New lineup fuels Colorado’s dominant bounce-back win against TCU
Colorado finally came back to its form on Sunday afternoon in Boulder, after defeating TCU and securing a dominating 87-61 win at the CU Events Center.
The Buffaloes played a bad game and lost to Iowa State just four days before this win. They entered the game on a six-game losing streak, which resulted in coach Tad Boyle making some changes. Instead of going with his usual lineup, Boyle started three freshmen alongside Barrington Hargress and Isaiah Johnson to bring new energy to the floor.
The move worked immediately. Jalin Holland and Josiah Sanders brought pace and confidence from the opening minutes. Colorado started hot, moving the ball well and knocking down open shots. Holland scored five quick points, and Sanders added an early three as the Buffs hit 8 of their first 11 shots and all four of their early attempts from deep.
TCU kept things close at first, matching Colorado’s scoring. But with the Buffs leading 22-21, the defense suddenly stepped up. Colorado shut the Horned Frogs down for the final seven minutes of the half. Even during a short scoring drought of their own, the Buffs kept defending hard and forced turnovers. A late 12-0 run gave Colorado a 38-25 lead at halftime.
The momentum carried into the second half. After a few quick baskets, an alley-oop from Johnson to Bangot Dak took the energy out of TCU. The Horned Frogs never recovered. Their frustration showed when Xavier Edmonds was ejected after a flagrant elbow during a tie-up. Despite leaving early, he still ended as TCU’s top scorer, which showed how much Colorado’s defense limited everyone else.
Colorado then went on a 19-4 run that turned the game into a blowout. With more than nine minutes left and a lead close to 30 points, the result was already decided.
"We hadn't seen that Colorado Buffalo team in November, December or January," coach Tad Boyle said after the win on Sunday. "We finally saw it on February 1, so I told our team, 'Better late than never on that.' I was really, really proud of the response that we got from everybody involved tonight. It just shows how good this team could be."
Five Buffs finished in double figures. Sebastian Rancik led with 17 points. Isaiah Johnson added 16. Dak had 14, Holland scored 12, and Hargress finished with 10. Sanders did not score much but made an impact with rebounds and assists in his first college start.
As a team, Colorado shot over 55 percent from the field and nearly 48 percent from three. Most of their baskets came through assists, showing how well they shared the ball. The defense also forced 10 turnovers and never allowed TCU to find any rhythm.
Speaking to the reporters after the game, Sanders said, "It wasn't just one guy, it was all five who were on board and the energy from the bench as well." He continued. "We've been talking about that a lot in practice, so it was really good to come out here and see we can really do that."