# 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.

## 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

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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

College recruiting information (2021) :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |||||||

## 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 | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | CU Events Center Boulder, CO |
| December 8, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N | | Colorado State | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | 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

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 |
| 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.