Buffs hold off North Texas 67-64 in Denver exhibition thriller

Colorado closed its exhibition schedule with a 67-64 win over North Texas on Sunday at the Auraria Event Center at Metropolitan State University of Denver, surviving two Mean Green three-point tries in the closing seconds. The physical game sent the two teams to the line for 50 free throws combined, and Colorado needed nearly all of its share, carrying a three-point lead into the final 10 seconds before the defense held.

The free exhibition, branded the Mile High Hoops Classic, was Colorado's lone exhibition before the regular season and brought the program to Denver fans in a 2,200-seat gym on the MSU Denver campus. Head coach Tad Boyle called the matchup "a great test for us this year," pointing to North Texas, its veteran guards and its physical system. Boyle said the best part of the trip was having "the Denver people who didn't have to drive to Boulder" in the building, and that children were still getting autographs from players before the team left the gym.

The new faces led the way. Dickeson, a freshman guard from Adelaide, Australia, finished with the team-high 15 points. Graduate student forward Justin Neely, a transfer from UNC Greensboro, led Colorado in rebounds with nine and in assists with six. Center Noah Feddersen blocked three shots, and the Buffaloes recorded seven blocks as a team. "I think it was great," Dickeson said of the game. "North Texas put up a great fight."

Colorado opened the game on an 8-0 run, with fifth-year guard Barrington Hargress scoring four of the points, and led 10-5 at the first media timeout. North Texas then missed six straight shots during a four-minute scoring drought, and Dickeson blocked a layup attempt by Amar Amkou midway through the half. The Mean Green closed within a point at 23-22 on a second-chance layup by Cole Franklin with three minutes left in the half, but a Dickeson three-pointer and a Neely layup plus free throw sent Colorado into halftime ahead 32-27. Neely had seven points, five rebounds and three assists in the first half and made all five of his free throws. Colorado shot 47 percent from the field in the half, to 37 percent for North Texas, and North Texas missed all seven of its three-point attempts before halftime.

North Texas tied the game at 36-36 at the 16-minute mark of the second half when Casmir Chavis scored a layup and added the free throw for the first tie since 0-0. Colorado retook the lead on a slam dunk by Jalin Holland off a bounce pass from Neely. After the under-12 media timeout, North Texas took its first lead of the game on a driving layup by Chavis, the start of an 8-0 Mean Green run. A Dickeson three-pointer with nine minutes left ended a two-minute Colorado scoring drought and cut the lead to 46-44.

The lead changed hands the rest of the way. Alexander Aenas hit the first North Texas three-pointer of the game with 6:22 to go, and a three-pointer by Je'Shawn Stevenson put the Mean Green ahead 53-50 with four minutes remaining. Colorado converted four straight free throws after a pair of North Texas fouls to retake the lead at 59-58 with two minutes left, according to Colorado Athletics. With the Buffaloes ahead by one point and 27 seconds to go, Hargress made two free throws to extend the margin to 67-64, and the Colorado defense held on the final possession.

Colorado opens its 2026-27 regular season against Abilene Christian on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the CU Events Center in Boulder. The game is listed for ESPN+ and for the Colorado Basketball Radio Network on KOA, according to Colorado Athletics.