It's been an up-and-down couple of seasons for Colorado head coach Tad Boyle since his team last reached the NCAA Tournament.
Colorado lost many of those key contributors from that tournament team, including three NBA Draft picks, forcing them to scramble for players ahead of their return to the Big 12.
That 2024-25 team struggled, posting a 14-21 record and going 3-17 in Big 12 play, though they did make a brief run in the Big 12 Tournament.
Boyle is the winningest head coach in University of Colorado men's basketball history. Since taking over in 2010, he's made Colorado relevant again—leading the program to six NCAA tournaments, winning the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament title, and helping more than 10 players reach the NBA.
Tad brought in an impressive recruiting class this past offseason, led by talented freshman point guard Isaiah Johnson, who leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game and is taking not only the Big 12 by storm, but putting the rest of the league on notice.
Add in players like Josiah Sanders, Ian Inman, Alon Michaeli, and Jalin Holland, and you have a formidable core for years to come—if Colorado can ultimately retain them.
Barrington Hargress was another solid transfer addition to the team, sitting second in points per game with 14.1. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
The Buffs will have Sebastian Rancik for two more years and Bangot Dak for another, as they're potentially building something special in Boulder.
I think Boyle realizes that too, as he recently announced news about his future.
Tad Boyle announces he will be back at Colorado next season
#CUBuffs MBB head coach Tad Boyle just confirmed at the CMDI Sports panel that he will be returning next season, been speculation around that this year.
— Leo Rivera IV (@LNR_4) March 6, 2026
The future looks bright for this team, with just one regular season game remaining against No. 2 Arizona before the Big 12 Tournament. Despite their youth, they've already more than doubled Colorado's conference win total from last year—jumping from three wins to seven.
As mentioned earlier, the key to their continued success is simple: keep this core together and add some front court help. If they can do that, the sky's the limit for Boyle and company.