16 and advances to face TCU in the second round.
The early exit marks a disappointing end for Colorado, which had hoped for a deeper run in the tournament. Head coach Tad Boyle said, “Tough loss. 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 started strong with an early nine-point lead following an 11-0 run but trailed at halftime after Oklahoma State outscored them late in the first half. The Cowboys maintained control throughout the second half and led for all twenty minutes after the break.
Bangot Dak tied his career-high with 22 points along with eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals for Colorado. Barrington Hargress contributed 18 points and nine assists while Ian Inman added eleven points off the bench. Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson finished with fourteen points but struggled from the field.
Boyle praised Johnson’s performance this season: “The sky’s the limit for Isaiah,” he said. “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 led Oklahoma State with twenty-four points.
Shooting percentages were similar between teams—Colorado shot forty-seven percent from the field compared to Oklahoma State’s forty-five percent—but free throws proved decisive as Oklahoma State made twenty-nine of thirty-five attempts while Colorado converted only nine of sixteen tries.
Oklahoma State also dominated inside play by outrebounding Colorado forty-four to thirty-four and scoring forty points in the paint compared to Colorado’s thirty.
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Boyle said: “We did not execute defensively tonight, good enough to beat Oklahoma State, and that was evident with their ninety-two points… We didn’t defend or rebound tonight, which cost us the game, and our season is over.” Colorado will now await word on whether it will continue its season through postseason play.
