Colorado men’s basketball (9-2) is ready to return to Big 12 play for the first time since the 2010-11 season, and its long-awaited conference opener on Monday is about as challenging a test as could be provided.
The No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones (10-1) stand in the Buffs’ way, venturing to Boulder with just one loss through their nonconference slate. Iowa State’s lone defeat came to the Auburn Tigers, a program ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
CU got a sour taste of what ISU is capable of on Nov. 27, falling 99-71 in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational.
In that game, sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 24 points on a sharp 9-for-13 shooting (6-for-9 from 3), and senior guard Keshon Gilbert tacked on 15 points and six assists. For the Buffaloes, seniors Julian Hammond III (20 points) and Andrej Jakimovski (18 points) were the only ones to reach double figures in the losing effort.
Monday’s tip off from the CU Events Center is set for 7 p.m. MT on the CBS Sports Network.
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