Sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik goes for a dunk in the game against Kansas State University at the CU Events Center on Feb 25, 2026. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
The Kansas State Wildcats (11-17, 2-13 Big 12) took their first trip to the CU Events Center in 15 years on Wednesday, falling short to the Colorado Buffaloes (16-12, 6-9 Big 12) 79-70. This game marked CU’s fourth consecutive victory in Boulder, and Kansas State’s sixth straight loss on the road.
The Buffs completed their sixth game this season with five players scoring double-digit points, with freshman Isaiah Johnson leading the scoring with 18. Johnson fell a rebound and three assists shy of a triple double, continuing to claw away at CU’s all-time freshman scoring record. Wednesday’s affair puts him 56 points shy of breaking Alec Burks’ record in 2009-10 with three games left in the season.
After an antsy start that saw the Buffs commit four turnovers in the first three minutes, CU began attacking underneath the rim, tallying up points in the paint and controlling rebounds. Over an eight-minute span in the first half, the Buffs rattled off a 24-4 run, with a 16 point swing allowing no Wildcats points.
Trailing 42-33 at halftime, Kansas State drew the deficit to just five points with under 18 minutes remaining in the game. However, Colorado reheated on an 8-0 run in 41 seconds and never looked back, maintaining a consistent double digit lead for the next 10 minutes.
With 13 minutes left, the Buffs peaked at a 22 point advantage, but began to slip from there. Kansas State began setting the pace and got some controversial calls from the officials. After a flagrant call on sophomore Sebastian Rancik, KSU’s Andrej Kostic hit a 3 to make it a 73-70 game closing in on the final two minutes.
Junior forward Bangot Dak shoots over two defenders in the game against Kansas State University at the CU Events Center on Feb 25, 2026. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
With the CU Events Center on its feet – partly cheering on the Buffs and partly battering the referees – the Buffs sealed the deal with two big blocks late from sophomore Bangot Dak and Rancik.
Although Colorado escaped with the win, by the end of the game Kansas State bested CU in points on the paint, fast break points and free throw shooting while committing less turnovers. Colorado held a 19 point lead in the first half and a 22 point lead in the second half, and both times let the Wildcats fight back.
“The epitome of winning ugly,” head coach Tad Boyle said. “We weren’t mentally and emotionally ready to play tonight … we still got a lot of room for improvement.”
While the showing on the court was underwhelming, the stat sheet showed some highlights for the Buffs. Freshman Ian Inman had a career-high 17 points, and Dak continued his hot streak, coming off a Big 12 Starting Five of the Week nomination on Feb. 23.
“For me it’s always just been sticking to my grind, sticking to my mentality, and ultimately [when] my time comes, just producing,” Inman said on his performance.
The Buffs did all they could to slow down Kansas State’s junior P.J. Haggerty, who coming into the game led the country in field goals made and was third in points per game. He finished with 25 points. No other Wildcat poured in more than 10.
“We need more on-court leadership,” Boyle said. “We definitely need it on the road. Again, we dodged a bullet tonight, so we’ll take it. We move on.”
After a rough stretch of conference play from the Buffaloes in January, losing six in a row, the squad has won four of their last seven. The team faces a daunting final stretch of the season, with both No. 5 Houston and No. 2 Arizona left on the schedule. Colorado tips off with Houston on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 10 am. The game will stream on ESPN2.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu.
