BOULDER — As a redshirt last season, Andrew Crawford had a front-row seat to a core issue of one of Colorado’s worst seasons ever.
“Seeing the struggles that our team went through last year strengthened me and showed me what not to do,” the CU guard and ThunderRidge High graduate explained. “… Our leadership lacked a little bit last year, but this year, we have a lot of strong leaders who have voices that carry and can get into these freshmen minds.”
Crawford says that’s where Bangot Dak, Elijah Malone and Sebastian Rancik come in as the Buffs seek redemption after finishing last in the Big 12 in their first year back in the conference. CU’s turnaround hinges heavily on the trio of big men, as Dak (6-foot-11.5), Malone (6-10) and Rancik (6-11) are the lone returning starters on a new-look squad.
“We’re three different styles of bigs: Elijah’s the enforcer, I’d say I’m the most athletic, Sebi is skillful with a really good jump shot,” Dak said. “We all three complement each other really well.
“… As the main returners, we know what it’s like to go out there and bang every night in this conference. We know the physical consequences of the game in this conference. We’ve just got to emphasize that with the new guys, taking that on to show them what’s expected. Nobody wants what happened last year to happen again.”
About last year, the worst season of head coach Tad Boyle’s largely successful 16-year tenure. The Buffs started 0-13 in Big 12 play en route to 17 conference losses, the most in program history. Their .150 conference winning percentage was the seventh-worst in the program’s 122 seasons. And 21 total losses tied for the second-most in program history.
CU also went winless on the road with a 0-10 mark, which Rancik says can change this season with a mindset shift established by the trio of big men. That trio will need to influence 10 newcomers, including seven freshmen.
“The approach and the competitiveness have to change,” Rancik said. “Most of the arenas we play in are sold out, and nobody wants to lose on their home floor. So there has to be more hunger and more competitiveness, and less complaining than last year.”
As the team’s lone senior, Malone will be central in establishing that tone. Boyle says Malone is “much more comfortable” in a leadership role this season.
“I hear his voice now,” Boyle said. “I think a year ago, he was just a little unsure, coming from the NAIA level to the Division I level. He was still trying to figure things out.”
Of course, CU needs guards to step up as well. UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress is slotted to be the starting point guard, while returner Felix Kossaras, freshman Isaiah Johnson, DU transfer Jon Mani, freshman Josiah Sanders, and possibly Crawford will also see time in the backcourt.
But the Buffs need quality minutes from Malone, Dak and Rancik, who all focused on upping their games this offseason.
Malone worked on trimming his frame, dropping 15 pounds, and cutting his body fat by about 7%. Meanwhile, Dak added weight (about 16 pounds) and says he’s healthy again following summer knee surgery. That was necessary after the junior hurt the meniscus in his right knee in a pickup game in May.
Both players put in a lot of time on their jump shot, as did Rancik, who wants to break out this sophomore season as a three-level scorer. Rancik, the winner of the team’s most improved award last year, got 11 starts down the stretch of Big 12 play. That included a signature performance at Kansas, when he tallied a career-high 19 points along with nine rebounds.
“I knew I belonged here, but the Kansas game showed me that with hard work, I can become one of the best players in the country,” Rancik said. “That was a good (eye-opener). But it’s all about consistency for me this year… The ball will be in my hands way more this year than last year, so it’s important that I’m capable of making all those shots, shooting off the dribble and making the right reads.”
The Buffs open the season on Nov. 3 at the CU Events Center against Montana State, and the conference opener is Jan. 3 against Arizona State in Tempe.
As Boyle noted, Dak in particular is the player with perhaps the most leadership sway on how CU’s season turns out. The Buffs will need to find ways to win close games this season — a facet they struggled with during 2024-25.
“I look at a guy like B.D., who was part of that 26-win team two years ago that won two NCAA Tournament games,” Boyle said. “He knows what good leadership looks like. He also was part of a team last year that finished dead last in the Big 12. So he knows what that looks like, too.
“He’s the one guy in the program that really has a feel for that. So I’m expecting him to say, ‘Okay, do we want to be like the 26-win team or do we want to be like the 14-win team and finish dead last? I know how he feels, I know how I feel.’ Now it’s incumbent upon us… to make sure our whole team understands what that looks like.”
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