Colorado Basketball's Five Most Important Big 12 Conference Matchups

After an 8-0 start to the season, Colorado men's basketball is now trending in the opposite direction heading into Big 12 Conference play.

Coach Tad Boyle's Buffs closed their nonconference slate Sunday via an 86-81 loss to Northern Colorado and now must regroup quickly. There was plenty to like offensively during nonconference play, but things could get ugly in Big 12 play if the 10-3 Buffs don't take steps forward defensively.

Colorado Basketball Important Big 12 Conference Matchups Buffaloes Isaiah Johnson Bangot Dak Tad Boyle Sebastian Rancik Utah — Mar 8, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"I'll have some meetings with our guys, especially with some of our older guys that I really rely on and we need to rely on right now," Boyle said. "Adversity is going to hit you at some point. With the schedule we've had, you think it's gonna hit you when Big 12 play starts. It's hit us a little bit earlier."

With less than one week until Colorado returns to the court for its Big 12 opener, below are the Buffs' five most important matchups of conference play:

Jan. 3 at Arizona State Sun Devils

Getting off to a fast start in Big 12 play is critical, and the Arizona State Sun Devils are a beatable team. Led by longtime coach Bobby Hurley, ASU closed nonconference play at 9-4 with losses to Gonzaga, USC, UCLA and Oregon State.

Arizona State swept Colorado last season and while both teams look different, the Buffs must right the ship against their former Pac-12 rival.

Jan. 10 vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Colorado has an early opportunity to secure a ranked win with the No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders set to visit Boulder on Jan. 10. An upset shouldn't exactly be expected, but crazier things have happened in college basketball.

Texas Tech is led by the dynamic duo of JT Toppin (21 points per game) and Christian Anderson (20.6 PPG).

Jan. 20 vs. Kansas Jayhawks

With the Big 12's premier men's basketball team coming to Boulder, the CU Events Center should be rocking for Colorado's late-night matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 20.

Colorado was swept by the Jayhawks last season, although Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak each performed well.

Feb. 25 vs. Kansas State Wildcats

This could be a winnable matchup for Colorado as the Kansas State Wildcats are currently one of five Big 12 teams with four or more losses. P.J. Haggerty has been splendid with 22.9 points per game, but K-State doesn't have much depth to complement its star point guard.

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March 3 at Utah Utes

Colorado's final conference road game will come against 8-4 Utah, which has dropped nonconference games against Cal Poly, Grand Canyon, Cal and Mississippi State. The Buffs should be fighting for conference tournament seeding at this point in the season, making their final Big 12 road game particularly important.

Entering Big 12 play, guard Isaiah Johnson leads the Buffs in points per game (15.6) and Dak is averaging 6.8 rebounds.