Colorado most likely will be without one of its most productive players for the regular season finale.
Sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik, who missed Tuesday night’s win at Utah due to an injury, is trending toward remaining on the sideline when the Buffaloes host No. 2 Arizona on Saturday at the CU Events Center (9 p.m., ESPN2).
On Thursday, CU head coach Tad Boyle stopped short of officially declaring Rancik out, but conceded the Buffs “probably won’t have him” when they attempt to end a 14-game losing streak against ranked foes against the Wildcats, who already have clinched the regular season title in the Big 12.
Rancik ranks third on the team in scoring (12.3) and second in rebounding (5.6). Rancik has endured his ups and downs during his first season as a full-time starter, scoring in double figures in 14 of the season’s first 16 games before enduring a stretch of seven single-digit scoring games out of 11 that began in late January.
Rancik, though, had averaged 7.6 rebounds over six games before getting sidelined, a run which included the first three double-digit rebounding totals of his career. Rancik recorded his first career double-double during a Feb. 7 home win against Arizona State (17 points, 11 rebounds), and he has been one of CU’s best in terms of drawing fouls and converting at the line. Rancik leads the Buffs with an .860 free throw percentage while ranking second in attempts behind Isaiah Johnson.
Rancik has always been readily compared to former CU standout Tristan da Silva, a 2024 NBA first-round draft pick who boasted a similar blend of size and skill set. Da Silva filled a different role as a sophomore, as he played alongside Evan Battey when he was a senior and Jabari Walker when he led the Pac-12 in rebounding. Yet Rancik hasn’t flinched amid higher expectations, and has delivered higher scoring and rebounding totals than da Silva did as a sophomore.
“Development is a process,” Boyle said. “We all want things quickly. We want them easily. That’s not the way life works. You’ve got to work for what you get. You look at the numbers side-by-side as sophomores, Seby’s ahead of the game. He’s not behind Tristan. He’s ahead of Tristan. Now, will he continue to develop and work on his game? That’s yet to be seen. But there’s no question he can get there.”
Postseason picture
Baylor’s loss against Houston on Wednesday night streamlined the scenarios for Colorado at the Big 12 Conference tournament next week.
The Buffs will finish either 11th or 12th, and play either Oklahoma State or Baylor in the first round Tuesday.
CU goes into the regular season finale at 7-10 in the league. Technically the Buffs are tied with Arizona State, but CU owns the tiebreaker by virtue of a two-game sweep of the Sun Devils. The only way the Buffs can fall to 12th is if they lose to Arizona while ASU records an upset win at No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday.
The No. 11 seed plays the No. 14 seed in the first round, while the No. 12 seed takes on the No. 13 seed.
Oklahoma State (6-12 Big 12) holds a one-game lead over Baylor (5-12) for the No. 13 spot, but Baylor won the regular season matchup between the teams, so an Oklahoma State loss combined with a Baylor win would move the Bears to No. 13 and drop OSU to No. 14. Baylor has the more favorable matchup in the finale, as the Bears host last-place Utah while Oklahoma State hosts No. 7 Houston.
If CU is the No. 11 seed, it will play in the final first-round game Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. MT. If the Buffs are the No. 12 seed, they play in the first first-round game at 10:30 a.m. MT. All four first-round games will air on ESPN+.
Notable
Multiple outlets on Thursday reported that former CU assistant Kim English is on his way out as the head coach at Providence. Former Buffs guard and current assistant Nate Tomlinson spent four seasons working on English’s staffs at Providence and George Mason. The duo helped set up a home-and-home series between CU and Providence, with the Buffs defeating Providence on Nov. 14 in Boulder. CU is set to make its first visit to Providence next season. … Former CU walk-on Amondo Miller Jr., a Colorado native from Littleton, was named the Lone Star Conference Player of the Year for Division II Lubbock Christian. Miller is averaging 20.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists with a .501 field goal percentage.
