Basketball is officially back in Boulder!
Following a campaign to forget in 2024-25, this years Colorado Buffaloes team is showcasing an extremely fun and exciting brand of hoops with its young core. Friday nights win over Providence further proved why CU fans should be paying attention to this squad, as the Buffs offense was firing on all cylinders in their 97-88 win over the Providence Friars.
This was a big game for the Buffs, with a power conference school coming to Boulder for the first time in four years and former CU assistant Kim English returning to the Event Center, this time as the head coach of the Big Easts Friars.
Contrary to what the final score may suggest, things got off to a slow start in The Keg. Both teams struggled to hit shots early. While the Buffs would start to settle in and make some buckets after a couple of minutes, the same wouldnt prove true for the Friars. CU zoomed out to a 25-19 lead, as Providence only shot 6-18 from the field to open the game.
Colorado got everyone involved early. Five Buffs had four or more points halfway through the first half, being Barrington Hargress, Elijah Malone, Bangot Dak, Alon Michaeli and Jalin Holland. A lot of that shared production was due to some elite passing by Hargress, who was dealing to his teammates early and often.
Following a small surge from the Friars before the break, Colorado headed to the break leading 39-38. Much of CUs first-half production was created directly by Hargress, who finished the period with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The second half started with a quick bucket by Providence to take a one-point lead, which sent the Buffs into high gear and be the Friars final lead of the game. CU followed that up by ripping off a quick 6-0 run to seize back the momentum, with the help of back-to-back three pointers from Sebastian Rancik and Michaeli. Rancik, who sat most of the first half after racking up two quick fouls, settled in and found his rhythm by hitting multiple three pointers.
Colorados offense began to hum, as they hit seven consecutive attempts from the field to maintain their modest lead. Foul issues would cut into CUs momentum a bit, as the Buffs sent the Friars to the line 21 in the second half. Freebies allowed Providence to stay in the game, as the Buffs led 79-73 with 4:23 to play.
Providence also decided they wanted to join in the foul party, as they quickly sent the Buffs into the bonus with around four minutes to play. The Buffs would take full advantage of that, hitting nearly every single opportunity Providence gave them from the line. Colorado only hit one shot from the field in the last four minutes, drilling 15 freebies in the late stage of the game to build a comfortable lead and put away the Friars by nine points.
In only his second game as a Buff, freshman Alon Michaeli led CU in scoring with 20 points on the day. Senior center Elijah Malone wasnt far behind Michaeli with 17 points, along with seven rebounds for good measure. Hargress cooled down on the scoring side in the second half, finishing with only 15 points, but turned up the heat when feeding his teammates, racking up 11 total assists and a double-double.
Colorados freshman finished with a total of 45 points in the win over the Friars, showcasing just how exciting this team can be, especially considering the young core.
The 3-0 Buffs will be back in action on Monday when Alabama State comes to town. Well be there to cover it, so make sure youre keeping up with us here at Ralphie Report.