# 2021–22 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represented the University of Colorado Boulder in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Tad Boyle in his twelfth 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 21–12, 12–8 in Pac-12 Play to finish in 4th place. They defeated Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the semifinals to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they lost in the first round to St. Bonaventure.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Buffaloes finished the 2019–20 season 23–9, 14–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in third place. They advanced to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament where they lost to Oregon State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA basketball tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East Region, where they defeated Georgetown in the first round before losing to Florida State in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Maddox Daniels | 3 | G/F | 6'6" | 211 | Senior | Suwanee, GA | Graduated |
| D'Shawn Schwartz | 5 | G/F | 6'7" | 232 | Senior | Colorado Springs, CO | Graduate transferred to George Mason |
| Alexander Strating | 10 | F | 6'7" | 228 | RS Senior | Wassenaar, Netherlands | Graduate transferred to Missouri S&T |
| Dallas Walton | 13 | F/C | 7'0" | 235 | RS Senior | Arvada, CO | Graduate transferred to Wake Forest |
| Owen Koonce | 15 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Freshman | Lafayette, CO | Walk-on; transferred to Colorado Mesa |
| McKinley Wright IV | 25 | G | 6'0" | 196 | Senior | North Robbinsdale, MN | Graduated; undrafted in 2021 NBA draft |
| Aidan McQuade | 33 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Loveland, CO | Walk-on; graduated |
| Isaac Jessup | 40 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Loveland, CO | Walk-on; transferred to Colorado Mesa |
| Jeriah Horne | 41 | F | 6'7" | 220 | RS Senior | Overland Park, KS | Graduate transferred to Tulsa |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Lawson Lovering #11 C | Laramie, WY | Central High School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Quincy Allen #16 SF | Washington, DC | Maret School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 17, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| KJ Simpson #17 PG | West Hills, CA | Chaminade College Prep | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 28, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Julian Hammond III #43 PG | Denver, CO | Cherry Creek High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 13, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Javon Ruffin #56 SG | New Orleans, LA | PHH Prep | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 19, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: 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. ||||||

