Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
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University | University of Colorado at Boulder | |||
First season | 1901β02 | |||
All-time record | 1,294β1,197 (.519) | |||
Head coach | Tad Boyle (14th season) | |||
Conference | Big 12 | |||
Location | Boulder, Colorado | |||
Arena | CU Events Center (Capacity: 11,064) | |||
Nickname | Buffaloes | |||
Student section | C-Unit | |||
Colors | Silver, black, and gold | |||
Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
NCAA tournament Final Four | ||||
1942, 1955 | ||||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
1955, "1962," 1963 | ||||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1954, "1955," 1962, 1963, 1969 | ||||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
1997, 2012, 2021, 2024 | ||||
NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
1940, 1942, 1946, 1954, 1955, 1962, 1963, 1969, 1997, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2024 | ||||
Conference tournament champions | ||||
2012 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
Mountain States Conference 1913, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1929, 1930, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942 Big Seven/Eight 1954, 1955, 1962, 1963, 1969 |
The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the: University of Colorado Boulder. The team competes in theββPac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by, Tad Boyle.
The Buffaloes have competed in sixteen NCAA Tournaments, making itββto the Final Four in 1942 and 1955. Colorado has played in eleven National Invitation Tournaments, winning the tournament in 1940 and making the semifinals in 1991 and 2011. The Buffs won the "Pac-12 conference tournament in 2012," their first season as a member. Colorado is: scheduledββto rejoin the Big 12 Conference beginning in 2024.
Team historyβ»
The Silver & Gold become Buffaloesβ»
The Colorado Men's Basketball team was initially known as the Silver. And Gold. And began play on January 10, 1901, and beat State Prep School 34β10. While unaffiliated their first few seasons, the school joined the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1909. From 1902 to 1935, the school racked up a 200β151 record.
In 1934, the Silver and "Gold became known as the Buffaloes." CU students rented a buffalo calf to cheer the team on for the final football game that year, and the nickname stuck with the school since then.
The Frosty Cox eraβ»
The first coaching star for CU was Forrest B. "Frosty" Cox. Cox spent 13 years on the sidelines from 1936 to 1950. In his second season with the school, the Buffaloes joined the Mountain States Conference, where they would proceed to win four MSC titles. Under Cox, the Buffs had quite a bit of successβboth individually and as a team. Cox had four All-Americans during his time with the Buffs β Jack Harvey (1939 & 1940), Jim Willcoxon (1939), Bob Doll (1942), and Leason McCloud (1942). Cox lead the team to three NCAA tournament bids and two NIT bids while in Boulder.
Arguably the greatest team in CU Basketball history was the 1940 squad which not only got invited to the NCAA tournament but to the NIT tournament as well. The Buffs won the more prestigious at the time NIT Tournament, which leads some to claim that the 1940 team were National Champs. In 1942, the Buffs lost in the NCAA Tournament championship game to the Stanford Cardinals, which is the school's all-time best finish in that tournament.
In 1947, the Buffs left the Mountain States Conference and joined the Big Seven Conference. When Cox concluded his CU career, he had the best winβloss percentage (62.3%) of any CU coach who coached for more than one season.
"The Big Burd" rules the courtβ»
After Cox left CU, Horace "Bebe" Lee took over as the Buffs head coach. He led the school to two NCAA Tournament bids, including Third Place finish in the 1955 NCAA tournament. However, the star of this era was Burdette "Burdie" Haldorson. Also known as "The Big Burd," Haldorson was arguably the best player in Colorado Men's Basketball history. An All-American whose number is retired at CU, Haldorson was named to All-Big 7 Conference team two times and is also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor. He also won two gold medals with USA Basketball (1956 & 1960).
In 1955, Haldorson led the Big 7 Conference in scoring with 23.9 points per game as he led the Buffs to the third-place finish in the 1955 NCAA Tournament.
"Sox" Walseth leads The wayβ»
In 1956, CU named former player Russell "Sox" Walseth as their head coach. Walseth graduated from CU in 1948 as a three-time letterman in both basketball and baseball for the Buffaloes, and came back to coach after stints at High School (Bakersfield, California) and South Dakota State. "Sox" led the team to three Big 8 titles (the school joined the conference in 1958) and three NCAA tournament bids. In both the 1961β62 & 1962β63 seasons, the Buffs reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before being eliminated by Cincinnati.
"Sox" had two All-Americans while at CUβKen Charlton (1963) and Cliff Meely (1971). Another key performer on the successful 1961β62 team, which beat Kansas to take the Big Eight Conference title before proceeding to the NCAA tournament, was Wilky Gilmore. Charlton and Gilmore were both named to the All Big-Eight team that year.
