11 Big 12 Teams Made It: Why Colorado Is Still Nowhere Near March Madness

Alright, listen up, because this is just brutal for Colorado hoops fans. We’re talking about a squad that’s trying to snap a TWO-YEAR NCAA Tournament drought, right? Well, CBS Sports just dropped their 76-team projection for the 2027 field, and the news out of Boulder is NOT good. Like, at all. David Cobb and Jacob Fetner put it out there, and guess what? The Colorado Buffaloes didn't make the cut. Nope, not even close. They weren't even on the bubble! Can you believe that?

The Big 12 Is Stacked, But That's No Excuse For This

This is where it gets really tough to swallow. The Big 12 is an absolute gauntlet, everyone knows that. This CBS Sports projection has *eleven* teams from the Big 12 making the tournament. Eleven! That means Colorado is literally one of just five teams in the entire conference not projected to get in. If this holds up, we're staring down three seasons in a row without a March Madness bid for the Buffs. Their last taste of the Big Dance was back in 2024, when they went in as a No. 10 seed. They actually pulled off a sweet first-round win against No. 7 seed Florida, which was awesome, but then they ran into No. 2 Marquette and that was the end of the road in the second round. Now, they can't even get past the *projection* stage.

More Bids, Same Old Story?

Here’s the kicker: the NCAA actually expanded the tournament from 68 teams to a massive 76! That’s eight more at-large bids up for grabs, making it, on paper, an easier path for teams to get in. But even with that expansion, Colorado is still on the outside looking in. They wrapped up their 2025-26 season with a 17-16 overall record, which isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Head Coach Tad Boyle is heading into his 17th season at the helm, a true veteran since taking over in 2010. He’s got a respectable 329-220 overall record, a .599 win percentage, and he’s led the Buffs to the NCAA Tournament six times. But here's the glaring issue: not once has he done it since they rejoined the Big 12. His first year in 2010-11 was the NIT, then they moved to the Pac-12 until 2024-25. Since returning to the Big 12, the Buffs have missed the tournament two seasons straight. Their conference play record in the Big 12 over the last two years? A brutal 10-28. Yikes. The Big 12 is consistently hailed as one of college basketball’s best conferences, and Colorado has gotta find a way to compete. So, there you have it. This early projection for the 2026-27 season is a cold splash of reality for Colorado fans. They've gotta dig deep and turn things around, especially in that super-tough Big 12. Can Coach Boyle and the Buffs finally flip that 10-28 conference trend and get back to March? They're hoping to start that turnaround this season. We'll be watching to see if they can prove these projections dead wrong.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.