Colorado Buffaloes Starter Sebastian Rancik Injury Update Before Conference Tournament

With the regular season coming to an end and the Big 12 Tournament looming, the Colorado Buffaloes must play their best basketball if they want a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, Colorado will have to do this without starting forward Sebastian Rancik, at least for now.

Colorado Buffaloes Forward Sebastian Rancik Injury Tad Boyle Isaiah Johnson Alon Michaeli Elijah Malone Big 12 Tournament — Feb 21, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Sebastian Rancik (7) shoots the ball over Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Christian Coleman (4) in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sebastian Rancik’s Importance to Colorado

This season, Rancik is averaging 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 40.4 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three, and 86.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Rancik reportedly suffered an injury last week in practice, but as of now, it is uncertain exactly what that injury is.

Rancik has already missed one game this week, which was on Tuesday against the Utah Utes, where the Buffaloes picked up a key 92-78 win. Rancik is also expected to miss the season finale against the No. 2-ranked Arizona Wildcats.

While Colorado did pick up the win, not having Rancik did limit their ability to have success rebounding the ball, as they totaled 27 rebounds.

Aside from fellow forward Bangot Dak, no other player had more than four rebounds for the Buffaloes. Rebounding is one of the more important parts of the game, and the front court plays a major role in that. Without Rancik, the Buffaloes must prioritize rebounding as a team.

Coach Tad Boyle must get the buy-in on defense and rebounding from his team, otherwise it could be a long night for the Buffaloes.

Buffaloes Who Must Step Up

Rancik is Colorado’s second leading rebounder, and in this game specifically, that could turn out to be a huge loss, as that is one of Arizona’s strengths. The Wildcats average 43.23 rebounds per game, which ranked them second nationally.

With that in mind, Colorado must limit Arizona’s second chance opportunities. With that said, someone must step up to help Dak on the glass. To assist in the rebounding battle, there are three key Buffaloes that must step up if Colorado wants to pull off the upset at home in front of their crowd.

The first is guard Isaiah Johnson, who is fourth on the team in rebounds, averaging 2.9 per game. While that is not a high number, Johnson has to use his speed and max effort to go after the ball, especially on the defensive end.

If Colorado gets high focus from Johnson and the other guards to rebound on defense, this game could become a lot closer than people realize.

Forward Alon Michaeli and center Elijah Malone also have to step up on the glass with a very tough matchup ahead. Michaeli and Malone will be going against Arizona’s top two rebounders in forward Tobe Awaka and center Motiejus Krivas.

Awaka averages 9.6 rebounds per game, and his partner, Krivas, averages 8.2 rebounds per game.

Malone and Michael, when they are on the floor, must box out on defense every possession to limit the impact of the Arizona front court. While Malone is not in the regular rotation, Boyle may go to him as depth for the front court with Rancik being out.

This opportunity for Colorado against elite competition to give themselves a chance to pull off a massive upset, establish a physical presence in the paint, and gain serious momentum heading into the Big 12 tournament.

SIGN UP FOR THE COLORADO BUFFALOES ON SI NEWSLETTER HERE!