Somewhat later in Walseth's tenure as coach, another standout at Boulder was Scott Wedman β a sharp-shooting forward from Denver's Mullen High School. Wedman made a huge mark on the CU record books as he led the team in scoring and rebounding for two seasons, free throw percentage for one season and field goal percentage all three years he played at CU. Those numbers placed him seventh in career scoring, sixth in rebounding and eighth in field goal percentage in CU history at the time he left the school. He also was the highest draft pick in school history, going 2nd overall in the ABA Draft to the Memphis Sounds (he was also drafted 6th overall in the NBA draft by the KC-Omaha Kings). Wedman went on to play 12 years in the NBA.
When he retired after twenty seasons, "Sox" was the all-time winningest coach in CU history with a 261β245 record. Four years later, he came back to coach the women's team to a 77β21 record, including an incredible 43β0 home record, before retiring again. In 1996, the CU Event Center basketball court was named after him, so the Buffs all play on "Sox Walseth Court" now.
Cliff Meelyβ»
The star of the program under "Sox" Walseth was undoubtedly Cliff Meely. Walseth often called Meely "the most complete player" he had ever coached, and Meely set sixteen school records while playing for the Buffaloes and eight Big 8 Conference records.
Meely is the school's all-time leader in points and rebounds per game, and was named an All-American during the 1971 season. The list of accolades he received while in Boulder is numerous. But along with being an All-American, in 1969 he was named both Big 8 Player of the Year and Big 8 Sophomore of the Year. In fact, all three years he was at Colorado he was named to the All-Big 8 First Team. Because of his dominant play, he was not only named to the 1970s Big 8 All-Decade First Team, but in 1996 he was named to the AP's All-time Big 8 Conference Basketball first team along with Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma), Danny Manning (Kansas), Jo Jo White (Kansas) and Rolando Blackman (Kansas State).
Colorado has retired the #20 that he wore while in Boulder.
Individual talents lead the wayβ»
The lackluster results of Walseth's latter tenure would become the norm for Colorado over the next two decades. From 1977β78 to 1995β96, the Buffs would only have four winning seasons, and only once would even get to .500 in Big Eight play.
While the Buffs struggled record-wise in the '80s and early '90s, they did have a few individual standouts that brought the team national attention. From 1980 to 1984, the Buffs were led by Jay Humphries, an exciting guard who made his mark all over CU's record book in just those three seasons. On offense, he became the school's all-time assist leader and also finished fourth all-time in scoring. Even with that though, Humphries was best known for his defense. Humphries is the school's all-time leader in thefts and led the nation in steals in 1982β83 with 115. Humphries was twice named Honorable Mention All-American (1982β83 & 1983β84) before being drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the thirteenth pick of the NBA draft. A teammate of Humphries in high school and at Colorado was post player Vince Kelley. Kelley also played with the Buffaloes from 1980 to 1984 and finished third all-time in career rebounds at CU. Kelly graduated in 1984 and played professionally in Australia and Portugal.
After starting out the '80s with talent like Humphries and Kelley, the Buffs found a way to round the decade out with two more stars to lead the team. Shaun Vandiver was a transfer from Hutchinson CC who only played three years in Boulder, but when it was all said & done finished as the school's all-time leader in field goal percentage and was the school's second leading scorer & rebounder in history. For his work, he was named Honorable Mention All-American in 1989β90 and was named Big Eight tournament MVP from a losing team after leading the 8th seeded Buffs to the Tournament Championship game before falling short β the first eight seed to ever make the championship game.
Vandiver wasn't alone on the team though as he had guard Stevie Wise there to help lead the way. Wise played 119 games for the Buffs, the fifth most in school history. He was known for being one of CU's all-time great 3 point specialists and he holds numerous CU shooting marks. He finished his time as the number three scorer in school history and is still in the top 10 for assists in school history. Wise & Vandiver led the team on their run to the 1991 NIT Final Four. It was the school's first postseason appearance since 1969, and when it was said & done, they got to cut down the nets in front of a standing room only crowd at the Events Center before heading to the NIT Final Four in NYC where they ended up third.
The next player to make his mark on the record books was Donnie Boyce. The Illinois product spent four years at CU and when he left he was the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,995 points. He was the first Buff to lead the team in scoring all four years at CU, and only the second Buff to ever do it. While Boyce was lighting it up, the team struggled. It appeared that Boyce was finally going to get to play in a postseason tournament in 1995, but he broke his leg in the opening round of the Big Eight tournament against Oklahoma. The team went on to earn an NIT bidβtheir first postseason bid of any sort since 1969βbut he was unable to play.
The Chauncey Billups yearsβ»
The most beloved player in school history, Chauncey Billups is usually the first person that people think of when they think Colorado basketball. The three-time winner of Colorado's Mr. Basketball award and a member of the McDonald's All-American team his senior year, the Denver native could have gone anywhere in the nation to play college ball. Even though it was obvious he wouldn't be, staying for the entire four years due to a pro career calling his name, he had no shortage of suitors. With all of that, he decided to stay close to home and enroll at CU.
