Buffaloes finish No. 23 in Coaches Poll

The Colorado Buffaloes will finish the season in the Top 25, as they are ranked 23rd in Tuesday’s Coaches Poll.

Colorado made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 96-73, then lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Florida State Seminoles (#10 in the final poll). It was a disappointing tournament after their best regular season since 1969, but still, CU made it to the second round for just the third time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1979.

The Buffaloes won 20 games in the regular season — always an accomplishment in Boulder — despite playing fewer games than normal due to the compressed schedule. They finished third in the Pac-12 standings, behind Oregon (#17) and USC (#9). Colorado could have won the conference, but frustrating losses to Utah and Washington doomed their chances.

In the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado scraped by Cal and defeated USC on a tip dunk, their third win over USC this season and seventh overall. They reached the Pac-12 title game, but came up short against the upstart Oregon State Beavers (#20). Not winning the Pac-12 title was painful, but it was a consolation to see the Beavs make it to the Elite Eight after stealing the automatic bid.

It was a successful postseason for the Pac-12 that helped rebuild its oft-knocked reputation. Of the five representatives, all but Colorado made it to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond. USC and Oregon State reached the Elite Eight, while the UCLA Bruins (#7) made the Final Four.

The final Coaches Top 25 goes as follows:

1. Baylor Bears
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs
3. Houston Cougars
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
7. UCLA Bruins
8. Illinois Fighting Illini
9. USC Trojans
10. Florida State Seminoles
11. Villanova Wildcats
12. Loyola Chicago Ramblers
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
14. Creighton Bluejays
15. Ohio State Buckeyes
16. Kansas Jayhawks
17. Oregon Ducks
18. West Virginia Mountaineers
19. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Oregon State Beavers
21. Texas Longhorns
22. Texas Tech Red Raiders
23. Colorado Buffaloes
24. Virginia Cavaliers
25. Syracuse Orange