The recent play of Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik certainly aren’t the only reasons Colorado has found itself in a rut lately. Yet the recent nature of their up-and-down performances — typically solid at home, balanced with frustration on the road — has provided a microcosm of the entire CU m en’s basketball team. Dak and Rancik finally got on track outside of Boulder on Saturday, as CU suffered a close-but-not-quite 90-86 overtime loss at No. 22 BYU. Their play wasn’t enough to prevent the Buffaloes from suffering their ninth loss in the past 11 games, but it certainly was enough to stir hope the Buffs can be more competitive over the final five games of the regular season, a run that begins on Saturday at home against Oklahoma State (1:30 p.m., TNT/truTV). “When Seby and BD are playing well,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said, “and our guards are playing well, we’ve got a chance to beat anybody.” In the Buffs previous three road games — one-sided defeats at Iowa State, Baylor and Texas Tech that CU lost by an average of 27.7 points — there was plenty of blame to go around. Yet the struggles of Dak and Rancik, the two players who have played the most Big 12 games for the Buffs, typified CU’s road struggles. In those three lopsided losses, Dak went 5-for-21 with eight rebounds. It was a similar story for Rancik, who also went 5-for-21 with a five-turnover game at Texas Tech. Yet the duo turned it around at BYU and was a big reason why the Buffs nearly pulled off the upset. Rancik didn’t have his best shooting game, going 2-for-9 overall and 0-for-5 on 3-pointers. But he went 5-for-6 on free throws, recorded a career-high six assists with only two turnovers, and posted his second double-digit rebounding total in three games with 10. Rancik also recorded three steals and led a strong defensive effort against BYU’s future NBA lottery pick, freshman AJ Dybantsa. Dak scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime, finishing 7-for-12 with seven rebounds. While CU didn’t bring home a victory from BYU, and the Cougars certainly weren’t at their best after watching standout senior Richie Saunders exit with an injury in the game’s opening minute, the effort nonetheless rekindled some confidence within a Buffs squad approaching a more favorable turn in the schedule. Related Articles Colorado begins critical week with matchup against TCU Colorado men’s basketball hitting new Tad Boyle-era defensive lows Grading The Week: Nuggets’ Peyton Watson looks like money player. But can Kroenkes pay up? Coach Bill Self doesn’t travel with No. 19 Kansas to CU after going to the hospital, school says Colorado’s rebounding issues on display in 0-2 Big 12 road trip After the Buffs (14-12, 4-9 Big 12) host Oklahoma State, which has lost three in a row going into a Wednesday home date against No. 9 Kansas, they host Kansas State, which is 1-11 in the Big 12. CU faces another daunting road challenge at No. 3 Houston on Feb. 28, but then completes the road portion of the Big 12 schedule at Utah, which also is 1-11 in the conference. “We don’t believe in moral victories, but definitely a step in the right direction and definitely a step where we want to be,” CU guard Barrington Hargress said. “We’re definitely looking to win every game left. We’re just looking to build on the good basketball we played (at BYU). “Definitely a good time to just feel better, do whatever it takes to get 100%. Because we know that in the Big 12, there’s no easy games. You want to take those off-days when you can and get better when you can.” Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams. ...read more read less