The Colorado Buffaloes are back into the Big 12, and ready to compete for another trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Colorado Buffaloes are looking to start the Big 12 strong following their non-conference slate that sees eight home games and a three-pack of games in Hawaii.
Looking to Start Big 12 Strong: Colorado Buffaloes See Very Winnable Non-Conference Schedule
Let’s take a look at Tad Boyle’s Buffaloes non-conference schedule:
The Buffaloes will start their campaign at home and take the Eagles of Eastern Washington. The Eagles are certainly not going to be an elite basketball team in 2024-2025, but look out, as Dan Monson is the head coach, and looking to be one of the contenders out of the Big Sky Conference.
State Rivalry Game
On November 8th, the Buffaloes will take on state rival Northern Colorado. The Bears are from Greeley Colorado, and another member of the Big Sky Conference. Northern Colorado has not been to the NCAA Tournament since the 2011 season, and never won a game in the big dance. Tad Boyle used to be the head coach at Northern Colorado prior to his time with the Buffaloes.
The next game for the Buffaloes is on November 13th. Cal State Fullerton will come to town. The Titans went to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and were a 15 seed. They lost to Duke in that game. In the last two seasons, they have failed to reach the dance. The Titans play in the Big West Conference.
The final game before they head to Hawaii is on November 17th against Harvard. Quite the haul for the Ivy League squad, but this should be an interesting basketball game. Harvard is led by Tommy Amaker, who is in his 16th season as the head coach. The Crimson have not won the Ivy League since 2019, and have not been in the tournament since 2015.
Tough Task in Hawaii
Colorado will be a part of the 41st annual Maui Invitational, this will be a tournament full of elite programs. Back-to-back national title winner UConn headlines the group. North Carolina, Michigan State, and Iowa State are also all in the tournament. The other three teams outside of Colorado feature Bruce Pearl and his Auburn Tigers, the Dayton Flyers, and the Memphis Tigers. This will start on Monday, November 25th, and wrap up on Wednesday, November 27th.
Welcome to December
As December arrives for the Buffaloes, they will see four more home games. The first is against Pacific on December 2nd. The Stockton California-based Tigers are part of the Big West Conference. The Tigers have not been to the big dance since the 2013 season. They did win back-to-back tournament games in 2024 and 2025.
On December 7th, the Rams of Colorado State will come over for another state rivalry game. Niko Medved and his Rams out of the Mountain West Conference went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 last season. The Rams won their first-round game over Virginia by 25 points. They then fell to Texas by 12 points. Colorado leads the all-time series 92-41 over the Rams.
After taking some time off, the Buffaloes will host South Dakota State on December 13th. Eric Henderson will be starting his 5th season with the club. The Jackrabbits are another team that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024. The Jackrabbits fell to Big 12 member Iowa State in the first round by 17. It was their second trip to the tournament in three seasons. In 2022, they fell to Providence in the first round.
Non-Conference Finale
Finally, the last game before the Buffaloes begin looking to start Big 12 strong will take place on December 21st against the Knights of Bellarmine. Scott Davenport starts his 19th season as the head coach. The Knights are out of Louisville Kentucky and members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Knights won the Division 2 national title in 2011. Following the 2019 season, the Knights moved to Division 1 and have yet to reach the big dance.
Heading to Big 12 Play
That is a look at the non-conference schedule for the Colorado Buffaloes. They are looking to start the Big 12 strong with a lofty record, and some experience grabbing some wins before some big-time games in conference play.
