2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represented the University of Colorado in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Tad Boyle in his eleventh season at Colorado. The Buffaloes played their home games at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 23-9, 14-6 in Pac-12 Play to finish in third place. They defeated California and USC to advance to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament where they lost to Oregon State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Georgetown in the first round before losing in the second round to Florida State.

2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 23
AP	No. 22
Record	23–9 (14–6 Pac-12)
Head coach	Tad Boyle (11th season)
Assistant coaches	Mike Rhon Bill Grier Rick Ray
Home arena	CU Events Center

2020–21 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 17 Oregon	14	–	4		.778			21	–	7		.750
No. 9 USC	15	–	5		.750			25	–	8		.758
No. 23 Colorado	14	–	6		.700			23	–	9		.719
No. 7 UCLA	13	–	6		.684			22	–	10		.688
Arizona*	11	–	9		.550			17	–	9		.654
No. 20 Oregon State †	10	–	10		.500			20	–	13		.606
Stanford	10	–	10		.500			14	–	13		.519
Utah	8	–	11		.421			12	–	13		.480
Arizona State	7	–	10		.412			11	–	14		.440
Washington State	7	–	12		.368			14	–	13		.519
Washington	4	–	16		.200			5	–	21		.192
California	3	–	17		.150			9	–	20		.310
*Ineligible for the conference and NCAA tournaments due to self-imposed postseason ban.
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Buffaloes finished the 2019–20 season 21–11, 10–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Washington State.

Off-season

Departures

Name	Num	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Shane Gatling	0	G	6'2"	182	Senior	Baldwin, NY	Graduated
Tyler Bey	1	G/F	6'7"	216	Junior	Las Vegas, NV	Declare for 2020 NBA draft
Daylen Kountz	2	G	6'4"	191	Sophomore	Denver, CO	Transferred to Northern Colorado
A. J. Martinka	12	G	6'5"	210	Junior	Stanwood, WA	Walk-on; didn't return
Jakub Dombek	15	F	6'11"	210	RS Freshman	Ostrava, Czech Republic	Transferred to Hartford
Lucas Siewert	23	F	6'10"	232	RS Senior	San Antonio, TX	Graduated
Frank Ryder	30	F	6'10"	232	Junior	Boulder, CO	Transferred to Denver

Incoming transfers

Name	Num	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Jeriah Horne	41	F	6'7"	222	RS Senior	Overland Park, KS	Transferred from Tulsa. Will be eligible to play immediately since Horne graduated from Tulsa.

