2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team

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.

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

Previous season

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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

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Departures

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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

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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

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Luke O'Brien
SG
Littleton, CO Columbine High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Nov 10, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Jabari Walker
PF
Chandler, AZ Compass Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 15, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Tristan da Silva
SF
Munich, Germany Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 15, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/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

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US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Lawson Lovering
#19 C
Laramie, WY Central High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 28, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Javon Ruffin
#57 SG
New Orleans, LA PHH Prep 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 19, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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

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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

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[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

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
APRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV242322Not released
CoachesRVRVRVRV23RVRVRVRVRVRV2223

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

References

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