BOULDER — As he approaches Year 16 at Colorado, Tad Boyle is trying to bring up last season less and less.

A year ago, in the Buffaloes’ first season back in the Big 12, they went 14-21 and finished dead last for the first time in Boyle’s tenure. It’s something he and the few returning players must own.

It’s a reason they’ve been picked to finish just one spot higher, 15th, by both the conference’s coaches and media.

“It’s part of me, unfortunately,” Boyle said. “I told our returning guys, we were all 14-21 last year. We gotta live with that. Guess what? That’s in the history books. That ain’t gonna change. Now, what kind of history do we want to create with this year’s team? That’s our challenge and that’s what we’ve gotta focus every single day on.”

Fortunately for Boyle, there’s a decent portion of this year’s roster that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. CU retained important players like sixth-year senior big man Elijah Malone, junior forward Bangot Dak and promising sophomores Sebastian Rancik and Felix Kossaras.

Rancik, in particular, seems poised to become the next big-time player in the program. The 6-foot-10 forward originally from Slovakia showed flashes as a freshman and has spent the summer working to diversify his skill set to become a player capable of scoring 15 points or more per game.

“(Rancik) is gonna have a breakout year, I think,” Boyle said.

But there are nine newcomers on this year’s roster — 10 if you count local product Andrew Crawford, who redshirted last season. 

UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress was the biggest addition from the portal and the 6-foot-1 point guard who scored 20 points per game last season should provide stability in the backcourt.

“I hate to put too much pressure on a kid to compare him to guys like McKinley (Wright IV) and KJ (Simpson),” Boyle said of Hargress. “For seven years, I was probably one of the most spoiled coaches in college basketball with those guys kinda running the show for us. Barrington brings some experience, he’s got the ability to score the ball, he’s got toughness. He can play both sides of the ball, so he’s just an offensive player, he’s not just a scorer.”

Boyle will rely on a few of his seven freshmen, as well. Since the summer, Isaiah Johnson has surprised the coaching staff. He’s the son of a well-known NBA trainer, Chris Johnson, who has worked with all-stars like LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey, as well as Nuggets star Aaron Gordon.

“Isaiah’s got the ability to score the ball, he’s a great shooter when he’s got his feet set, he can really play in the pick-and-roll, but to me what makes him who he is his fearlessness,” Boyle said. “Don’t let his baby face fool you, he’s got toughness and he’s not afraid of anybody and that comes from, I think, playing with and against NBA players growing up. You never know what you’re gonna get from a freshman until they get here. You think you know, but you really don’t know and they really don’t know what they’re getting into until they get here. 

“But I’m glad we got (Johnson) because that kid’s got toughness. Our fans are gonna love watching him play and grow. He’s gonna have a great career at Colorado.”

Boyle feels that way about the entire freshman class. Israeli forward Alon Michaeli was a late addition to the roster, but he is a player that figures to factor in immediately. Denver native Josiah Sanders is physically ready to contribute this season, as are Jalin Holland and Ian Inman. 

It’s a freshman class — combined with sophomores like Rancik and Kossaras — that has Boyle wondering how he can keep this group together.

“I think we’ve got the right kids that come from the right families, the right values,” Boyle said. “We try as best we can on the front end to get that right so then retention becomes a little easier. The only way you can do that is you have to be honest. You can’t lie to kids and families… and you just be honest and stick with ‘em and fight for ‘em and with ‘em and you help ‘em every single day.”

Boyle still believes he can win the old-fashioned way at CU. He knows this may be his last chance to prove that the trend of college basketball becoming a transactional business doesn’t apply to the program in Boulder.

“We’re trying to fight that with the University of Colorado basketball program as best we can,” Boyle said. “Next year will be a great litmus test for us to see how well we can fight it. I’m not here to talk about next year now, but the young players that are in this program that are up and coming, we gotta make sure they continue to be Buffs. 

“That’s part of my job, it’s part of our job as a university. Our fan base, it’s part of their job to show up and make this a home court advantage where these kids want to come back and play for these fans because they know they’re supported. I think we can do that.”

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King’s Colorado team predictions

Finish: 11th place in Big 12, College Basketball Crown bid

Team MVP: Sebastian Rancik

Top defender: Bangor Dak

Impact newcomer: Isaiah Johnson

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CU Buffs 2025-26 schedule

Monday: vs. Montana State (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Nov. 8: vs. Eastern Washington (2 p.m.)

Nov. 14: vs. Providence (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Nov. 17: vs. Alabama State (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Nov. 21: vs. UC Davis (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Nov. 27: vs. San Francisco at Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. (12 p.m., CBS Sports Network, 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Nov. 28: vs. Nevada/Washington at Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. (Time TBA, truTV, 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 1: vs. California Baptist (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 6: at Colorado State (3 p.m., CBS Sports Network, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 13: vs. UTSA (2 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 17: vs. Portland State (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 20: vs. Stanford at Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix (6 p.m., ESPNU, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Dec. 28: vs. Northern Colorado (1 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 3: at Arizona State (3 p.m., ESPN2, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 7: vs. Utah (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 10: vs. Texas Tech (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 14: at Cincinnati (5 p.m., Peacock, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 17: at West Virginia (4 p.m., CBS Sports Network, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 20: vs. Kansas (9 p.m., ESPN, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 24: vs. Central Florida (1 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Jan. 29: at Iowa State (5 p.m., FS1, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 1: vs. TCU (12 p.m., TNT/truTV, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 4: at Baylor (6 p.m., Peacock, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 7: vs. Arizona State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 11: at Texas Tech (6 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 14: at BYU (2 p.m., FS1, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 21: vs. Oklahoma State (1:30 p.m., TNT/truTV, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 25: vs. Kansas State (7 p.m., FS1, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

Feb. 28: at Houston (10 a.m., ESPN or ESPN2, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

March 3: at Utah (7 p.m., ESPN+, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

March 7: vs. Arizona (9 p.m., ESPN2, KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM)

March 10-14: Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.