Click below for the bag...
Win over Nebraska - It was a win the team had to have, and it took 40 minutes of punishing basketball to grab it. CU jumped quickly out to a 14-3 lead, and never allowed the Huskers to take it back. Sure there were some hairy moments, like when Nebraska was able to cut the deficit to one point in the 2nd half, but there was no quit to be found in the Buffs, who pulled away for the final 67-57 spread.
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| It was all smiles for CU Saturday night. From: the BDC |
The fifth sold-out crowd of the season saw the Buffs complete a successful home campaign, going 15-2 in the CEC. It's now on to the conference tournament, and then on to some form of post-season play for the first in 5 years.
Seniors shine on Senior Day - In what could be the easiest poetic point I'll ever make, it was the seniors who lead the way for the Buffs on Senior Day. Combining for a total of 46 points, the 5 seniors made the difference. Hell, even seldom used Trent Beckley got meaningful minutes; he was brought on to throw his bulk into the battle against the festively plump Andre Almeida, and even got a bucket on a jump hook for his efforts.
The group, and team as a whole, were lead by the stellar performance of Marcus Relphorde. Marcus was everywhere, providing 19 points, 5 boards, and 4 huge steals, and his play was a key factor throughout the night. He hit big shots, and played pretty good defense against the big Husker forwards. It was good to see all of the seniors have big nights, but it was especially nice to see Marcus, whose long, strange trip chasing his hoop dreams has included 5 stops and 6 different coaches, shine in front of the sold-out CEC crowd.
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| Marcus had a fantastic final home game. From: the BDC |
Rematch with ISU on Wednesday - The win, of course, sets up a rematch with ISU this Wednesday in Kansas City. The Buffs may not openly admit it, but I'm sure this is the matchup they wanted. It's not like they were robbed against ISU last Wednesday, they just got beat, and they're going to want the opportunity to prove that the performance wasn't exemplary of the quality of this team.
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| Burks and the gang want another shot at ISU. |
It's about revenge. That loss Wednesday showed the Buffs that all the hard work this year, the comeback versus Texas, the brutally-tough wins over KSU, the shocking upset of Mizzou in the conference opener, can all disappear in a flash against even the weakest of opponents. It was a wake-up call, and at the very least should lead to an ass-whupping of epic proportions in two days. Go get 'em guys, you've earned the right to regain your pride.
CU currently projected as last team in Tournament - They'll need a good performance against the ISU Cyclones on Wednesday to stay "in" the bubble. That's right, I said in. Despite my confusion, CU remains not only solidly on the bubble following a week which saw them heart-breakingly drop a must-win game in Ames, but the Buffs have actually improved their standing according to ESPN's "bracketologist" Joe Lunardi. CU is now listed as the very last at-large team taken into the Tournament field.
I'm very skeptical of this. If you took the name "Colorado Buffaloes" off of the Tournament resume and showed it to me, I'd reflexively say "no way" to the Buffs being included. The RPI is too high (76), and the non-con SOS (328!) is abysmal. Because of this, I think it would behoove the Buffs to win at least 2 games in KC if they still want to make the Dance, any less and they're playing with fate and the prognostications of "experts."
Burks, Higgins, and Knutson pick up post season honors - Somewhat lost in the shuffle of post-season excitement is the news that 3 Buffs earned accolades for their 2011 performance. Alec Burks (1st Team All-Big XII), Cory Higgins (3rd Team All-Big XII), and Levi Knutson (Co-Big XII 6th man of the year) all received well-deserved honors for their season performances. Burks lead the way, earning unanimous selection to the 1st team, becoming the first Buff to appear int he 1st team since Richard Roby in '06.
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| Levi got some well-deserved love as 6th-man of the year. From: The BDC |
When looking at the final conference awards list, I'm somewhat disappointed to see Bill Self as the Coach of the year. I thought CU's own Tad Boyle deserved a lot of consideration for the award, taking a team who was projected to finish 9th in the conference to 5th, and potentially sneaking them into the Tournament. Bill Self seems like a lazy choice to me. Is he a great coach, sure, but he has the best talent in the conference every season; of course the Jayhawks are going to do well. Coach Boyle improved the Buffs in every facet of the game from last season, and should've received some recognition for it.
Bulls beat Heat for season sweep - The Bulls put the Miami Heat away for the 3rd time Sunday, earning them a season sweep over the overly-hyped group from South Beach. The Bulls, who have semi-quietly been putting together a terrific season, are now solidly in 2nd place in the conference, and are looking to make a deep run into the playoffs.
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| D-Rose and the Bulls slashed past the Heat for the 3rd time. From: the Trib |
The season sweep has been especially sweet considering that Dwyane Wade and Lebron James used the Bulls as a patsy bidder during the "sweepstakes" this past offseason. Before the year, I scoffed at the notion that this Heat squad could challenge the '95-'96 Bulls 72 victory record, and now they're guaranteed to finish with a worse record than last season's Cleveland Cavaliers squad. Karma's an ugly bitch. Maybe having more than 3 guys on a team matters more than a league obsessed with individual stars would care to admit... just something to think about.
White Sox extend Thornton - If the painful 2007 season taught Sox GM Kenny Williams anything, it's that a weak bullpen can destroy your season before it even starts. Ever since then he's been willing to throw big money at the pen, ensuring that at least he won't be to blame if the late-inning relief gives fans indigestion. Massive contracts to players like Scott Linebrink and Jesse Crain, along with high draft picks spent on players like Chris Sale, have been the result of this focus on relievers.
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| The Southside version of Matty-ice is now locked in for a few more years. |
He continued that theme by extending All-Star setup man Matt Thornton this weekend for 2 years, $14 million, and a club option 3rd year. $7 million a year may seem like a lot of cash, but Thornton has been a rock for the Sox over the past few seasons, and needed to be locked into the Southside for a few more years. Keep spending that money, Kenny!
Happy Monday!
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