Breaking down Colorado's basketball schedule

BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes released their non-conference schedule for men’s basketball today, rounding out who CU will face in the 2020-21 regular season.

Additionally, the Pac-12 is beginning its 20-game conference schedule this season and added some new games in December. Combined with the new non-conference opponents released today, Colorado fans are in for one exciting season.

Let’s dive into all these games.

SOUTH DAKOTA & KANSAS STATE
Nov. 23-29

The Buffaloes will open up their season in Manhattan, Kansas in the inaugural Little Apple Classic hosted by K-State.

While there was some uncertainty about this tournament being played, the event will go on as Colorado will start by playing South Dakota on Nov. 25 followed by Kansas State on Nov. 27. While Colorado does not have much history with SD, they have matched up against KSU 143 times. The Buffs’ last visit to Bramlage Coliseum was during their Big 12 days, when they completed a three-game sweep of the Wildcats in 2011.

ARIZONA & WASHINGTON STATE
Nov. 30- Dec. 6

The Buffs will have their first conference game of the season in early December as they travel to Tuscon to take on powerhouse Arizona. The Wildcats lost three players last season to the NBA. They combined for over 44 points per game at Arizona. In total, Arizona lost its top six scorers from last season, but head coach Sean Miller brought in the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation as well as two transfers to help fill this void.

After facing the Wildcats, Colorado will come back to Boulder to take on Washington State on Dec. 5. The Cougars will be a bit easier to guard this season with CJ Elleby – who shot six of 10 from three on his way to a 30-point performance against CU in the Pac-12 tournament last year – departing for the NBA, but WSU took big strides last season and will be looking to build. Still, they are projected to be a bottom-tier team within the conference.

COLORADO STATE
Dec. 7-13

With the Rocky Mountain Showdown canceled this season, Buffs fans will have to put all of their rivalry energy into the Dec. 8 matchup against Colorado State. While last year’s game was played in Fort Collins, it took a breakout performance from Shane Gatling to overcome the Rams. This year’s game in Boulder will give Colorado a chance to take advantage of a younger Rams team and come out with a victory.

NORTHERN COLORADO & OMAHA
Dec. 14-20

Staying in Boulder, the Buffs will next face Northern Colorado on Dec. 14 in a game filled with storylines. Daylen Kountz transfered to UNC in the offseason and he will likely be hungry to show his talents. Not only that, but head coach Tad Boyle is always looking to dominate his former program where he spent four seasons.

Next, Colorado will host Omaha on Dec. 16. The Mavericks’ head coach, Derrin Hanson, put together a 20-win season as recently as 2018, but this team is coming off a 5th place finish in the Summit League and should give CU a nice morale boost.

WASHINGTON & GRAND CANYON
Dec. 21-27

Starting on Dec. 20, Colorado will head to Las Vegas for another tournament, this time facing off against Washington and Grand Canyon in the Far West Classic. Similar to last season, Colorado will take on a Pac-12 team in a game that will not count toward the conference record.

Washington went from first-to-worst last season and lost their two best players this offseason. Still, a conference opponent will present some interesting challenges, as the Huskies run a zone defense that can stifle an offense.

Grand Canyon presents an interesting matchup, as they have also had some recent success despite falling off last season. Still, this game should not represent a huge roadblock for the Buffs.

Colorado fans should expect big things from the Buffs in these non-conference games, but the conference schedule will showcase just how far the team can go.

UCLA & USC
Dec. 28- Jan. 3

To begin their conference play, Colorado will go on the road to Los Angeles. Up first? A highly anticipated matchup with the UCLA Bruins.

UCLA began last season rather paltry, but Mick Cronin’s coaching elevated the program over time and they began to tear through opponents at the end of the season. Now ranked highly by national media and picked to finish first in the conference by the media, the Bruins represent a major threat. This road game against a defensive stalwart could temper the Buffs’ expectations.

