2024–25 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team

2024–25 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record9–3 (0–1 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCU Events Center
Seasons
2024–25 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Iowa State 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
BYU 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
UCF 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
West Virginia 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
No. 25 Baylor 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
No. 14 Houston 1 – 0   1.000 9 – 3   .750
Arizona 1 – 0   1.000 7 – 5   .583
Kansas State 1 – 0   1.000 7 – 5   .583
No. 16 Cincinnati 0 – 1   .000 10 – 2   .833
Arizona State 0 – 1   .000 9 – 3   .750
Colorado 0 – 1   .000 9 – 3   .750
No. 7 Kansas 0 – 1   .000 9 – 3   .750
Texas Tech 0 – 1   .000 9 – 3   .750
Oklahoma State 0 – 1   .000 8 – 4   .667
Utah 0 – 1   .000 8 – 4   .667
TCU 0 – 1   .000 7 – 5   .583
† 2025 Big 12 tournament winner
As of December 30, 2024
Rankings from AP poll

The 2024–25 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado Boulder in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by Tad Boyle in his 15th season as head coach. The Buffaloes play their home games at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado as members of the Big 12 Conference.

Previous season

The Buffaloes finished the 2023–24 season 26–11, 13–7 in Pac-12 play to finish in third place. They defeated Utah and Washington State to advance to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament. There they lost to Oregon. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed in the South region. They defeated Boise State in the First Four and Florida in the First Round to advance to the round of 32. There they lost to Marquette.

In July of 2023, the school announced it would leave the Pac-12 Conference to rejoin the Big 12 in August of 2024.[1] The Buffaloes had previously been members of the Big 12 through 2011.[2]

Offseason

Departures

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Luke O'Brien 0 G 6'8" 222 Senior Littleton, CO Graduate transferred to Georgia Tech[3][4]
Tristan da Silva 23 F 6'9" 220 Senior Munich, Germany Graduated; declared for the 2024 NBA draft; selected 18th overall by the Orlando Magic[5]
J'Vonne Hadley 1 F 6'6" 205 Senior Saint Paul, MN Graduate transferred to Louisville[6][7]
Eddie Lampkin Jr. 44 F 6'11" 265 Senior Houston, TX Graduate transferred to Syracuse[6][8]
K. J. Simpson 2 G 6'9" 189 Junior West Hills, CA Declared for the 2024 NBA draft; selected 42nd overall by the Charlotte Hornets[9][5]
Cody Williams 10 F 6'8" 190 Freshman Gilbert, AZ Declared for the 2024 NBA draft; selected 10th overall by the Utah Jazz[4][5]
Joe Hurlburt 24 F 6'11" 235 Freshman Enderlin, ND Transferred to Davidson[10]

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Trevor Baskin 6 F 6'9" 200 Jr Arvada, CO Colorado Mesa
Andrej Jakimovski 23 F 6'8" 220 Sr Skopje, North Macedonia Washington State
Elijah Malone 50 C 6'10" 265 Sr Lagrange, IN Grace College

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Andrew Crawford
G 		Highlands Ranch, CO ThunderRidge High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 14, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Sebastian Rancik
F 		San Juan Capistrano, CA JSerra Catholic High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 21, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Felix Kossaras
SG 		Fort Erie, ON Fort Erie International Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 31, 2023 
Star ratings: 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:

  • "2024 Colorado Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll

Big 12 Coaches Points
1. Kansas 215 (9)
2. Houston 211 (5)
3. Iowa State 194 (1)
4. Baylor 185
5. Arizona 179 (1)
6. Cincinnati 140
7. Texas Tech 135
8. Kansas State 133
9. BYU 116
10. TCU 90
11. UCF 83
12. Arizona State 64
13. West Virginia 62
14. Oklahoma State 46
15. Colorado 37
16. Utah 30
Reference:[11] (#) first-place votes

Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

First Team
Player School
Caleb Love Arizona
LJ Cryer Houston
J’Wan Roberts
Tamin Lipsey Iowa State
Hunter Dickinson† Kansas
† denotes unanimous selection
Reference:[11]
Second Team
Player School
Norchad Omier Baylor
Jeremy Roach
Keshon Gilbert Iowa State
Dajuan Harris Jr Kansas
Coleman Hawkins Kansas State
† denotes unanimous selection
Reference:[11]