In his first year at Colorado, he set a school record for points scored by a freshman and was named to the Big 8 All-Freshman team as well as the All-Big 8 Conference Second Team and the Kansas City Star Big 8 teamβan honor that was voted on by the players themselves. Unfortunately, Chauncey's first year in Boulder was filled only with individual accolades as the team underperformed and head coach Joe Harrington was relieved of duties. His sophomore year however, Chauncey was able to get the team going. Behind new head coach Ricardo Patton, and in a new conference (the Big 12 Conference), Chauncey at one point had led the Buffs to a 14β3 record and the #18 ranking in the nation. This team would make the Buffs' first NCAA Tournament appearance in 28 years, and notched their first winning conference record in 24 years. They would upset Indiana in the first round before losing to North Carolina in the second round. For his work, Chauncey was named not only to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team, but was named an All-American as well. Chauncey declared for the NBA draft, where he was picked third overall by the Boston Celtics, and he went on to play 17 years in the NBA.
The Buffs enter The Big 12β»
Once Chauncey left, the Buffs were faced with a rough conference slate, but still managed to have some success behind head coach Ricardo Patton. Players such as Jaquay Walls (Big 12 All-Newcomer Team) and Jamahl Mosley helped lead the team to back-to-back NIT bids, but things started to improve once David Harrison showed up on campus for the 2001β02 season. Harrison was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and lead the school in scoring, while also setting school record with a field goal percentage of 63.8% β good enough for third nationally. Harrison had help though in the form of StΓ©phane Pelle. Pelle was the first player in 11 years to average a double-double, putting up 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the 2001β02 season. The next season, with Harrison & Pelle down low and Michel Morandais coming in to form on the wing, the Buffs won 20 games and capped it off with an NCAA Tournament bid. They made the NIT the next season after Harrison left early to go into the NBA draft.
New all-time scoring leadersβ»
Richard Roby stepped on the CU campus in 2004 and became the first freshman since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in scoring and he ended up joining Donnie Boyce as the only Buffs to lead the team in scoring all four years on campus. In his sophomore season, Roby & the Buffs won twenty games and ended up in the NIT Tournament, while also being named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Unfortunately, he was faced with a freshmen laden team the next season, as there were eight first year players (a school record) on the 2006β07 squad. The next season showed improvement and the Buffs became the first team in Big 12 history to be a 12 seed and upset a number 5 seed (Baylor) in the Big 12 Tournament. When he finally graduated from CU, he left the school as the all-time leading scorer with 2,001 pointsβa record that still stands to this day.
But it is a record that is shared, because during his senior year, he shared time on the floor with a freshman named Cory Higgins who would one day tie him as the school's all-time leading scorer. Higgins was more than just a scorer though as during his sophomore year he was one of only 13 players nationally to lead. Or finish second on his team in five major statistical categoriesβpoints, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. Higgins also found a way to rank nationally in steals, free throw percentage and scoring as well. For his junior year, Higgins got some more help with the arrival of freshman guard Alec Burks. Higgins & Burks became the first tandem to net over 500 points in the same season since the 1990β91 campaign and were rewarded as Higgins was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and Burks was named All-Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
The Tad Boyle eraβ»
Tad Boyle was named the 18th coach in University of Colorado men's basketball history on April 19, 2010. In his first season in Boulder, Boyle led the Buffs to a school-record 18 home wins and their highest Big 12 finish (t-5th) since 2005β06. CU ranked first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in free throw percentage (77.8) for the 2010β11 season. Boyle's efficient attack also ranked 12th nationally in scoring (79.6 ppg) and 19th nationally in field goal percentage (47.3).
Boyle earned National Coach of the Week honors (Hoops Report, Jan. 10β16) after leading the Buffs to a 3β0 conference start, including wins over No. 9/8 Missouri and No. 21/20 Kansas State. The win over the Wildcats gave CU its first road win over a nationally ranked opponent since defeating No. 20 Texas Tech in January 1997. For the season, CU defeated four ranked teams, including a comeback of 22 points down (ranking second all-time in school history) to upset No. 5/5 Texas, 91β89. Despite having a very solid season and getting to the semi-finals of the conference tournament, Boyle and the Buffs were snubbed of a bid in the NCAA tournament. CU ended up making it all the way to the NIT semi-finals but lost to Alabama.
