Colorado will try to recapture the success it experienced two seasons ago when it kicks off its season against Montana State on Monday in Boulder, Colo.
Bangot Dak was on the 2023-24 team that went 26-11 overall, 13-7 in the old Pac-12 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Marquette. The junior 7-footer has been part of a winner in Boulder and will help the Buffaloes try to bounce back from a 14-21 season that featured a 13-game losing streak that was part of a 3-17 run through the Big 12.
Dak, who averaged 8.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Sebastian Rancik (5.9 ppg) were players Boyle said “were critical” for Colorado to retain.
There are seven true freshmen on the Buffaloes’ roster that Boyle said will impact the way practices are structured.
“When Bangot was a freshman he was on a team that won 26 games,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “There was a lot of veteran talent on that team. I didn’t have to coach him as hard as I maybe had to coach (Rancik) last year because we needed him. When you need freshmen to respond and really help you, you’ve got to coach them like they are not freshmen. Sometimes when you coach freshmen hard they think you don’t like them. It’s just the opposite. If I am not coaching you hard, you probably won’t play a lot as a freshman.”
The Buffaloes were picked to finish 15th in the Big 12 preseason poll.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats tied for fifth place in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches’ poll and were picked sixth by the media. They were 15-18 and 9-9 in conference play last season.
Patrick McMahon averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He started the first 18 games, then transitioned to a sixth-man role.
Bobcats coach Matt Logie said freshman James Steward could provide early contributions.
“James is an extremely athletic frontcourt player,” Logie said in a news release. “He can provide rim protection, rebounding, and has a growing arsenal of offensive weapons both as a back-to-the-basket and face-up player.”
Montana State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons before missing out last season.