Colorado
N. Colorado Bears vs. Sacramento State Hornets: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time
Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, N. Colorado looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 40-33 lead against Sacramento State.
If N. Colorado keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 10-7 in no time. On the other hand, Sacramento State will have to make due with a 5-12 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Sacramento State Hornets @ N. Colorado Bears
Current Records: Sacramento State 5-11, N. Colorado 9-7
How To Watch
What to Know
Sacramento State has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Sacramento State Hornets and the N. Colorado Bears will face off in a Big Sky battle at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Bank of Colorado Arena. N. Colorado took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Sacramento State, who comes in off a win.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 15 to 4 on the offensive boards, a fact Sacramento State proved on Saturday. They had just enough and edged the Bengals out 66-64. Kudos to the oddsmakers for accurately forecasting both the winner and the close margin.
Meanwhile, N. Colorado unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell 90-81 to the Bobcats. N. Colorado has struggled against Montana State recently, as their matchup on Saturday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
The Hornets’ win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-11. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.0 points per game. As for the Bears, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-7.
Sacramento State is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Sacramento State is playing on the road, but their 2-6 record against the spread as such isn’t exactly encouraging.
Sacramento State lost to N. Colorado on the road by a decisive 70-54 margin in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Can Sacramento State avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
N. Colorado is a big 8.5-point favorite against Sacramento State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bears as a 7.5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 148.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
N. Colorado has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Sacramento State.
- Feb 11, 2023 – N. Colorado 70 vs. Sacramento State 54
- Jan 12, 2023 – Sacramento State 72 vs. N. Colorado 64
- Feb 10, 2022 – N. Colorado 79 vs. Sacramento State 61
- Jan 08, 2022 – Sacramento State 85 vs. N. Colorado 71
- Mar 10, 2021 – N. Colorado 90 vs. Sacramento State 83
- Feb 15, 2020 – N. Colorado 68 vs. Sacramento State 65
- Jan 16, 2020 – N. Colorado 71 vs. Sacramento State 52
- Feb 09, 2019 – N. Colorado 65 vs. Sacramento State 59
- Dec 29, 2018 – N. Colorado 70 vs. Sacramento State 65
- Mar 03, 2018 – Sacramento State 88 vs. N. Colorado 77
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.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
ColoradoAvalanche.com is the official Web site of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado Avalanche and ColoradoAvalanche.com are trademarks of Colorado Avalanche, LLC. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 Colorado Avalanche Hockey Team, Inc. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. NHL Stadium Series name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League.
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.
-
Finance3 minutes agoHong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict
-
Fitness9 minutes agoHow the 3-3-3 Rule Helped Me Stick to an Exercise Routine
-
Movie Reviews21 minutes agoFILM REVIEW: ROSE OF NEVADA – Joyzine
-
World33 minutes ago
Oil prices rise anew after a US-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz strands tankers
-
News39 minutes agoVideo: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say
-
Culture1 hour agoPoetry Challenge: Memorize “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoPhotos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis
-
Technology2 hours agoBlue Origin successfully reused its New Glenn rocket