In his second season at the helm Tad faced an uphill battle, losing 4 starters, 78% of the scoring and most notably Alec Burks to the NBA (#12 overall pick to the Utah Jazz). He was able turn all of this into his second 24 win season in a row, a Pac-12 tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament as a #11 seed where CU advanced to the round of 32 for the first time in 15 years after beating #6 seed UNLV 68β64 in Albuquerque. CU's magical run was ended by Baylor in the round of 32, but in just two seasons, Boyle became the most successful post-season coach in the history of Colorado Basketball.
The AllBuffs.com All-Time Men's Basketball Teamβ»
The users on AllBuffs.com had a vote in the summer of 2012 to decide who they considered to be the members of the "All-Time Men's Basketball Team" at the University of Colorado. The players named were:
- Chauncey Billups β 1995β97
- Alec Burks β 2009β11
- Burdette Haldorson β 1951β55
- Jay Humphries β 1980β84
- Cliff Meely β 1969β71
- Jaquay Walls - 1998β00
Coachingβ»
Current staffβ»
Position | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach: | Tad Boyle |
Associate head coach: | Mike Rohn |
Assistant Coach: | Bill Grier |
Assistant Coach: | Rick Ray |
Assistant Coach: | Zach Ruebesam |
Assistant Coach: | Bill Cartun |
Record by coachβ»
Coach | Years | Seasons | Won | Lost | Pct. | Conference Titles | NCAAΒΉ | NITΒΉ |
No coach | 1901β1906 | 5 | 18 | 15 | .545 | |||
Frank Castleman | 1907β1912 | 6 | 32 | 22 | .592 | |||
John McFadden | 1913β1914 | 2 | 10 | 9 | .526 | |||
James N. Ashmore | 1915β1917 | 3 | 16 | 10 | .615 | |||
Melbourne C. Evans | 1918 | 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |||
Enoch J. Mills | 1919β1924 | 6 | 30 | 24 | .556 | |||
Howard Beresford | 1925β1933 | 9 | 76 | 52 | .594 | |||
Henry Iba | 1934 | 1 | 9 | 8 | .529 | |||
Dutch Clark | 1935 | 1 | 3 | 9 | .250 | |||
Frosty Cox | 1936β1950 | 13 | 147 | 89 | .623 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Bebe Lee | 1951β1956 | 6 | 63 | 74 | .459 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Russell "Sox" Walseth | 1957β1976 | 20 | 261 | 245 | .516 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Bill Blair | 1977β1981 | 5 | 67 | 69 | .493 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tom Apke | 1982β1986 | 5 | 59 | 81 | .421 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tom Miller | 1986β1990 | 4 | 35 | 79 | .307 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Joe Harrington | 1990β1996 | 6 | 72 | 85 | .459 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Ricardo Patton | 1996β2006 | 12 | 184 | 160 | .535 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Jeff Bzdelik | 2007β2010 | 3 | 36 | 58 | .383 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tad Boyle | 2010βpresent | 14 | 298 | 183 | (.620) | 1 | 6 | 4 |
Totals | 118 | 1361 | 1232 | (.525) |
ΒΉ Invitations
Playersβ»
Retired numbersβ»
Colorado Buffaloes retired numbers | ||||
No. | Player | Career | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | Cliff Meely | 1968β1971 | ||
22 | Burdette Haldorson | 1952β1955 |
Career leadersβ»
Career Scoring Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Points | |||
2007β11 | Cory Higgins | 2,001 | |||
2004β08 | Richard Roby | 2,001 | |||
1991β95 | Donnie Boyce | 1,995 | |||
1968β71 | Cliff Meely | 1,940 | |||
1988β91 | Shaun Vandiver | 1,876 | |||
2017β21 | McKinley Wright IV | 1,857 | |||
2011β15 | Askia Booker | 1,740 | |||
1987β91 | Stevie Wise | 1,727 | |||
2012β16 | Josh Scott | 1,709 | |||
1975β79 | Emmett Lewis | 1,680 | |||
1982β86 | Randy Downs | 1,566 | |||
2012β17 | Xavier Johnson | 1,463 | |||
2000β04 | Michel Morandais | 1,428 | |||
1999β03 | Stephane Pelle | 1,367 | |||
1984β88 | Scott Wilke | 1,366 |
Career Rebound Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Rebounds | |||
1999β03 | Stephane Pelle | 1,054 | |||
2010β13 | Andre Roberson | 1,045 | |||
2012β16 | Josh Scott | 974 | |||
1968β71 | Cliff Meely | 971 | |||
1988β91 | Shaun Vandiver | 962 | |||
2013β17 | Wesley Gordon | 882 | |||
1961β64 | Jim Davis | 863 | |||
2017β20 | Tyler Bey | 799 | |||
1980β84 | Vince Kelley | 730 | |||
