Colorado
Idaho survives late second half rally by Northern Colorado to win thriller in Greeley
Coming off a loss to Northern Arizona on Thursday, the Vandals looked to respond in the second game of their road trip. Behind a big first quarter, Idaho defeated Northern Colorado 60-56, ending a four-game losing streak.
There is some familiarity between the two teams. Head Coach Carrie Eighmey spoke about the familiarities during her weekly press conference.
“I have quite a bit of familiarity with the Northern Colorado staff and Hannah Simental. I coached her sister at Nebraska Kearney. Kristen has done a phenomenal job building that program and the continuity they have,” she said.
The Vandals jumped on the Bears early, and after a 4-0 end to the first quarter, the Vandals led the Bears 21-4 to end the quarter. The Vandals kept their defensive intensity up in the second quarter and outscored the Bears 12-11 to take a 33-15 lead into the break.
The Vandals found their grove early and finished the half shooting 11-for-21 from the field, an efficient 4-for-7 from three and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Northern Colorado’s dreadful offense continued as the Bears finished 3-for-24 from the field, 0-for-10 from beyond the arc and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line (all in the second quarter).
Coming out of the locker room, the game changed, and the Bears came out of hibernation. The Bears found their rhythm and went on a 12-0 run to close the Vandals’ lead to 33-27. Junior forward Kennedy Johnson ended the almost five-minute drought with a three-pointer to put the Vandals back up nine points.
Northern Colorado kept the pressure up, and after their best offensive quarter, the Bears cut the once 18-point lead to 44-31 to end the third quarter. Graduate Guard Sarah Schmitt came out and hit a three-pointer to extend the Vandals’ lead to 16.
The Bears kept fighting, and behind some tremendous free throw shooting, cut the lead to as less as five. The Vandals experience took over the last few minutes of the game. With the Vandals leading 52-47 and badly needing a basket, Schmitt came through.
Schmitt received the ball on the left wing, crossed her defender over, and laid the ball up to extend the Vandals’ lead. Free throw shooting is a huge part of winning games, and the Vandals’ leaders stepped up when it counted.
Schmitt made the last four free throws for the Vandals and helped them escape Greeley with a 60-56 win, ending the four-game losing streak. The Vandals struggled in the second half, being outscored 41-27, and were not as efficient on the offensive end.
Idaho finished the game 18-for-45 from the field, an impressive 6-for-12 from beyond the arc and 18-for-21 from the free-throw line. The Bears were down and not out and gave the Vandals all they could handle for twenty minutes.
Northern Colorado finished 15-for-45 from the field, 2-for-14 from beyond the arc and 24-for-29 from the free-throw line. The Vandals had another outstanding defensive performance, holding the Bears to 33% shooting and senior guard Simental to 2-for-7 and five points.
Sophomore forward Aniah Hall led the Bears with 19 points and six rebounds to keep them in the game. The Vandals were led by Schmitt, whose excellent ten-point fourth quarter had her end up with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Johnson helped Schmitt with 14 points and five rebounds to help secure the Vandals’ third conference win as Idaho improved to 10-9 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Northern Colorado fell to 9-9 and 4-3 in conference play.
Idaho will be back home on Thursday, Feb. 1, as they host the 14-5 Montana Grizzlies looking to extend their win streak and get back in the Big Sky race.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
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Colorado
Colorado faces LA in first round as Kings captain Anze Kopitar embarks on final Stanley Cup chase
DENVER — Anze Kopitar wrapped up the last regular season of his storied career. The Los Angeles Kings captain wants to prolong his final playoff run for as long as possible.
Kopitar, who announced in September his plans to retire, instantly becomes a postseason rallying point for the Kings. They have a tall task ahead of them against the Colorado Avalanche, the top team in the league, with the top goal scorer in Nathan MacKinnon and one of the best defensemen in the game in Cale Makar. Game 1 is Sunday at Ball Arena, where the Avalanche are 26-9-6.
“Playoffs,” said the 38-year-old Kopitar, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Kings. “I’m not going to say anything can happen, but we’ll go in and we’ll play hard and we’ll see where that takes us.”
This will be the third postseason series between the two teams and the first in 24 years. Colorado won in seven games during both the 2002 conference quarterfinals and the 2001 conference semifinals.
It’s been a record season for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche as they amassed the most points (121) in franchise history. That broke the mark set by the 2022 team, which went on to win the Stanley Cup title. MacKinnon had a career-best 53 goals.
Goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood shared the net this season and surrendered a league low in goals. They earned the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is presented to the goalies who have played a minimum of 25 games — Wedgewood suited up in 45 and Blackwood 39 — for the team with the fewest goals allowed. The other goaltender to win that honor for Colorado was Hall of Famer Patrick Roy (2001-02).
“We’re in a good spot,” Colorado forward Brock Nelson said. “The mentality of this group throughout the year, right from the start of training camp, (was) set on a mission to be the best team.”
Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates the goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Connor Ingram (39) during shoot-out NHL action, in Edmonton on Monday, April 13, 2026. Credit: AP/JASON FRANSON
Record against each other
The Kings went 0-3 against Colorado this season and were outscored by a 13-5 margin.
“You hear the hype. They have good players,” Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke said. “We’re a scrappy team. We keep it close with everybody. That can really frustrate them.”
Leading after two
The Avalanche were 41-0-0 when leading after two periods. They’re the first squad to have a lead after two periods on 40 or more instances and capture each one, according to team research.
“Even though we’ve been smart, we’ve been committed, we’ve been relentless at times, it’s going to have to go to a whole new level now,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I have faith in our guys.”
Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who is retiring after this season, acknowledges the crowd after being recognized after losing to the Vancouver Canucks during overtime NHL hockey action in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Credit: AP/DARRYL DYCK
Remember the season opener?
Six grueling months ago, the Avalanche and Kings opened the season against each other. The Avalanche won 4-1 in Los Angeles behind a pair of goals from Martin Necas, who would go on to register his first 100-point season (38 goals, 62 assists).
The two teams join an exclusive club by becoming the fifth pair since 2015-16 to open the regular season and the playoffs against each other, according to NHL Stats. The other pairs to do so were Montreal and Toronto (2020-21); Colorado and St. Louis (2020-21); St. Louis and Winnipeg (2018-19); and Los Angeles and San Jose (2015-16).
Of those teams that won the season opener only San Jose went on to win the series. It’s a trend Kopitar and the Kings wouldn’t mind joining.
Kopitar and the playoffs
Kopitar helped the Kings to the Stanley Cup title in 2011-12 and 2013-14 along with goaltender Jonathan Quick, who now is with the New York Rangers and recently said he’s retiring. Kopitar has played in 103 postseason games with 27 goals and 62 assists.
“The intensity ramps up, everything ramps up,” Kopitar said of the postseason. “Every mistake, every little play, magnifies now.”
Familiar faces
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper was in net for the Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022. In addition, Kuemper and Drew Doughty were teammates with MacKinnon, Makar and Devon Toews when Canada won silver at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
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