Roster

2024–25 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 3 Julian Hammond III 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Sr Cherry Creek HS Denver, CO
G 5 RJ Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 186 lb (84 kg) RS So Damien HS Chino, CA
F 6 Trevor Baskin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Pomona HS
Colorado Mesa 		Arvada, CO
F 7 Sebastian Rancik 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr JSerra Catholic HS Bratislava, Slovakia
F 8 Bangot Dak 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Lincoln Southeast HS Lincoln, NE
G 11 Javon Ruffin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 201 lb (91 kg) RS Jr PHH Prep New Orleans, LA
G 13 Courtney Anderson Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 182 lb (83 kg) RS Fr Dublin HS Vallejo, CA
G 15 Felix Kossaras 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Fort Erie International Academy Montreal, Quebec
F 23 Andrej Jakimovski 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) GS Reale Mutua Torino
Washington State 		Skopje, Macedonia
F/C 30 Greg Gerhardt (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS So Monarch HS
Sunrise Christian 		Superior, CO
G/F 31 Harrison Carrington (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS So Northfield Mount Hermon Menlo Park, CA
G 34 Jack Pease (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Highland Park HS Dallas, TX
F 35 Assane Diop 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Accelerated Schools of Denver Dakar, Senegal
G 40 Grady Whitt (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Fr Leesville Road HS Raleigh, NC
F 41 Nick Randall (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr Fossil Ridge HS Fort Collins, CO
G 42 Andrew Crawford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr ThunderRidge HS Littleton, CO
C 50 Elijah Malone 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 280 lb (127 kg) GS Prairie Heights HS
Grace College 		LaGrange, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Pomona–Pitzer W 95–62  0–0
  16 – Dak   6 – Baskin   5 – Hammond III  CU Events Center (950)
Boulder, CO
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Eastern Washington W 76–56  1–0
  13 – Rancik   7 – Tied   4 – Hammond III  CU Events Center (5,679)
Boulder, CO
November 8, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northern Colorado W 90–88 2OT 2–0
  27 – Malone   10 – Diop   2 – Tied  CU Events Center (6,152)
Boulder, CO
November 13, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Cal State Fullerton W 83–53  3–0
  17 – Jakimovski   8 – Diop   5 – Ruffin  CU Events Center (5,358)
Boulder, CO
November 17, 2024*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Harvard W 88–66  4–0
  20 – Jakimovski   7 – Malone   4 – Ruffin  CU Events Center (6,288)
Boulder, CO
November 25, 2024*
3:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. Michigan State
Maui Invitational quarterfinals 		L 56–72  4–1
  15 – Hammond   5 – Malone   5 – Hammond  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 26, 2024*
1:30 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 2 UConn
Maui Invitational consolation 2nd round 		W 73–72  5–1
  16 – Hammond III   10 – Jakimovski   3 – Hammond III  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 27, 2024*
12:30 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 5 Iowa State
Maui Invitational 5th place game 		L 71–99  5–2
  20 – Hammond III   8 – Baskin   4 – Ruffin  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
December 2, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Pacific W 75–66  6–2
  17 – Jakimovski   10 – Baskin   7 – Baskin  CU Events Center (5,235)
Boulder, CO
December 7, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Colorado State
Rocky Mountain Showdown 		W 72–55  7–2
  16 – Dak   11 – Baskin   3 – Tied  CU Events Center (9,143)
Boulder, CO
December 13, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Dakota State W 81–70  8–2
  23 – Hammond III   9 – Malone   6 – Hammond III  CU Events Center (5,942)
Boulder, CO
December 21, 2024*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bellarmine W 79–55  9–2
  15 – Diop   5 – Smith   5 – Hammond III  CU Events Center (7,684)
Boulder, CO
Big 12 regular season
December 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 3 Iowa State L 69–79  9–3
(0–1) 		 21 – Hammond   8 – Dak   5 – Dak  CU Events Center (9,157)
Boulder, CO
January 4, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Arizona State       Desert Financial Arena 
Tempe, AZ
January 8, 2025
5:00 p.m., TBA 		at UCF       Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
January 12, 2025
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		West Virginia       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
January 15, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Cincinnati       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
January 18, 2025
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Oklahoma State       Gallagher-Iba Arena 
Stillwater, OK
January 21, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		BYU       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
January 25, 2025
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Arizona       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Arizona State       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
February 2, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at TCU       Schollmaier Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
February 5, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Utah
Rumble in the Rockies 		      Jon M. Huntsman Center 
Salt Lake City, UT
February 8, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Houston       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
February 11, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		at Kansas       Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 15, 2025
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UCF       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
February 18, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Iowa State       Hilton Coliseum 
Ames, IA
February 22, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Baylor       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
February 24, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		Kansas       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
March 2, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Kansas State       Bramlage Coliseum 
Manhattan, KS
March 5, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Texas Tech       United Supermarkets Arena 
Lubbock, TX
March 8, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		TCU       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
Big 12 tournament
March 11–15, 2025
TBA 		vs.        T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Game summaries