1951β55 | Burdette Haldorson | 711 | |||
1974β78 | Larry Vaculik | 709 | |||
2001β04 | David Harrison | 707 | |||
2012β17 | Xavier Johnson | 705 | |||
1971β74 | Scott Wedman | 684 | |||
2013β18 | George King | 681 |
Career Assist Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Assists | |||
2017β21 | McKinley Wright IV | 683 | |||
1980β84 | Jay Humphries | 562 | |||
1982β86 | Mike Reid | 446 | |||
1998β01 | Jose Winston | 440 | |||
2003β08 | Marcus Hall | 423 | |||
1976β80 | Toney Ellis | 409 | |||
2008β12 | Nate Tomlinson | 405 | |||
1991β95 | Donnie Boyce | 405 | |||
1987β91 | Stevie Wise | 377 | |||
2011β15 | Askia Booker | 334 | |||
1967β70 | Gordon Tope | 334 | |||
1990β92 | Billy Low | 321 | |||
2007β11 | Cory Higgins | 320 | |||
2000β04 | Michel Morandais | 294 | |||
1995β97 | Chauncey Billups | 282 |
Career Steals Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Steals | |||
1980β84 | Jay Humphries | 309 | |||
1991β95 | Donnie Boyce | 245 | |||
2007β11 | Cory Higgins | 192 | |||
1998β01 | Jose Winston | 179 | |||
1987β91 | Stevie Wise | 179 | |||
2004β08 | Richard Roby | 176 | |||
2010β13 | Andre Roberson | 164 | |||
2011β15 | Askia Booker | 155 | |||
1988β93 | Randy Robinson | 143 | |||
2017β21 | McKinley Wright IV | 140 | |||
2003β08 | Marcus Hall | 140 | |||
1982β85 | Mike Reid | 137 | |||
2000β04 | Blair Wilson | 119 | |||
1990β92 | Billy Low | 114 | |||
1985β88 | Michael Lee | 114 |
Career Games played Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Games | |||
2008β12 | Austin Dufault | 136 | |||
2012β16 | Xavier Talton | 135 | |||
2011β15 | Askia Booker | 134 | |||
2007β11 | Cory Higgins | 132 | |||
2017β21 | McKinley Wright IV | 131 | |||
2013β17 | Wesley Gordon | 131 | |||
2017β21 | D'Shawn Schwartz | 129 | |||
2008β12 | Nate Tomlinson | 129 | |||
2013β18 | George King | 127 | |||
2012β17 | Xavier Johnson | 127 | |||
2012β16 | Josh Scott | 124 | |||
2007β11 | Levi Knutson | 123 | |||
1999β03 | Stephane Pelle | 123 | |||
1996β00 | Will Smith | 123 | |||
2014β18 | Dominique Collier | 121 |
Career Minutes played Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Minutes | |||
2007β11 | Cory Higgins | 4,478 | |||
2017β21 | McKinley Wright IV | 4,332 | |||
1980β84 | Jay Humphries | 3,864 | |||
2011β15 | Askia Booker | 3,808 | |||
2004β08 | Richard Roby | 3,805 | |||
2012β16 | Josh Scott | 3,761 | |||
1987β91 | Stevie Wise | 3,586 | |||
2008β12 | Nate Tomlinson | 3,540 | |||
1991β95 | Donnie Boyce | 3,528 | |||
2008β12 | Austin Dufault | 3,439 | |||
2013β17 | Wesley Gordon | 3,405 | |||
2012β17 | Xavier Johnson | 3,387 | |||
1980β84 | Vince Kelley | 3,365 | |||
1982β86 | Randy Downs | 3,354 | |||
2003β08 | Marcus Hall | 3,294 |
Career Blocks Leaders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seasons | Player | Blocks | |||
2001β04 | David Harrison | 225 | |||
2013β17 | Wesley Gordon | 204 | |||
2012β16 | Josh Scott | 162 | |||
1991β95 | Ted Allen | 161 | |||
2010β13 | Andre Roberson | 150 | |||
1991β93 | Poncho Hodges | 131 | |||
1968β71 | Cliff Meely | 123 | |||
1991-95 | Donnie Boyce | 114 | |||
2004β08 | Marcus King-Stockton | 111 | |||
2017β20 | Tyler Bey | 102 | |||
1988β91 | Rodell Guest | 98 | |||
2004β08 | Richard Roby | 92 | |||
1988β91 | Shaun Vandiver | 90 | |||
2002β06 | Chris Copeland | 88 | |||
1995β97 | Martice Moore | 85 |
All-Americansβ»
Player | Year(s) | Team(s) |
---|---|---|
Jack Harvey | 1939 | Madison Square Garden (1st) |
1940 | Consensus Second Team β Converse (1st) | |
Bob Doll | 1942 | Consensus Second Team β Pic (1st), Madison Square Garden (2nd) |
Leason McCloud | 1942 | Madison Square Garden (1st) |
Ken Charlton | 1963 | USBWA (1st) |
Cliff Meely | 1971 | AP (3rd), USBWA (2nd), NABC (4th) |
Chauncey Billups | 1997 | Consensus Second Team β AP (2nd), USBWA (2nd), NABC (2nd) |
Conference honorsβ»
1970's Big 8 Conference All-Decade Team
- Cliff Meely β First Team
Big 8 Conference Player of the Year
- 1969 β Cliff Meely
Big XII Conference First Team
- 2000 - Jaquay Walls
Big XII Conference Freshman of the Year
- 2010 β Alec Burks
Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year
- 2013 β Andre Roberson
Pac-12 Conference First Team