After UCLA, the Buffs go down the road to USC. Picked to finish just below the Buffs by the media, USC landed the third-ranked prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle in Evan Mobley. The Trojans could have an incredible frontcourt, pairing Mobley with his brother Isaiah. Still, this is a young team, which could allow Colorado to steal one on the road.

OREGON & OREGON STATE
Jan. 4-10

Colorado had a huge winter break last season, getting a big-time win against then-No. 4 Oregon at home in early January. They will get another chance this season.

Colorado will first face the Oregon Ducks in its first game of 2021. The Ducks were picked to finish third in the conference and, although they lost conference player of the year Payton Pritchard, they still have a ton of depth. The Buffs will have to defend their home court if they want to re-establish themselves as a top-tier program for the tournament.

Ah, and then there’s Oregon State. Last year, Colorado toppled the Ducks just to get outdueled by the Beavers. That cannot happen again this season. The good news for Buffs fans is that Tres Tinkle has graduated and leaves a huge hole in their box score, and although the Beavers have some experienced guys on the team, the Buffs should take this one.

CAL & STANFORD
Jan. 11-17

Staying in Boulder for these two games will be huge, as it gives the chance for Colorado to string a run together. First up on this trip is Cal, and the Golden Bears should not be overlooked, thanks to guard Matt Bradley. Bradley is a stud that causes matchup issues all over the court and has tremendously improved his game year-over-year. With this game being at home, as well as Colorado’s defensively efficiency, the Buffs should come out on top here.

Next comes a matchup with Stanford, which always proves to be a fun opponent for the Buffaloes. With four starters returning from their 20-win campaign last year, the Cardinal will be a good early-season test. The test should ultimately come down to the frontcourt, and with Stanford’s Oscar da Silva looking to put together a strong senior season, this one could come down to the wire.

WASHINGTON & WASHINGTON STATE
Jan. 18-24

After a four-game homestay, the Buffs will head to Washington to take on the Huskies and the Cougars, both of which for the second time.

First, Colorado will face Washington for the second time, but the first time in a game that counts towards conference records. At the very least, Colorado should come into this game with plenty of knowledge from their first matchup and, hopefully, the Buffs will have found ways to break down the zone.

Then, there will be another matchup with the Cougars. Again, this Washington State team should not pose much of a threat to the Buffaloes.

UTAH
Jan. 25-31

The Buffs will return home to face off against the Utah Utes in late January. The teams split their series last season.

Utah received a big boost this year with forward Timmy Allen withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and returning his 17.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG to the Utes. Again, expect these two teams to split the season series, as home-court advantage may be the only thing separating them.

ARIZONA & ARIZONA STATE
Feb. 1-7

Staying at home, Colorado will face Arizona for a second time. Again, this game will be a test of how the Wildcats can develop their young talent against the Buffs veterans.

After the Wildcats will come the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU has the Pac-12 Preseason Player of the Year in guard Remy Martin, and he leads a roster that’s only problem may be in the rotation. The Sun Devils have many mouths to feed, but Colorado has a two-way stud in McKinley Wright IV who was extremely effective in limiting Martin’s impact last season. The Buffs may just match up well enough to overcome ASU’s firepower.

CAL & STANFORD
Feb. 8-14

At this point, the Colorado Buffaloes will repeat against some conference opponents. This week will showcase a trip to Northern California to take on Cal and Stanford.

OREGON & OREGON STATE
Feb. 15-21

Continuing the road trip, Colorado will head to the Pacific Northwest to challenge Oregon and Oregon State.

UCLA & USC
Feb. 22-28

In their final regular-season games in Boulder, Colorado will host UCLA and USC.

UTAH
March 1-7

To close the season, Colorado will travel to Utah.

Final Thoughts

On the whole, this schedule is fairly favorable to the Buffs. They have a healthy draw between home games and road games, and should take care of their non-conference competition fairly easily.

The true test for the Buffaloes will be how they fare on the road and how they defend a (most-likely) empty home-court. Colorado needs to split their road games while winning three-out-of-four home games within the conference. If they do that, they should find themselves dancing in Indiana come March.