Utah Utes vs Colorado Buffaloes Picks and Predictions February 5th 2025

Buffaloes Seek First Big 12 Win While Utes Aim to Rebound at Home

Struggling through difficult seasons, both the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will battle for a much-needed victory on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. Colorado, still searching for its first Big 12 win (0-10), hopes to snap a 10-game losing streak, while Utah looks to regain momentum after dropping three of its last four games.

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Colorado’s Desperate Search for a Conference Victory

The Buffaloes (9-12, 0-10 Big 12) have yet to secure a conference win since joining the Big 12 and are approaching historic lows. Their last victory came on Dec. 21 against Bellarmine, closing out a promising 9-2 nonconference schedule. However, their performance in league play has been disastrous.

Sunday’s 68-57 loss at TCU marked their 10th straight defeat, despite a solid effort from Andrej Jakimovski (13 points) and Bangot Dak (9 points, 12 rebounds). The Buffaloes’ offensive struggles and inconsistency have been their biggest hurdles.

Head coach Tad Boyle believes the team has the talent to compete but has not played up to its potential.

“All of our players, if they just play at the level of their potential, we’ll be fine,” Boyle said. “But we’re not – as a group, or individually.”

Making matters worse, Colorado has struggled on the road against Utah historically (3-10 all-time in Salt Lake City). A loss on Wednesday would put them closer to matching their worst-ever conference start (0-14 in 1985, Big Eight era).

Utah Looking to Regain Form After Recent Struggles

The Utes (12-9, 4-6 Big 12) are also facing adversity, having lost three of their last four games, including an 81-72 defeat at Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Utah’s defense has been a key issue. The Cowboys shot 48.9% from the field (23-of-47) and dominated the free-throw line, making 27-of-36 attempts. Head coach Craig Smith emphasized the need for better defensive execution.

“We’ve got to get more stops,” Smith said. “Every game we’ve won in league play, we’ve held the opponent under a point per possession. (Against Oklahoma State), they were at 1.2 points per possession.”

Offensively, Utah had bright spots, with Ezra Ausar leading the team with 18 points (6-of-10 shooting). Gabe Madsen added 15 points but struggled with efficiency (5-of-15 shooting), while Mike Sharavjamts chipped in 11 points, hitting all eight of his free throws.

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Keys to the Game: Can Colorado Finally Break Through?

For Colorado, the focus must be on offensive execution and limiting defensive lapses. They will need Jakimovski and Dak to step up, while their backcourt must find a rhythm.

For Utah, the key is defense. The Utes have won all their Big 12 games when holding opponents under one point per possession. If they can tighten up defensively and improve their shooting efficiency, they should have the edge at home.

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Prediction & Final Thoughts

With Utah playing at home and showing more consistency, the Utes have a slight advantage. However, Colorado’s desperation could make this a hard-fought contest. Expect a physical, defensive battle with Utah favored to win unless the Buffaloes finally break through offensively.

Tipoff: Wednesday Night | Location: Salt Lake City, UT