Colorado Buffaloes Men's Basketball Reveals Exciting Nonconference Schedule

Despite its poor showing against conference opponents, Colorado went 12-2 in nonconference play last season. One of its losses came against a Big 12 foe, the Iowa State Cyclones, in the Maui Invitational. The other defeat also came in Maui against the perennial powerhouse Michigan State Spartans.

After a tune-up trip to Australia late in July, including a matchup with the country's national team, the Buffaloes face a mix of up-and-coming schools and opponents with history.

Like last year, it's heavily in Colorado's cozy CU Events Center confines. Ten of the 14 games are at home, three at neutral sites and one on the road.

The Grace College Lancers, an NAIA program, opens the campaign on Oct. 19 with a preseason exhibition. Grace is where current Buffs center Elijah Malone started his career before transferring to Boulder in 2024.

Colorado then officially begins the regular season against the Montana Bobcats on Nov. 3. The Eastern Washington Eagles, whom the Buffs opened last season against and beat 76-56, waits next.

Then come the Big East's Providence Friars, where former Buffs player and current coach Nate Tomlinson spent three years as an assistant before returning this offseason. Two of them were under Kim English, a Colorado assistant from 2017-19.

The Buffaloes then host the Alabama State Hornets, last season's SWAC champions who made the NCAA Tournament, and UC Davis Aggies before travelling to Palm Desert, California, for the Acrisure Series from Nov. 27-28.

Colorado will play two games in Acrisure, with opponents to be determined. The field includes another Big 12 school in the Utah Utes. Other notables include the Ole Miss Rebels, Grand Canyon Antelopes, Loyola-Chicago Ramblers and Iowa Hawkeyes.

Boyle's Buffs briefly return home to face the California Baptist Lancers before their only true road foe of nonconference play: The Colorado State Rams. Colorado will travel to Fort Collins for a Rocky Mountain Showdown on Dec. 6.

It's the fourth consecutive year these in-state rivals will square off, with each side winning its home matchup regardless of eventual season results. The Buffaloes dominated last year but faltered down the stretch, while CSU reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The polar opposite was the case in 2023, when Colorado got hot in March.

The Buffaloes then face the UTSA Roadrunners and Portland State Vikings before meeting an old Pac-12 friend and current ACC school, the Stanford Cardinal. They'll come face-to-face on Dec. 20 in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix, Arizona.

To close non-conference play, Colorado hosts another in-state side from up the road in Greeley. The Northern Colorado Bears visit for the third consecutive year after nearly toppling the Buffs in a double-overtime thriller last season. NoCo went on to narrowly miss March Madness, falling in the Big Sky Championship game.