2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team

2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 23
APNo. 22
Record23–9 (14–6 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCU Events Center
Seasons
2020–21 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Oregon 14 – 4   .778 21 – 7   .750
No. 9 USC 15 – 5   .750 25 – 8   .758
No. 23 Colorado 14 – 6   .700 23 – 9   .719
No. 7 UCLA 13 – 6   .684 22 – 10   .688
Arizona* 11 – 9   .550 17 – 9   .654
No. 20 Oregon State † 10 – 10   .500 20 – 13   .606
Stanford 10 – 10   .500 14 – 13   .519
Utah 8 – 11   .421 12 – 13   .480
Arizona State 7 – 10   .412 11 – 14   .440
Washington State 7 – 12   .368 14 – 13   .519
Washington 4 – 16   .200 5 – 21   .192
California 3 – 17   .150 9 – 20   .310
*Ineligible for the conference and NCAA tournaments due to self-imposed postseason ban.
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represented the University of Colorado in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Tad Boyle in his eleventh season at Colorado. The Buffaloes played their home games at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 23-9, 14-6 in Pac-12 Play to finish in third place. They defeated California and USC to advance to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament where they lost to Oregon State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Georgetown in the first round before losing in the second round to Florida State.

Previous season

The Buffaloes finished the 2019–20 season 21–11, 10–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Washington State.

Off-season

Departures

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Shane Gatling 0 G 6'2" 182 Senior Baldwin, NY Graduated
Tyler Bey 1 G/F 6'7" 216 Junior Las Vegas, NV Declare for 2020 NBA draft
Daylen Kountz 2 G 6'4" 191 Sophomore Denver, CO Transferred to Northern Colorado
A. J. Martinka 12 G 6'5" 210 Junior Stanwood, WA Walk-on; didn't return
Jakub Dombek 15 F 6'11" 210 RS Freshman Ostrava, Czech Republic Transferred to Hartford
Lucas Siewert 23 F 6'10" 232 RS Senior San Antonio, TX Graduated
Frank Ryder 30 F 6'10" 232 Junior Boulder, CO Transferred to Denver

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jeriah Horne 41 F 6'7" 222 RS Senior Overland Park, KS Transferred from Tulsa. Will be eligible to play immediately since Horne graduated from Tulsa.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dominique Clifford
SG 		Colorado Springs, CO The Vanguard School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) N/A Sep 20, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Luke O'Brien
SG 		Littleton, CO Columbine High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Nov 10, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Jabari Walker
PF 		Chandler, AZ Compass Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 15, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Tristan da Silva
SF 		Munich, Germany Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 15, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Colorado Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Quincy Allen
#11 SF 		Washington, DC Maret School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 17, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Lawson Lovering
#19 C 		Laramie, WY Central High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 28, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Javon Ruffin
#57 SG 		New Orleans, LA PHH Prep 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 19, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Julian Hammond III
#54 PG 		Denver, CO Cherry Creek High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 13, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Luke O'Brien 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Columbine HS Littleton, CO
G/F 3 Maddox Daniels 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Sr Beverly Hills HS
Florida SouthWestern State 		Suwanee, GA
G/F 5 D'Shawn Schwartz 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Sr Sand Creek HS Colorado Springs, CO
F 10 Alexander Strating 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 228 lb (103 kg) RS Sr American School of The Hague Wassenaar, Netherlands
G 11 Keeshawn Barthelemy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 163 lb (74 kg) RS Fr Thornlea Secondary School Montreal, QC
F 12 Jabari Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr AZ Compass Prep Inglewood, CA
F/C 13 Dallas Walton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Arvada West HS Arvada, CO
G 15 Owen Koonce (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Cemtaurus HS Lafayette, CO
F 21 Evan Battey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 262 lb (119 kg) RS Jr Villa Park HS Los Angeles, CA
F 23 Tristan da Silva 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Ludwigsgymnasium Munich Munich, Germany
G 24 Elijah Parquet 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr West Brook HS Beaumont, TX
G 25 McKinley Wright IV (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr Champlin Park HS North Robbinsdale, MN
F 30 Will Loughlin (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Seattle Prep Seattle, WA
G 32 Nique Clifford 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr The Vanguard School Colorado Springs, CO
G 33 Aidan McQuade (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Loveland HS Loveland, CO
G 34 Benan Ersek (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Kent Denver School Vienna, Austria
G 40 Isaac Jessup (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Resurrection Catholic Loveland, CO
F 41 Jeriah Horne 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr The Barstow School
Tulsa 		Overland Park, KS
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

