Conference outline in place for CU

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

2025-26 Big 12 matchups announced for Buffs men’s, women’s teams

TCU’s Noah Reynolds, left, and Colorado’s Felix Kossaras chase a loose ball during their game March 11 in Kansas City, Mo. The Buffs host TCU as one of six home-only Big 12 conference matchups during the 2025-26 season. CHARLIE RIEDEL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Pat Rooney

prooney@prairiemountainmedia.com

The second spin through the second tenure in the Big 12 Conference will feature a slew of new locales for the Colorado men’s basketball team.

The Buffaloes also will welcome a couple of traditional, national-power conference rivals to Boulder.

On Thursday, the Big 12 released its conference matchups for the 2025-26 season in men’s and women’s basketball.

For CU men’s coach Tad Boyle, going into his 16th season in Boulder, the Buffs will face a new format as the league reverts back to an 18-game conference schedule after playing 20 league games last year.

In the 20-game format, the Buffs played five home-and-home series while splitting the other 10 opponents among five road games and five home games. In the 18-game format, the men will have just three home-and-home series — Arizona State, Texas Tech and Utah.

The other 12 opponents will be split into six home games and six road games, with the Big 12 home slate for the CU men highlighted by dates against Arizona and Kansas. CU also will host Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU and Central Florida.

Among the six road-only Big 12 games for the CU men, five will be at venues the Buffs didn’t visit last season — Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and West Virginia. CU’s other road-only date will be at Iowa State. The Buffs have never visited West Virginia and haven’t played at Cincinnati since Dec. 28, 1981.

The same format is in place for coach JR Payne and the CU women’s team, which will face Arizona, BYU and Oklahoma State in its three home-and-home series. The home-only opponents for the CU women will be Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah and West Virginia. The six road-only foes for the women will be Arizona State, Baylor, UCF, Houston, Kansas and Kansas State. The CU women have never visited UCF or Houston.

All specific dates, tipoff times and television information will be announced at a later date for both the men and women.

The CU men’s team is nearing the completion of its nonconference schedule, which likely will be released in the coming weeks.

The Buffs have more nonconference spots to fill with the shift back to an 18-game league schedule, but the only confirmed dates so far are a road date against Colorado State, a neutral-floor game against Stanford in Phoenix, and a home matchup against Providence. The contest against Providence is the opening game of a home-and-home series against the Friars and head coach Kim English, a former CU assistant.

The Buffs will play two games at the Acrisure Series, playing a pair of games in Palm Desert, Calif., in matchups that haven’t been finalized. The Acrisure Series also will include a home game for the Buffs.