Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team is set to play its first game in Cincinnati as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats will take place at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, with tip-off scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be broadcast on Peacock and can also be heard on KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM radio stations.
The Buffaloes currently hold a record of 12-4 overall and are 2-1 in conference play. Their most recent outing was a narrow loss to No. 14 Texas Tech, ending with a score of 73-71 on January 10. Prior to that, Colorado secured an 85-73 victory over Utah in its conference home opener, marking the program’s third time starting league play with two wins in Big 12 history.
Cincinnati enters the contest with an even record of eight wins and eight losses and has yet to secure a win in conference play this season (0-3). The Bearcats recently returned home after losing two consecutive road games, including a close defeat by UCF, ranked No. 25 at the time.
The Bearcats average just over 73 points per game while allowing nearly 66 points defensively. They attempt more than 28 three-pointers per game—second most in the Big 12—but have converted only about one-third of those attempts, which ranks last in the conference for percentage made but fourth for total threes made per game.
Senior forward Baba Miller leads Cincinnati with averages of 12.7 points and is second nationally with his defensive rebounding numbers at 8.4 per game; he also ranks ninth nationwide and second in the Big 12 for total rebounds at just over ten per contest. Graduate guard Day Day Thomas contributes an average of 12.4 points while shooting over forty-five percent from beyond the arc—a mark that places him among the top shooters both within the conference and nationally—and sophomore center Moustapha Thiam adds another double-digit scoring threat.
This meeting marks only the tenth all-time between Colorado and Cincinnati, and just their second encounter since December of 1982 when Colorado claimed its sole win against Cincinnati by a score of 79-65 at home. Historically, Cincinnati holds an advantage in head-to-head matchups (8-1), having won all previous games played on its home court.
The programs share notable history from their meetings during the early sixties when both were national contenders; they faced each other twice in NCAA Midwest Regional Finals during that period.