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dominique Clifford SG	Colorado Springs, CO	The Vanguard School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	N/A	Sep 20, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Luke O'Brien SG	Littleton, CO	Columbine High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 10, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Jabari Walker PF	Chandler, AZ	Compass Prep	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Apr 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Tristan da Silva SF	Munich, Germany	Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Apr 15, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Colorado Commits". Rivals.com. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Quincy Allen #11 SF	Washington, DC	Maret School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 17, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Lawson Lovering #19 C	Laramie, WY	Central High School	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 28, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Javon Ruffin #57 SG	New Orleans, LA	PHH Prep	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 19, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Julian Hammond III #54 PG	Denver, CO	Cherry Creek High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 13, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Colorado Commits". Rivals.com. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2020–21 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Luke O'Brien 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Columbine HS Littleton, CO G/F 3 Maddox Daniels 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Sr Beverly Hills HS Florida SouthWestern State Suwanee, GA G/F 5 D'Shawn Schwartz 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Sr Sand Creek HS Colorado Springs, CO F 10 Alexander Strating 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 228 lb (103 kg) RS Sr American School of The Hague Wassenaar, Netherlands G 11 Keeshawn Barthelemy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 163 lb (74 kg) RS Fr Thornlea Secondary School Montreal, QC F 12 Jabari Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr AZ Compass Prep Inglewood, CA F/C 13 Dallas Walton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Arvada West HS Arvada, CO G 15 Owen Koonce (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Cemtaurus HS Lafayette, CO F 21 Evan Battey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 262 lb (119 kg) RS Jr Villa Park HS Los Angeles, CA F 23 Tristan da Silva 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Ludwigsgymnasium Munich Munich, Germany G 24 Elijah Parquet 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr West Brook HS Beaumont, TX G 25 McKinley Wright IV (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr Champlin Park HS North Robbinsdale, MN F 30 Will Loughlin (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Seattle Prep Seattle, WA G 32 Nique Clifford 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr The Vanguard School Colorado Springs, CO G 33 Aidan McQuade (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Loveland HS Loveland, CO G 34 Benan Ersek (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Kent Denver School Vienna, Austria G 40 Isaac Jessup (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Resurrection Catholic Loveland, CO F 41 Jeriah Horne 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr The Barstow School Tulsa Overland Park, KS	Head coach Tad Boyle (Kansas) Assistant coach(es) Mike Rohn (McPherson) Bill Grier (Oregon) Rick Ray (Grand View College) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		vs. South Dakota Little Apple Classic	W 84–61	1–0	20 – Wright IV	7 – 2 Tied	5 – Wright IV	Bramlage Coliseum (0) Manhattan, KS
November 27, 2020* 6:30 pm, ESPNU		at Kansas State Little Apple Classic	W 76–58	2–0	24 – Wright IV	6 – Horne	5 – Wright IV	Bramlage Coliseum (0) Manhattan, KS
December 8, 2020* 4:00 pm, SECN+		at No. 12 Tennessee	L 47–56	2–1	15 – Horne	11 – Horne	4 – Wright IV	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
December 8, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N		Colorado School of Mines	Canceled					CU Events Center  Boulder, CO
December 8, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N		Colorado State	Canceled					CU Events Center  Boulder, CO
December 14, 2020* 7:00 pm, P12N		Northern Colorado	W 81–45	3–1	19 – Wright IV	8 – Battey	7 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (26) Boulder, CO
December 16, 2020* 3:00 pm, P12N		Omaha	W 91–49	4–1	17 – Wright IV	8 – Battey	8 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
December 20, 2020* 8:00 pm, P12N		vs. Washington Far West Classic	W 92–69	5–1	22 – Walton	7 – Daniels	5 – Wright IV	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
December 22, 2020* 9:00 pm, P12N		vs. Grand Canyon Far West Classic	W 74–64	6–1	21 – Wright IV	5 – Horne	7 – Wright IV	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
December 28, 2020 7:30 pm, P12N		at Arizona	L 74–88	6–2 (0–1)	18 – Battey	8 – Horne	4 – Wright IV	McKale Center (0) Tucson, AZ
December 31, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN		at USC	W 72–62	7–2 (1–1)	19 – Wright IV	10 – Schwartz	4 – Wright IV	Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA
January 2, 2021 6:00 pm, P12N		at UCLA	L 62–65	7–3 (1–2)	12 – 2 Tied	6 – Battey	3 – Wright IV	Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA
January 7, 2021 9:00 pm, FS1		No. 17 Oregon	W 79–72	8–3 (2–2)	21 – Wright IV	10 – 2 Tied	5 – 2 Tied	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
January 11, 2021 4:00 pm, P12N		at Utah	W 65–58	9–3 (3–2)	15 – 2 Tied	15 – Schwartz	4 – Wright IV	Jon M. Huntsman Center (0) Salt Lake City, UT
January 14, 2021 12:00 pm, P12N		California	W 89–60	10–3 (4–2)	23 – Walker	11 – Walker	12 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
January 16, 2021 1:00 pm, P12N		Stanford	W 77–64	11–3 (5–2)	14 – Wright IV	12 – Battey	8 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
January 20, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN2		at Washington	L 80–84	11–4 (5–3)	24 – Horne	6 – 2 Tied	6 – Wright IV	Alaska Airlines Arena (0) Seattle, WA
January 23, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at Washington State	W 70–59	12–4 (6–3)	16 – Battey	7 – Wright IV	5 – Wright IV	Beasley Coliseum (0) Pullman, WA
January 27, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPNU		Washington State	W 70–58	13–4 (7–3)	16 – Wright IV	5 – 2 Tied	7 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
January 30, 2021 12:30 pm, P12N		Utah	L 74–77	13–5 (7–4)	15 – Wright IV	5 – 3 Tied	6 – Barthelemy	CU Events Center (0) Boulder, CO
February 6, 2021 6:00 pm, FS1		Arizona	W 82–79	14–5 (8–4)	21 – Battey	3 – 2 Tied	6 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (74) Boulder, CO
February 8, 2021 5:00 pm, P12N		Oregon State	W 78–49	15–5 (9–4)	16 – Horne	7 – Walton	4 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (61) Boulder, CO
February 11, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at Stanford	W 69–51	16–5 (10–4)	14 – Wright IV	9 – Wright IV	9 – Wright IV	Maples Pavilion (0) Stanford, CA
February 13, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at California	L 62–71	16–6 (10–5)	13 – Wright IV	12 – Horne	3 – Wright IV	Haas Pavilion (0) Berkeley, CA
February 18, 2021 9:00 pm, ESPN2		at Oregon	L 56–60	16–7 (10–6)	16 – Schwartz	11 – Schwartz	2 – 2 Tied	Matthew Knight Arena (0) Eugene, OR
February 20, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPNU		at Oregon State	W 61–57	17–7 (11–6)	21 – Wright IV	6 – 3 Tied	3 – Wright IV	Gill Coliseum (0) Corvallis, OR
February 25, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 19 USC	W 80–62	18–7 (12–6)	24 – Horne	11 – Horne	14 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (98) Boulder, CO
February 27, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN2		UCLA	W 70–61	19–7 (13–6)	26 – Wright IV	6 – 2 Tied	6 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (81) Boulder, CO
March 4, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 24	Arizona State	W 75–61	20–7 (14–6)	24 – Wright IV	12 – Horne	4 – Wright IV	CU Events Center (84) Boulder, CO
Pac-12 tournament
March 11, 2021 9:30 pm, ESPN	(3) No. 23	vs. (11) California Quarterfinals	W 61–58	21–7	15 – Battey	6 – Walker	3 – Wright IV	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
March 12, 2021 9:30 pm, ESPN	(3) No. 23	vs. (2) No. 24 USC Semifinals	W 72–70	22–7	24 – Wright IV	7 – Horne	4 – Wright IV	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
March 13, 2021 8:30 pm, ESPN	(3) No. 23	vs. (5) Oregon State Championship	L 68–70	22–8	18 – Wright IV	8 – Battey	7 – Wright IV	T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021 10:15 a.m., CBS	(5 E) No. 22	vs. (12 E) Georgetown First Round	W 96–73	23–8	24 – Walker	5 – Wright IV	13 – Wright IV	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,061) Indianapolis, IN
March 22, 2021 5:45 p.m., TBS	(5 E) No. 22	vs. (4 E) No. 14 Florida State Second Round	L 53–71	23–9	13 – Schwartz	8 – Horne	4 – Daniels	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (989) Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time.

Ranking movement

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	—	RV	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	23	22	Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	22	23

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.