Pomona–Pitzer (exhibition)

October 19, 2024
3:00 p.m. MDT
Pomona–Pitzer Sagehens 62, Colorado Buffaloes 95
Scoring by half: 36–49, 26–46
Pts: Pete Boyle, 16
Rebs: Ty Bergman, 4
Asts: Owen Avdalovic, 2		 Pts: Bangot Dak, 16
Rebs: Trevor Baskin, 6
Asts: Julian Hammond III, 5
CU Events Center • Boulder, CO
Attendance: 950
Referees: Chance Moore, Kirk Smith, Wacey Lym

Eastern Washington

November 4, 2024
7:00 p.m. MST
Eastern Washington Eagles 56, Colorado Buffaloes 76
Scoring by half: 31–25, 25–51
Pts: Nic McClain, 16
Rebs: Nic McClain, 5
Asts: Tyler Powell, 4		 Pts: Sebastian Rancik, 13
Rebs: Tied, 7
Asts: Julian Hammond III, 3
CU Events Center • Boulder, CO
Attendance: 5,679
Referees: Robert Felder, DG Nelson, Kirk Smith

Northern Colorado

November 8, 2024
7:00 p.m. MST
Northern Colorado Bears 88, Colorado Buffaloes 90 (2OT)
Scoring by half: 30–32, 37–35 Overtime: 9–9, 12–14
Pts: Isaiah Hawthorne, 19
Rebs: Jaron Rillie, 8
Asts: Jaron Rillie, 7		 Pts: Elijah Malone, 27
Rebs: Assane Diop, 10
Asts: Tied, 2
CU Events Center • Boulder, CO
Attendance: 6,152
Referees: Ray Natili, Jeffrey Anderson, Wacey Lym

Cal State Fullerton

November 13, 2024
7:00 p.m. MST
Cal State Fullerton Titans 53, Colorado Buffaloes 83
Scoring by half: 29–35, 24–48
Pts: Donovan Oday, 13
Rebs: Donovan Oday, 7
Asts: Davis Bynum, 2		 Pts: Andrej Jakimovski, 17
Rebs: Assane Diop, 8
Asts: Javon Ruffin, 5
CU Events Center • Boulder, CO
Attendance: 5,358
Referees: Bret Smith, Gregory Nixon, Tony Padilla

Rankings

See also: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP—————————
Coaches—————————

References

  1. ^ "CU later: Board approves Buffs' return to Big 12". ESPN.com. 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  2. ^ Athletic, The (2023-07-29). "Colorado rejoining Big 12 in 2024, leaving Pac-12: Live updates, news, reaction and analysis". The Athletic. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  3. ^ Carlough, Jack (March 27, 2024). "Luke O'Brien becomes third CU Buff to enter transfer portal on Wednesday". Colorado Buffaloes Wire. USA Today. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Rooney, Pat (April 22, 2024). "Men's basketball: Cody Williams makes it official with NBA draft; Luke O'Brien to Georgia Tech". BuffZone. MediaNews Group.
  5. ^ a b c Richardson, Kasey (June 27, 2024). "Guard KJ Simpson from Colorado Buffaloes selected in second round of 2024 NBA Draft". CBS News.
  6. ^ a b Rooney, Pat (March 27, 2024). "Men's basketball: CU Buffs Eddie Lampkin, J'Vonne Hadley hitting transfer portal". BuffZone. MediaNews Group. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Crawford, Eric (April 16, 2024). "'Do-everything' Colorado wing J'Vonne Hadley picks Louisville". WDRB Media.
  8. ^ Waters, Mike (April 2, 2024). "Syracuse basketball gets commitment from Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr". Syracuse.com. The Post-Standard. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Pat, Rooney (April 12, 2024). "KJ Simpson ready to leave CU Buffs, enter NBA draft". BuffZone. MediaNews Group.
  10. ^ Metivier, Sam (April 4, 2024). "Colorado Buffaloes forward Joe Hurlburt enters transfer portal". The Ralphie Report. SB Nation.
  11. ^ a b c "Kansas Selected As Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite, KU's Dickinson Named Preseason Player of the Year". Big12sports.com. Big 12 Conference. October 10, 2024.