The Colorado Buffaloes picked up another Big 12 victory on Wednesday night, outlasting the Kansas State Wildcats 79-70. Colorado now sits at 16-12 and 6-9 in conference play with just three games remaining, two of which come against top-five teams in Houston and Arizona. Although it has not been the Buffs’ best year, there are still real positives to take from this season.
Tad Boyle on the hot seat?
Despite that, some fans have begun calling for Colorado to move on from head coach Tad Boyle. Those calls feel misguided. Boyle has been and continues to be a strong head coach, but there is a deeper issue at play.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello published his 2026 men’s college basketball coaching carousel guide and discussed where things stand in Boulder with Tad Boyle.
While speculation has surrounded Colorado’s Tad Boyle and Oregon’s Dana Altman seemingly every season, both are likely to be back in their positions for the 2026-27 campaign, sources told ESPN. The Buffaloes have struggled since moving to the Big 12, sitting at 29-33 (8-26 Big 12) in two seasons, but there have been no significant retirement discussions at Colorado, as the conversations have been focused on retaining the Buffaloes’ young core for next season. – Borzello, ESPN
The underlying issue with Colorado basketball
The move to the Big 12 has been difficult for the Buffs. There is no denying that it is one of, if not the best, basketball conferences in the country. Still, Boyle has this young Colorado squad above .500 with plenty of potential to grow. The problem has not been Boyle. The problem is the lack of NIL resources dedicated to the basketball program.
When Colorado hired Deion Sanders, the football program received a major boost and significant financial backing to bring talent to Boulder. The basketball program, however, has never seen the same level of NIL investment, even after his teams made deep runs in the tournament.
Boyle has led the Buffaloes since 2010 and has guided the program to six NCAA tournament appearances. Even with limited resources, he has sent teams to the tournament and developed more than ten players who reached the NBA. Only twice during his tenure has Colorado landed a top 20 recruiting class. It has not always been pretty, but Boyle knows how to coach, develop talent, and win games.
After last night’s win over Kansas State, interim head coach Matthew Driscoll spoke glowingly about the Colorado basketball program as a whole.
“You guys (Colorado) ought to be really proud of what you guys have in front of you. If you take advantage of it, pony up, and do what you need to do to keep that young core together, you guys have a chance. You really do.”
That is high praise for this group and for Tad Boyle as a coach. It only reinforces the broader point that if Colorado were to make a serious investment in basketball, this program has the foundation to become a legitimate threat in the Big 12 and nationally.
Kansas State interim head coach Matthew Driscoll has a message for the #CUBuffs:
“By the way, you Colorado people, I was in this league before, and you guys ought to be really proud of what you guys have in front of you. And if you guys take advantage of it, and you guys pony up… pic.twitter.com/dMVQnRG5in
— Oliver Hayes (@ocuhayes) February 26, 2026
Can Fernando Lovo fix Colorado basketball?
So what can Colorado do? The university hired a new athletic director in early January, bringing in Fernando Lovo from New Mexico to replace Rick George. Lovo inherits a reported 27 million dollar deficit while also needing to support football coach Deion Sanders. Football may drive the most revenue, but basketball remains an important piece of the athletic department. The hope is that Lovo can help secure more NIL opportunities for Boyle and provide innovative revenue streams, including securing a naming rights deal for the CU Events Center. Resources are needed to attract impact transfers and high-level recruits back to Boulder so the Buffs can truly compete in the Big 12.
Will that happen? Time will tell. But the recent criticism of Tad Boyle feels misplaced. Colorado fans should recognize that the program would likely be in a far more difficult position if Boyle were to leave or be shown the door.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Tad Boyle, Colorado basketball NIL issues in the Big 12