The Colorado men’s basketball team officially is all alone in the basement of the Big 12 Conference.

The shorthanded Buffaloes’ early league struggles continued on Wednesday against Cincinnati, as CU dropped a 68-62 decision at the CU Events Center in the first matchup between the programs in more than 42 years.

In a battle between the only winless teams within Big 12 play, CU fell to 0-5 in the conference while losing a fifth consecutive game for the first time since the end of the 2019-20 season.

The Bearcats led for much of the contest before the Buffs rallied in the second half, using a 19-6 run to take their first lead of the night at 51-50 with 4 minutes, 20 seconds remaining. The Bearcats responded immediately, though, using a 10-2 run to take control.

Playing without starters Elijah Malone and RJ Smith, the Buffs struggled from long range against one of the top 3-point defenses in the nation, finishing 3-for-13 on 3-pointers.

CU finished with 15 turnovers but Bangot Dak was a bright spot, setting career-highs in points (19) and blocked shots (eight) while adding eight rebounds. It was the third-highest blocked shot total by a CU player at the Events Center in program history.