While getting acquainted with Elijah Malone this season, Colorado fans may have noted it’s often difficult to get the new big man to smile.

Certainly there weren’t many reasons to smile during the 2024-25 campaign, especially during Big 12 play. But the 14-20 season wasn’t without a few thrills, and Malone had his moments, especially early.

Like many of Malone’s teammates, those moments were fewer and farther between during conference play. But Malone turned in a big moment for the Buffaloes last week at the Big 12 tournament, and that victory — 67-60 against West Virginia in the second round — is a big reason why he and the Buffs are still playing, while the suddenly coach-less Mountaineers are staying home.

Malone’s season will continue when the Buffs play Villanova in the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas on April 1. (West Virginia passed on postseason bids after being snubbed for the NCAA Tournament, and now-former coach Darian DeVries is headed to Indiana after just one season at WVU).

Following a decorated four-year career at NAIA Grace College in northern Indiana, Malone turned in one of his biggest games of the season last week against West Virginia, going 7-for-10 while scoring 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half.

Malone followed with a 3-for-4 mark in CU’s quarterfinal loss against Houston, improving his field goal percentage to .651 (28-for-43) over the past eight games. Malone’s 14 points against West Virginia was his top mark this season against a Big 12 foe.“It feels good. And for it to come at the time it did, it feels real good,” Malone said following his big game against West Virginia. “Going into every game, you kind of want to look at it just to see how they guard the post. They weren’t doubling. We wanted to take advantage of that.”

Malone, a graduate transfer who is using his extra COVID season this year, was brought to Boulder as a one-year solution in the middle. However, during the season a blanket waiver issued by the NCAA gave an extra season of eligibility to former junior college and NAIA players. Malone’s one-year tenure is trending toward an encore season.

During his media session on Tuesday, Buffs head coach Tad Boyle didn’t yet disclose which Buffs underclassmen might be opting for the transfer portal (which opens March 24) and which might be staying. That includes Malone, although Boyle spoke as if a return by the 6-foot-10 center is a done deal.

“Elijah Malone played really, really well down the stretch,” Boyle said. “I thought he really started to figure things out. It was a big jump for him, coming from NAIA basketball to the Big 12. But now he knows what to expect. So a great offseason from him, every one of our players has to have that.”

Boyle also said he expects to sign “one or two guys in the transfer portal. We’ve got to get some guys that can help us.”

Again, Boyle didn’t elaborate on any specific personnel matters, but with four seniors moving on (Julian Hammond III, Javon Ruffin, Trevor Baskin, Andrej Jakimovski) and five freshmen coming in, having enough spots to sign two transfers would mean losing three players to the portal. That’s assuming the program continues with its plan to carry 13 scholarships, even with rosters set to expand to 15.