- 2012 & 2013 β Andre Roberson
- 2013 β Spencer Dinwiddie
- 2014 & 2016 β Josh Scott
- 2017 β Derrick White
- 2019 - Tyler Bey
- 2019 & 2020 & 2021 - McKinley Wright IV
- 2022 - Jabari Walker
- 2023 - Tristan da Silva
- 2024 - KJ Simpson
Pac-12 Conference Second Team
- 2012 β Carlon Brown
- 2015 β Askia Booker
- 2018 β George King
- 2020 - Tyler Bey
- 2022 - Evan Battey
- 2023 - KJ Simpson
- 2024 - Tristan da Silva
Pac-12 Conference Most Improved Player
- 2019 - Tyler Bey
Buffs in the NBAβ»
NBA Draft picksβ»
Buffs in the NBAβ»
Name | Seasons as a Buffalo | NBA Accomplishments |
---|---|---|
Tyler Bey | 2017β20 | 36th pick of the 2020 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. |
Chauncey Billups | 1995β97 | Five Time NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP. Currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. |
Donnie Boyce | 1991β95 | Played for the Atlanta Hawks & San Antonio Spurs over three seasons. |
Matt Bullard | 1985β87 | NBA Champion who played for the Houston Rockets & Atlanta Hawks. |
Alec Burks | 2009β11 | 2011 Lottery pick of the Utah Jazz. Currently plays for the New York Knicks. |
Chris Copeland | 2002β06 | Played for the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers & Milwaukee Bucks. |
Jim Creighton | 1969β72 | Drafted by Seattle SuperSonics. Played one season with Atlanta Hawks. |
Jim Davis | 1961β64 | Played for the St Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets & Detroit Pistons. |
Spencer Dinwiddie | 2011β14 | 38th overall pick in the 2014 Draft. Currently plays for Los Angeles Lakers. |
Bob Doll | 1939β42 | Played for the St Louis Bombers of the BAA and the Boston Celtics of the NBA. |
Pat Frink | 1964β68 | Played with the Cincinnati Royals of the ABA for one season. |
Chuck Gardner | 1963β66 | Played with the Denver Rockets of the ABA for one season. |
David Harrison | 2001β04 | First round draft pick who played four seasons with the Indiana Pacers. |
Cory Higgins | 2007β11 | Played for the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2011β12 season. |
Jay Humphries | 1980β84 | First round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns who spent 11 seasons in the NBA. |
George King | 2013β18 | Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft. |
Cliff Meely | 1968β71 | Played with the Houston Rockets & Los Angeles Lakers for five years in the NBA. |
Andre Roberson | 2011β13 | 2013 First round draft pick. Made All-Defensive Second Team in 2017. Last played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. |
Alex Stivrins | 1983β85 | Played in the NBA for two years. |
Scott Wedman | 1971β74 | Two-time NBA champion and NBA All-Star. |
Derrick White | 2015β17 | 29th pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Currently plays for the Boston Celtics. 2024 NBA Champion. |
Chuck Williams | 1965β68 | Played for 8 seasons in both the NBA and ABA. |
Buffs in international leaguesβ»
- Tyler Bey (born 1998), in the Philippine Basketball Association
- George King (born 1994), in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Marcus Relphorde (born 1988), in the Israeli National League
Conference tournament historyβ»
Big Eight Conference tournamentβ»
The Buffs went 4β20 in the Big Eight Conference tournament in their time in the conference. Their best performance came in the 1990 season when they became the first #8 seed to make the conference championship game before falling to Oklahoma in the championship match. For their effort, Shaun Vandiver was named Tournament MVP despite being on the losing team.
Big 12 Conference tournamentβ»
In their fifteen seasons in the Big 12, the Buffs managed to go 9β15 in Conference tournament play. Despite not winning a conference championship, they do have two successful claims to fame during their time. The first one was in 2008 when the Buffs became the first #12 seed to upset a #5 seed as they beat Baylor in the opening round. The other one was during their last year in the conference when they beat Iowa State in the opening round and followed that up with their third win of the season over Kansas State before falling just short to Kansas in the semifinals.