### 2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Joe Hurlburt #19 C | Enderlin, ND | Enderlin High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Mar 29, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: 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: "2022 Colorado Commits". Rivals.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Costa Rican exhibition trip |||||||||
| August 13, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Escazu | W 79–32 | 0–0 | 13 – Simpson | 10 – Clifford | 4 – Parquet | BN Arena [es] (10) San José, Costa Rica |
| August 14, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Colegio de Abogados | W 104–46 | 0–0 | 19 – Hammond | 8 – Clifford | 5 – Tied | BN Arena San José, Costa Rica |
| August 15, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Costa Rica national team | W 68–54 | 0–0 | 12 – Da Silva | 5 – Parquet | 2 – Tied | BN Arena (10) San José, Costa Rica |
| August 16, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Grecia | W 141–31 | 0–0 | 23 – Barthelemy | 7 – Tied | 7 – Hammond | BN Arena (10) San José, Costa Rica |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Colorado Mines | W 78–48 | 0–0 | 12 – Simpson | 9 – Lovering | 3 – Barthelemy | CU Events Center (2,406) Boulder, CO |
| October 31, 2021* 10:00 a.m., BTN+ | | at Nebraska Charity exhibition | L 67–82 | 0–0 | 12 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 3 – Simpson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,345) Lincoln, NE |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 8:00 p.m., P12N | | Montana State | W 94–90 $^{OT}$ | 1–0 | 19 – Barthelemy | 9 – Clifford | 5 – Barthelemy | CU Events Center (6,931) Boulder, CO |
| November 13, 2021* 4:30 p.m., P12N | | New Mexico | W 87–76 | 2–0 | 20 – Barthelemy | 10 – Walker | 3 – Tied | CU Events Center (7,115) Boulder, CO |
| November 15, 2021* 6:00 p.m., P12N | | Maine | W 90–46 | 3–0 | 22 – Barthelemy | 7 – Tied | 3 – Simpson | CU Events Center (5,633) Boulder, CO |
| November 19, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Southern Illinois Paradise Jam quarterfinals | L 63–67 | 3–1 | 16 – Walker | 7 – da Silva | 4 – Parquet | UVI Sports & Fitness Center (842) St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 20, 2021* 3:45 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Duquesne Paradise Jam consolation 2nd round | W 84–76 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | 18 – Battey | 13 – Walker | 4 – Simpson | UVI Sports & Fitness Center (723) St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 22, 2021* 1:15 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Brown Paradise Jam 5th place game | W 54–52 | 5–1 | 16 – Battey | 11 – Walker | 4 – Simpson | UVI Sports & Fitness Center (655) St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 28, 2021 5:00 p.m., P12N | | Stanford | W 80–76 | 6–1 (1–0) | 22 – Battey | 12 – Walker | 4 – da Silva | CU Events Center (6,221) Boulder, CO |
| December 1, 2021 7:30 p.m., P12N | | at No. 5 UCLA | L 61–73 | 6–2 (1–1) | 22 – Walker | 11 – Walker | 4 – Barthelemy | Pauley Pavilion (7,941) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 4, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 13 Tennessee | L 54–69 | 6–3 | 12 – Battey | 9 – Barthelemy | 4 – Barthelemy | CU Events Center (8,688) Boulder, CO |
| December 8, 2021* 6:00 p.m., P12N | | Eastern Washington | W 60–57 | 7–3 | 17 – Walker | 10 – Walker | 3 – Tied | CU Events Center (5,782) Boulder, CO |
| December 10, 2021* 7:30 p.m., P12N | | Milwaukee | W 65–54 | 8–3 | 15 – Battey | 5 – Tied | 4 – Simpson | CU Events Center (6,388) Boulder, CO |
| December 18, 2021* 12:00 p.m., P12N | | Cal State Bakersfield | W 60–46 | 9–3 | 12 – Barthelemy | 7 – Clifford | 4 – Simpson | CU Events Center (5,888) Boulder, CO |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 7 Kansas | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Colorado program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Colorado program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Colorado program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Colorado program | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Colorado program | CU Events Center Boulder, CO |
| January 6, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Washington State | W 83–78 | 10–3 (2–1) | 20 – Battey | 8 – Walker | 4 – Walker | CU Events Center (5,543) Boulder, CO |
| January 9, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Washington | W 78–64 | 11–3 (3–1) | 22 – da Silva | 13 – Walker | 4 – O’Brien | CU Events Center (6,145) Boulder, CO |
| January 13, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 6 Arizona | L 55–76 | 11–4 (3–2) | 17 – Simpson | 7 – Battey | 4 – Simpson | McKale Center (13,515) Tucson, AZ |
| January 15, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Arizona State | W 75–57 | 12–4 (4–2) | 18 – Walker | 13 – Walker | 4 – Barthelemy | Desert Financial Arena (7,548) Tempe, AZ |
| January 20, 2022 5:30 p.m., P12N | | No. 16 USC | L 58–61 | 12–5 (4–3) | 13 – Walker | 8 – Walker | 3 – Battey | CU Events Center (7,475) Boulder, CO |
| January 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., P12N | | No. 9 UCLA | L 65–71 | 12–6 (4–4) | 19 – Walker | 7 – Tied | 5 – Tied | CU Events Center (8,774) Boulder, CO |
| January 25, 2022 8:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon Rescheduled from Dec. 30 | W 82–78 | 13–6 (5–4) | 24 – Walker | 11 – Walker | 6 – Simpson | Matthew Knight Arena (6,176) Eugene, OR |
| January 27, 2022 9:00 p.m., P12N | | at Washington | L 58–60 | 13–7 (5–5) | 14 – Walker | 9 – Walker | 4 – Barthelemy | Alaska Airlines Arena (5,593) Seattle, WA |
| January 30, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Washington State | L 43–70 | 13–8 (5–6) | 11 – Walker | 8 – Walker | 5 – Simpson | Beasley Coliseum (2,647) Pullman, WA |
| February 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Oregon | L 51–66 | 13–9 (5–7) | 16 – Barthelemy | 12 – Walker | 3 – Simpson | CU Events Center (7,611) Boulder, CO |
| February 5, 2022 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | Oregon State | W 86–63 | 14–9 (6–7) | 16 – Barthelemy | 11 – Walker | 5 – da Silva | CU Events Center (6,918) Boulder, CO |
| February 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., P12N | | Utah | W 81–76 | 15–9 (7–7) | 22 – Walker | 13 – Walker | 4 – Simpson | CU Events Center (7,988) Boulder, CO |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon State Rescheduled from Jan. 1 | W 90–64 | 16–9 (8–7) | 24 – Walker | 15 – Walker | 4 – Barthelemy | Gill Coliseum (3,060) Corvallis, OR |
| February 17, 2022 7:30 p.m., P12N | | at California | W 70–62 | 17–9 (9–7) | 19 – Simpson | 15 – Walker | 3 – Barthelemy | Haas Pavilion (4,396) Berkeley, CA |
| February 19, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Stanford | W 70–53 | 18–9 (10–7) | 15 – Battey | 7 – Clifford | 4 – O'Brien | Maples Pavilion (3,263) Stanford, CA |
| February 24, 2022 7:00 p.m., P12N | | Arizona State | L 65–82 | 18–10 (10–8) | 13 – Battey | 7 – Walker | 3 – Barthelemy | CU Events Center (7,211) Boulder, CO |
| February 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 2 Arizona | W 79–63 | 19–10 (11–8) | 19 – Da Silva | 14 – Walker | 2 – Simpson | CU Events Center (11,079) Boulder, CO |
| March 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., ESPNU | | at Utah | W 84–71 | 20–10 (12–8) | 27 – Battey | 12 – Walker | 5 – Walker | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,724) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Pac-12 tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 3:30 p.m., P12N | (4) | vs. (5) Oregon Quarterfinals | W 80–69 | 21–10 | 19 – Battey | 16 – Walker | 6 – Simpson | T-Mobile Arena (11,081) Paradise, NV |
| March 11, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | (4) | vs. (1) No. 2 Arizona Semifinals | L 72–82 | 21–11 | 19 – Walker | 5 – Walker | 5 – Hammond III | T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV |
| NIT tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (4) | St. Bonaventure First Round – Oklahoma Bracket | L 68–76 | 21–12 | 15 – Barthelemy | 8 – Walker | 4 – da Silva | CU Events Center (3,791) Boulder, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time. |||||||||

## Ranking movement

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.