After becoming just the second last-place team in the 29-year history of the Big 12-era of the conference to win a pair of games at the league tournament, the Buffs battled but couldn’t keep pace with the second-ranked Cougars, who ended CU’s season with a 77-68 decision in the quarterfinals on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center.

The Colorado men’s basketball team returned to the Big 12 Conference tournament for the first time in 14 years with something to prove. The Buffaloes did just that. But Houston

The Colorado Buffaloes will take on the Houston Cougars in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. For Colorado, they need a win to keep their hopes of a Big 12 tournament title and auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament alive.

After going 4-16 in Big Ten in Year 1 and 2-17 in Year 2, Minnesota improved to 9-11 in conference play (ninth place) last season, then lost center Pharrel Payne and point guard Elijah Hawkins to bigger NIL deals at Texas A&M and Texas Tech, respectively, and freshman shooting guard Cam Christie to the NBA draft.

Minnesota men's basketball coach Ben Johnson was fired in the middle of the night after the Golden Gophers went 15-17 in his fourth season

Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson made progress last season, but key players entering the transfer portal set him and his team back. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)