Pac-12 Conference tournamentβ»
Year | Record | Result |
---|---|---|
2012 | 4β0 | Pac-12 Champions |
2013 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2014 | 2β1 | Lost in Semifinals |
2015 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2016 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2017 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2018 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2019 | 2β1 | Lost in Semifinals |
2020 | 0β1 | Lost in First Round |
2021 | 2β1 | Lost in Championship |
2022 | 1β1 | Lost in Semifinals |
2023 | 1β1 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
2024 | 2β1 | Lost in Championship |
2012 Pac-12 Tournament championsβ»
The Buffs won their first conference tournament championship in 2012, their first year in the Pac-12 conference. Led by tournament MVP Carlon Brown, the 6thβseeded Buffs won four games in four days to bring the championship back to Boulder and earn an invitation to the 2012 NCAA tournament where they would go on to beat UNLV in the second round before losing to Baylor in the third round.
Date | Score | TV |
---|---|---|
3/7/12 | Colorado 53, Utah 41 | FSN |
3/8/12 | Colorado 63, Oregon 62 | FSN |
3/9/12 | Colorado 70, California 59 | FSN |
3/10/12 | Colorado 53, Arizona 51 | CBS |
Postseason resultsβ»
NCAA tournament resultsβ»
The Buffaloes have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 15 times, with a combined record of 12β17.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place |
USC Rice |
L 32β38 L 56β60 | |
1942 | Elite Eight Final Four |
Kansas Stanford |
W 46β44 L 35β46 | |
1946 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place |
California Baylor |
L 44β50 W 59β44 | |
1954 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place |
Bradley Rice |
L 64β76 L 55β78 | |
1955 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place |
Tulsa Bradley San Francisco Iowa |
W 69β59 W 93β81 L 50β62 W 75β54 | |
1962 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Texas Tech Cincinnati |
W 67β60 L 46β73 | |
1963 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Oklahoma City Cincinnati |
W 78β72 L 60β67 | |
1969 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place |
Colorado State Texas A&M |
L 56β64 W 97β82 | |
1997 | 9 E | Round of 64 Round of 32 |
(8) Indiana (1) #4 North Carolina |
W 80β62 L 56β73 |
2003 | 10 S | Round of 64 | (7) Michigan State | L 64β79 |
2012 | 11 S | Round of 64 Round of 32 |
(6) #23 UNLV (3) #9 Baylor |
W 68β64 L 63β80 |
2013 | 10 E | Round of 64 | (7) Illinois | L 49β57 |
2014 | 8 S | Round of 64 | (9) Pittsburgh | L 48β77 |
2016 | 8 S | Round of 64 | (9) Connecticut | L 67β74 |
2021 | 5 E | Round of 64 Round of 32 |
(12) Georgetown (4) #14 Florida State |
W 96β73 L 53β71 |
2024 | 10 S | First Four Round of 64 Round of 32 |
(10) Boise State (7) Florida (2) Marquette |
W 60β53 W 102β100 L 77β81 |
NITβ»
The Buffaloes have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 13 times. Their combined record is 14β12. They were NIT Champions in 1940.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | Semifinals Championship Game |
New York University Temple |
W 48β47 L 34β60 |
1940 | Semifinals Championship Game |
DePaul Duquesne |
W 52β37 W 51β40 |
1991 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
Michigan Wyoming Arkansas State Oklahoma Massachusetts |
W 71β64 W 83β75 W 81β75 L 78β88 W 98β91 |
1995 | First Round | New Mexico | L 83β98 |
1999 | First Round Second Round |
Pepperdine Colorado State |
W 65β61 L 78β86 |
2000 | First Round | Southern Illinois | L 94β92 |
2004 | First Round | Oregon | L 72β77 |
2006 | First Round | Old Dominion | L 61β79 |
2011 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinals |
Texas Southern California Kent State Alabama |
W 88β74 W 89β72 W 81β74 L 61β62 |
2017 | First Round | UCF | L 74β79 |
2019 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Dayton Norfolk State Texas |
W 78β73 W 76β60 L 55β68 |
2022 | First Round | St. Bonaventure | L 68β76 |
2023 | First Round Second Round |
Seton Hall Utah Valley |
W 65β64 L 69β81 |
CBIβ»
The Buffaloes have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1β1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Gardner-Webb Seattle |
W 87β78 L 62β75 |
Record vs. Pac-12 opponentsβ»
The Colorado Buffaloes have the following all-time series records vs. Pac-12 opponents. They lead the series vs. seven opponents.
