Colorado's Keys To Victory in the Big 12 Tournament

Coach Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes have finished the Big 12 regular season with a record of 17-14 and a conference record of 7-11. Colorado gave the No. 2-ranked Arizona Wildcats all they could handle, but unfortunately, Arizona proved too much, winning in Boulder 89-79.

Up next for the Buffaloes is the Big 12 tournament, and Colorado starts with a game against Oklahoma State.

Keys Against Oklahoma State

Colorado Buffaloes Keys to Victory in Big 12 Tournament Coach Tad Boyle Bangot Dak Isaiah Johnson Sebastian Rancik NCAA — Mar 3, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Alon Michaeli (3) reacts to a play against the Utah Utes during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A historic #Big12MBB season has led us to this moment.

The OFFICIAL 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket is here 👀 pic.twitter.com/tkKZYPWggt
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 8, 2026

The Big 12 Tournament bracket is set, and that means Colorado is set to play against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Tuesday night, where wins become even more crucial.

The Buffaloes and the Cowboys recently played a game in Boulder where Colorado picked up an 83-69 win at home. Even with a win, the Buffaloes do have a few things they must repeat as well as clean up if they want a repeat of this effort.

Two areas that Colorado must repeat their success in are generating points off turnovers and winning the three-point battle.

In the February matchup, the Buffaloes showed great effort on the defensive side as they forced 15 Oklahoma State turnovers and were able to generate 20 points of those turnovers.

The later teams get in the season, the more possessions matter. Being able to steal possessions and points is something Colorado must do if it wants to make a deep run.

Offensively, the Buffaloes did a great job from three as they shot 11-27 from beyond the arc while the Cowboys shot 5-23. This allowed Colorado to create 18 more points from deep than Oklahoma State was able to.

In the new college game, teams that can get hot from three-point range are often those who make deep runs and can pull off upsets in the NCAA Tournament. If Colorado can continue to shoot well, this game could get ugly for the Cowboys.

There are also two areas of improvement for the Buffaloes, which include rebounding and defense in the paint.

On the rebounding side in the first matchup, the Cowboys won this battle 39-36. Oklahoma State was also able to pull down 15 offensive rebounds, creating many second-chance opportunities. Forward Bangot Dak will have a major role in this aspect, and it is uncertain whether or not forward Sebastian Rancik will be able to return from injury.

Centers Elijah Malone and Fawaz Ifaola must also be able to provide better rebounding performances to make up for the possibility of Rancik being out once again.

On the same token, Colorado must also improve its interior defense after a tough performance against Arizona. There is no doubt that Oklahoma State will be trying to attack Colorado’s interior after scoring 36 points in the paint during the first matchup with the Buffaloes.

Interior defense is a whole team effort. The Colorado guards Isaiah Johnson, Jalin Holland, Barrington Hargress, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders must all do a good job of limiting the Cowboys' ability to drive inside and make them take difficult perimeter shots.

When the ball does get inside, Dak, Malone, Rancik (if available), and Ifaloa must also do a much better job using their size and length to affect and block shots, which could get the Cowboys out of rhythm.

Main Takeaways Versus Arizona

The Buffaloes have had an up and down season his far, but do have an opportunity to turn it around. If they can play as they did in the first half against Arizona on Saturday night, that may allow Colorado to make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament and potentially get into the NCAA Tournament.

It became clear that Arizona had a decisive advantage in the interior, especially in the second half. Center Motiejus Krivas had a dominant stretch where Colorado could do nothing except foul him. Forward Tobe Awaka also had some dominant moments against the Buffaloes in the paint.

Both guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat had solid outings offensively for the Wildcats as Peat went for 25, and Burries went for 31.

For Colorado, freshman phenom Isaiah Johnson continued his solid play as he scored 28 points and became the most prolific freshman scorer in the Buffaloes’ basketball history.

However, the front court for Colorado struggled to contain the forwards and centers of Arizona. Buffaloes forward Bangot Dak was able to contribute eight points and five rebounds, but was in foul trouble all night and eventually fouled out later in the second half.

Center Elijah Malone was the lone senior on senior night and was able to provide consistent defense and some offense as he recorded seven points and eight rebounds. Forward Fawaz Ifaola played nine minutes but really struggled to be effective on defense with three fouls. Buffaloes forward Alon Michaeli also had three fouls and had trouble standing his ground against the Arizona bigs.

While Colorado was able to keep the game competitive against Arizona, the Wildcats were able to flex their muscles on the interior for a large portion of the game, which became very evident in the second half.

Dak being in foul trouble and fellow forward Sebastian Rancik missing this game with an injury were key factors in how this game played out. If the Buffaloes want to make a run in the Big 12 tournament, defense in the paint and the overall physicality must be something that improves significantly.

SIGN UP FOR THE COLORADO BUFFALOES ON SI NEWSLETTER HERE!