The wins continue to pile up for the University of Colorado men’s basketball team, as it becomes clear their success is no fluke. Saturday’s 75-71 victory over Oklahoma State at a sold-out Coors Events Center in Boulder wasn’t an easy one, with the Buffs’ usually accurate shooters gritting their way through it (recap via CUBuffs.com). CU was down for a good portion of the game, but they fought their way back in the second half. “We’re encouraged by [the win] because it showed something else this team can do,” senior Cory Higgins says. “It’s the first time we’ve had to come back at home…. It was big for our team, showing that we could do that, too.”

The Buffs have now won seven games in a row (and 12 of their last 13), putting them at 14-4 overall and 3-0 in conference play—the first time they’ve opened conference play with that many wins since the 1996-97 season. The team isn’t in the Associated Press men’s top 25 national poll yet, but they’re certainly moving in the right direction.

First-year coach Tad Boyle tells the Longmont Times-Call that as fans continue to show increased support for the team, it’s the team’s responsibility to reward those fans with solid, winning basketball. Boulder’s Daily Camera points out that seven of Boyle’s eight primary players were recruited by former coach Jeff Bzdelik, “but Boyle is now the one pulling the strings.” And it’s made all the difference. The Denver Post’s Woody Paige says a prominent booster told him a year ago the school should drop the men’s basketball program. “CU’s irrelevance wasn’t a trend, but a tradition,” Paige writes. Now, as the Buffs play their final season in the Big 12, it’s unlikely we’ll hear any talk about ditching this program any time soon.