BuffZone writer Pat Rooney discusses three topics regarding CU Buffs basketball, looking at two Colorado teams trending in different directions at the midpoint of Big 12 play.

Sinking further

Still winless halfway through Big 12 play, the Colorado men’s basketball team will make a very real run at the depths mined by the Buffs of the 1985-86 season. That season, the Buffs finished 0-14 in the Big Eight, losing their final 16 games overall. Sunday’s loss at TCU dropped the Buffs to 0-10 in the Big 12. More disturbingly, it was another missed opportunity in a winnable game. The Buffs don’t have too many more of those on the horizon.

Certainly Wednesday presents another chance, as the Buffs visit Utah. By no means will the Buffs be favored. Utah has posted wins where the Buffs have not — sweeping two games against Oklahoma State and beating two teams at home — Cincinnati and BYU — that won in Boulder.

But if the Buffs don’t win in Salt Lake City, where they went 3-10 against the Utes as Pac-12 rivals, the Feb. 15 home date against Central Florida and the regular-season finale at home against TCU suddenly become the last vestiges of hope a Big 12 win might happen before 2025-26.

Sunday’s loss at TCU provided another example of the Buffs finding ways to lose. CU moved the ball well, shot decently, and dominated the glass. The Buffs’ defense wasn’t awful, but still not nearly good enough to offset 19 turnovers that led to 28 extra points for the Horned Frogs. CU has never been superb in the turnover department in 15 seasons under head coach Tad Boyle. The Buffs have a game goal of committing 11 or fewer per contest, but the Buffs have averaged that just once during Boyle’s tenure (11.0 in 2015-16). The most turnovers the Buffs have averaged under Boyle was a 13.5 mark in 2021-22, but three other seasons were close at 13.3 (2012-13, 2013-14, 2018-19). This year’s club is shattering those marks, averaging 15.1 overall and 16.2 in Big 12 games.

A new hope

Plenty of space in this corner has been devoted to the Buffs’ struggles. So in a lost season, here’s two reasons Buffs fans can be encouraged — Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik.

Obviously Buffs fans have to cross fingers a miserable season doesn’t nudge either of them into the transfer portal. Yet both players — young, versatile forwards — are providing hope for the future.

Dak grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds at TCU and missed his first career double-double by just one point. After scoring just four points total in the first two Big 12 games (the second of which, at ASU, saw Dak limited to 3 minutes, 31 seconds due to illness), Dak has come on strong. Averaging 7.2 points this season, Dak has averaged 9.6 points in the past eight games while shooting .596 (28-for-47). Dak blocked three shots at TCU and has recorded at least one block in six straight games, collecting 16 total in that span. No other player in the rotation has progressed as positively since the beginning of the season into February as Dak, and his relative inexperience combined with his unique skillset suggests a much higher ceiling remains for the 6-foot-11 forward.

Rancik has started the past two games and continues to deliver quality minutes. On a team that has been downright awful in the turnover department, the rookie forward has been an exception. His lone turnover in 25-plus minutes at TCU was just his third in 10 Big 12 games (encompassing more than 180 minutes).

Surging

While the men continue to scuffle, the CU women are surging.

Kudos to coach JR Payne’s club for taking care of business for the program’s 50th anniversary celebration game against Texas Tech. The win on Sunday was CU’s third in a row while improving to 11-1 at home (5-0 in the Big 12). The home court advantage and the rotation versatility have spurred the Buffs, with different players capable of stepping into the spotlight in any given game. Beginning the week at No. 59 in the NET rankings, if the Buffs continue to protect their home floor, including a date against Baylor on Feb. 19, the NCAA bubble picture will grow more favorable. CU hasn’t displayed the same killer instinct on the road, but if last week’s win at BYU can spark a more improved road show, the Buffs will have a chance to solidify their resume ahead of the Big 12 tournament.