[1]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		vs. South Dakota
Little Apple Classic 		W 84–61  1–0
  20 – Wright IV   7 – 2 Tied   5 – Wright IV  Bramlage Coliseum (0)
Manhattan, KS
November 27, 2020*
6:30 pm, ESPNU 		at Kansas State
Little Apple Classic 		W 76–58  2–0
  24 – Wright IV   6 – Horne   5 – Wright IV  Bramlage Coliseum (0)
Manhattan, KS
December 8, 2020*
4:00 pm, SECN+ 		at No. 12 Tennessee L 47–56  2–1
  15 – Horne   11 – Horne   4 – Wright IV  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
December 8, 2020*
6:00 pm, P12N 		Colorado School of Mines Canceled CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
December 8, 2020*
6:00 pm, P12N 		Colorado State Canceled CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
December 14, 2020*
7:00 pm, P12N 		Northern Colorado W 81–45  3–1
  19 – Wright IV   8 – Battey   7 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (26)
Boulder, CO
December 16, 2020*
3:00 pm, P12N 		Omaha W 91–49  4–1
  17 – Wright IV   8 – Battey   8 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
December 20, 2020*
8:00 pm, P12N 		vs. Washington
Far West Classic 		W 92–69  5–1
  22 – Walton   7 – Daniels   5 – Wright IV  T-Mobile Arena (0)
Paradise, NV
December 22, 2020*
9:00 pm, P12N 		vs. Grand Canyon
Far West Classic 		W 74–64  6–1
  21 – Wright IV   5 – Horne   7 – Wright IV  T-Mobile Arena (0)
Paradise, NV
December 28, 2020
7:30 pm, P12N 		at Arizona L 74–88  6–2
(0–1) 		 18 – Battey   8 – Horne   4 – Wright IV  McKale Center (0)
Tucson, AZ
December 31, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN 		at USC W 72–62  7–2
(1–1) 		 19 – Wright IV   10 – Schwartz   4 – Wright IV  Galen Center (0)
Los Angeles, CA
January 2, 2021
6:00 pm, P12N 		at UCLA L 62–65  7–3
(1–2) 		 12 – 2 Tied   6 – Battey   3 – Wright IV  Pauley Pavilion (0)
Los Angeles, CA
January 7, 2021
9:00 pm, FS1 		No. 17 Oregon W 79–72  8–3
(2–2) 		 21 – Wright IV   10 – 2 Tied   5 – 2 Tied  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
January 11, 2021
4:00 pm, P12N 		at Utah W 65–58  9–3
(3–2) 		 15 – 2 Tied   15 – Schwartz   4 – Wright IV  Jon M. Huntsman Center (0)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 14, 2021
12:00 pm, P12N 		California W 89–60  10–3
(4–2) 		 23 – Walker   11 – Walker   12 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
January 16, 2021
1:00 pm, P12N 		Stanford W 77–64  11–3
(5–2) 		 14 – Wright IV   12 – Battey   8 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
January 20, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Washington L 80–84  11–4
(5–3) 		 24 – Horne   6 – 2 Tied   6 – Wright IV  Alaska Airlines Arena (0)
Seattle, WA
January 23, 2021
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Washington State W 70–59  12–4
(6–3) 		 16 – Battey   7 – Wright IV   5 – Wright IV  Beasley Coliseum (0)
Pullman, WA
January 27, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Washington State W 70–58  13–4
(7–3) 		 16 – Wright IV   5 – 2 Tied   7 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
January 30, 2021
12:30 pm, P12N 		Utah L 74–77  13–5
(7–4) 		 15 – Wright IV   5 – 3 Tied   6 – Barthelemy  CU Events Center (0)
Boulder, CO
February 6, 2021
6:00 pm, FS1 		Arizona W 82–79  14–5
(8–4) 		 21 – Battey   3 – 2 Tied   6 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (74)
Boulder, CO
February 8, 2021
5:00 pm, P12N 		Oregon State W 78–49  15–5
(9–4) 		 16 – Horne   7 – Walton   4 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (61)
Boulder, CO
February 11, 2021
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Stanford W 69–51  16–5
(10–4) 		 14 – Wright IV   9 – Wright IV   9 – Wright IV  Maples Pavilion (0)
Stanford, CA
February 13, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		at California L 62–71  16–6
(10–5) 		 13 – Wright IV   12 – Horne   3 – Wright IV  Haas Pavilion (0)
Berkeley, CA
February 18, 2021
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Oregon L 56–60  16–7
(10–6) 		 16 – Schwartz   11 – Schwartz   2 – 2 Tied  Matthew Knight Arena (0)
Eugene, OR
February 20, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Oregon State W 61–57  17–7
(11–6) 		 21 – Wright IV   6 – 3 Tied   3 – Wright IV  Gill Coliseum (0)
Corvallis, OR
February 25, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 19 USC W 80–62  18–7
(12–6) 		 24 – Horne   11 – Horne   14 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (98)
Boulder, CO
February 27, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		UCLA W 70–61  19–7
(13–6) 		 26 – Wright IV   6 – 2 Tied   6 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (81)
Boulder, CO
March 4, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 24 Arizona State W 75–61  20–7
(14–6) 		 24 – Wright IV   12 – Horne   4 – Wright IV  CU Events Center (84)
Boulder, CO
Pac-12 tournament
March 11, 2021
9:30 pm, ESPN 		(3) No. 23 vs. (11) California
Quarterfinals 		W 61–58  21–7
  15 – Battey   6 – Walker   3 – Wright IV  T-Mobile Arena (0)
Paradise, NV
March 12, 2021
9:30 pm, ESPN 		(3) No. 23 vs. (2) No. 24 USC
Semifinals 		W 72–70  22–7
  24 – Wright IV   7 – Horne   4 – Wright IV  T-Mobile Arena (0)
Paradise, NV
March 13, 2021
8:30 pm, ESPN 		(3) No. 23 vs. (5) Oregon State
Championship 		L 68–70  22–8
  18 – Wright IV   8 – Battey   7 – Wright IV  T-Mobile Arena (0)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021
10:15 a.m., CBS 		(5 E) No. 22 vs. (12 E) Georgetown
First Round 		W 96–73  23–8
  24 – Walker   5 – Wright IV   13 – Wright IV  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,061)
Indianapolis, IN
March 22, 2021
5:45 p.m., TBS 		(5 E) No. 22 vs. (4 E) No. 14 Florida State
Second Round 		L 53–71  23–9
  13 – Schwartz   8 – Horne   4 – Daniels  Indiana Farmers Coliseum (989)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Ranking movement

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP—RV——RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV242322Not released
Coaches————RVRVRVRV23RVRVRVRV—RVRV2223

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

References

  1. ^ "2020–2021 Schedule". cubuffs.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.