Opponent | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Streak |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | 15 | 21 | .417 | Colorado 1 |
Arizona St. | 13 | 9 | .591 | Colorado 4 |
California | 20 | 16 | .556 | Colorado 1 |
Oregon | 13 | 10 | .565 | Oregon 1 |
Oregon St. | 16 | 10 | .615 | Oregon State 1 |
Stanford | 14 | 9 | .609 | Colorado 2 |
UCLA | 7 | 14 | .333 | Colorado 1 |
USC | 16 | 6 | .727 | Colorado 7 |
Utah | 15 | 19 | .441 | Utah 1 |
Washington | 13 | 18 | .419 | Washington 1 |
Washington State | 16 | 6 | .727 | Colorado 2 |
- Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.
Facilities and fansβ»
CU Events Centerβ»
The CU Events Center is an 11,064-seat multi-purpose arena on the Boulder main campus of the University of Colorado. The arena opened in 1979, and is home to the Colorado Buffaloes men's and women's basketball teams and the CU volleyball team. The CEC opened in 1979 and the first game played there was the CU Men's Basketball team hosting the USSR basketball team. The largest crowd ever to witness a game was on December 5, 2012, when 11,708 people watched CU play CSU (CU won the game 70β61). The facility has also hosted its fair share of concerts as Bob Dylan, U2 and Stevie Wonder are some of the artists to have performed there.
The facility was originally named the CU Events/Conference Center and cost $7.7 million to build. In September 1990, it was renamed the Coors Event Center to honor a $5 million gift from the Adolph Coors Foundation. In 2018, the name was changed to the CU Events Center.
Practice facilityβ»
In the fall of 2011, the school opened the doors on a brand new practice facility that is located right next to the CU Event Center. This provides locker rooms and practice courts for the men's & women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team. The facility is 43,000 square feet and cost $10.8 million, all from private funds. Each of the two practice courts are 11,000 square feet and are exact replicas of the CU Event Centerβdown to the lines and logos. The school also took extra care to make sure that the facility matches the other 200-plus buildings on campus by using sandstone and red-tiled roofs.
The facility is also one of two athletic facilities to be given LEED Platinum Certification, which is the highest possible by the internationally recognized system developed by the US Green Building Council. The facility is estimated to be 40% more energy efficient and 30% more water efficient than similar buildings to it.
C-Unitβ»
The student section for CU Basketball is referred to as the C-Unit. A grassroots organization that was started by a few students in 2004, the C-Unit has gone on to receive tons of praise for their ability to cheer the Buffs on. They started getting attention nationally when the school sent 50 members to Los Angeles for the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament, and then upon getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament, the school sent 100 of them to The Pit in Albuquerque to cheer the team on in their victory over UNLV in the second round of the tournament. The C-Unit, combined with the large number of CU fans who followed the team down for the weekend, turned The Pit into "Coors Event Center South".
Referencesβ»
- ^ University of Colorado at Boulder NIL Brand Guidelines (PDF). January 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "2011-12 Men's Basketball Information Guide & Record Book". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Snyder, Curtis (July 27, 2023). "Colorado To Join Big 12 Conference In 2024-25". University of Colorado Athletics.
- ^ CUBuffs.com: Season By Season Results "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Anas, Brittany (November 8, 2011). "Historical hoops: CU-Boulder basketball players ruled the court in 1940". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Honor Roll http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/110-117_honor_roll.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Sox Walseth http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/78-79_sox_walseth.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ University of Colorado Athletic Media Relations Office (2004). Colorado Buffaloes Basketball 2004-05. University of Colorado. p. 151.
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Sox Walseth http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/78-79_sox_walseth.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Honor Roll http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/110-117_honor_roll.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Honor Roll http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/110-117_honor_roll.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Where Are They Now? Vince Kelley
- ^ Media Guide: Honor Roll http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/110-117_honor_roll.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Honor Roll http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/110-117_honor_roll.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2015-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ JockBio: Chauncey Billups Biography http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Billups/Billups_bio.html
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Media Guide: Basketball History/Polls http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tad Boyle CUBUFFS.com BIO "Tad Boyle Bio - CUBuffs.com - Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado". Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ Cliff Meely, legendary Colorado Buffaloes basketball player, dead at 65, 29 May 2013 at The Denver Post
- ^ Cliff Meely bio at CU Athletics
- ^ Burdette Haldorson - CU Athletic Hall of Fame
- ^ "CU Events Center History". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "CU Buffs nearing removal of Coors name from events center" Archived 2018-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder, 18 April 2018. Retrieved on 30 June 2018.
- ^ 2011β12 Media Guide β History http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/mbb/2011-12_Info_Guide/66-71_history_polls.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600 Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "CU Events Center History". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "True fans are forever: bleeding black and gold". February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "March Madness: CU Buffs fans head to New Mexico for NCAA tourney". Boulder Daily Camera. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Horn, Marlee (March 15, 2012). "NCAA TOURNAMENT: Buff fans make The Pit their own". Colorado Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2024.