BOULDER - The University of Colorado has finalized plans to salute Ricardo Patton but still has not determined an official exit date for the outgoing men's basketball coach.

Patton, who on Oct. 25 announced his resignation effective at the end of this season, will receive postgame recognition Saturday after he coaches his final game at the Coors Events Center, against Nebraska.

Athletic director Mike Bohn said several of Patton's former players, others "from the program at large" and some of Patton's "friends and colleagues" will attend.

Bohn also said negotiations between Patton's attorney and the school's legal counsel have not pinpointed the coach's final day on the job. His contract runs through June, but the Buffs' season likely will end at the Big 12 Conference tourney next week.

Of the tribute Saturday, Patton said, "I don't think I'll do much talking. I think I typically speak from the heart; I don't necessarily plan out speeches."

Bohn said the search for Patton's successor remains on pace and added that no candidates formally have been interviewed. He characterized a recent 90-minute breakfast with Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap as "an exploratory meeting" and said the same type of encounter has occurred with other potential candidates.

Dunlap on Wednesday said at the Metro Denver Sports Commission's KeyBank Sports Speaker Series that his communication with CU has been "very open" and "good."

"We've talked preliminarily," he said. "There's a lot of things, quite frankly, that Colorado has to do to shore up the gap that they allowed to happen over a lot of years in order to compete in the Big 12."

The Nuggets' coaching staff also includes former CU forward Jamahl Mosley, who could return to the Buffs if Dunlap were hired. Mosley said CU's commitment to basketball, which Bohn has promised to upgrade, will be a factor for any incoming coach.

"Show me (the commitment)," Mosley said. "You can hear people talk - that's been going on since I was there. . . . I'm not saying anything against the university, but show me."