CU Buffs face Abilene Christian in season opener amid rebounding concerns

Colorado will open its 2026-27 men’s basketball season on Monday at the CU Events Center, hosting Abilene Christian for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The game marks the start of the 17th season for head coach Tad Boyle, a tenure that has seen the program return to the Big 12 Conference after two seasons in the league.

Boyle has expressed specific anxiety about the team's ability to secure rebounds. He noted that while the offense is in capable hands with Barrington Hargress and the defense has shown progress, rebounding remains a major concern. This issue mirrors his worries from his first season at Colorado 16 years ago. The Buffs finished last season with a 10-28 conference record, the result of their first two years back in the Big 12.

The program is attempting to reverse recent trends by relying on a group of newcomers. Forward Justin Neely, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, is scheduled to make his debut for Colorado in Monday’s game. Neely finished second in the nation last year with 11.5 rebounds per game at his previous school. He is joined in the frontcourt by Noah Feddersen, a transfer from North Dakota State, and Goc Malual, a first-year player from Australia. All three were above-par rebounders in their previous stops.

Neely, who stands 6-foot-6, faces the challenge of maintaining his production against larger and more physical Big 12 competition. He emphasized that the team must be physical on the glass despite not having a roster filled with players over 6 feet 10 inches. He described rebounding as an effort-based skill that requires the will to compete for every ball.

The Buffs have not been highly ranked in preseason polls. They finished in a tie for 14th place in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll and 15th in the media poll. Fan attendance has also declined, with Colorado averaging 6,207 fans per game last year, the lowest average of the Boyle era. As of Friday, the team had sold 2,821 season tickets, down from 5,020 in the 2021-22 season.

Hargress begins his final season with 1,599 career points. He needs to average 12.15 points over a minimum of 33 games to reach the 2,000-point mark. Last season, he averaged 14.7 points per game, a total of 485 points that ranked 39th among Colorado’s all-time season leaders. The team also looks to Jalin Holland and Josiah Sanders to improve their three-point shooting after combining for a .230 percentage last year.

Abilene Christian enters the matchup with a 14-19 overall record and a 5-13 mark in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wildcats are coached by Brette Tanner, who is in his sixth season at the school. This will be the first ever meeting between Colorado and Abilene Christian.

The nonconference schedule includes road games against San Diego State, Providence, Purdue, and Stanford, along with a matchup against either Grand Canyon or Saint Louis. These games will test the defense and rebounding efforts before the Big 12 regular season begins. Colorado is 16-0 in home openers under Boyle and 14-2 in season openers overall.

Following Monday’s game, the Buffs will travel to San Diego on Saturday for their second contest. They will face San Diego State in the first annual Bill Walton Classic, which begins at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time and will be broadcast on the USA Network.