Monday Grab Bag: A Poor Send-off

Saturday's loss to Oregon St didn't change anything.  Had CU won, they'd still be playing the Beavers, again, on Wednesday.  It does, however, add doubt to the equation, doubt that hadn't been there prior to Saturday afternoon.  The whole situation actually mirrors last season, when the Buffs went into the Pac-12 tournament fresh off of a deflating loss to OSU.  Hopefully, history continues to repeat this week in Vegas.

Today in the bag, I'm talking a rough Saturday on the hardwood, national championships, and the World Baseball Classic.

Click below for the bag...


Laying an egg - 

With Andre Roberson sitting on the sideline, the Buffs looked like world-beaters Thursday night.  The same could not be said of their Saturday matinee with Oregon St, where the 'Dre-less Buffs looked like disinterested push-overs. Unable to solve the Beaver zone, CU sputtered through the second half on their way to a 64-58 Senior Day loss to the lowly Oregon State Beavers.

Not the result senior Sabatino Chen was looking for in his final game at the CEC.  From: the BDC

Coach Boyle was so disturbed by the listless loss that he was driven to a lengthy apology after the game.  

"This loss is on me as a head coach. Our team wasn't ready to play today -- emotionally or mentally or physically. We laid an egg. [...]  I don't feel sorry for myself, I don't feel sorry for anybody in that locker room except for Shane Harris-Tunks and Sabatino Chen because they deserved more than what they got out of today.  [...] Their coach and their teammates let them down."(link)

I can't necessarily argue, but blame goes farther than just Coach Boyle.  It was a maddening 40 minutes of hoops, more akin to dental surgery then entertainment.  With Colorado point guard Spencer Dinwiddie feeling compelled to stop the ball on every possession, the Buffs never got close to an offensive rhythm, and ended up shooting a lousy 35% from the field.  While Dinwiddie would finish with 18/5/2/5, which is a really nice line, his pedantic leadership of the offense kept the team in first gear for much of the game.

Additionally, while the seniors had nice performances, combining for 13/4, the simple truth is that the Beavers took advantage of Shane playing extended minutes.  Beaver forwards Joe Burton and Eric Moreland went right at the slower Harris-Tunks, combining for 27/20.  CU's freshman center Josh Scott wasn't much of a relief, either, and it was clear that the lack of Andre Roberson's interior defense was a factor.  Said Burton, "losing (Roberson) is like losing a leg."

Without 'Dre to stop them, Burton and Moreland controlled the paint.  From: the BDC

The really bad news is that a Washington State win over USC means that a CU/OSU rematch is set for Wednesday afternoon in Vegas.  If 'Dre isn't ready to go by then, it could end up an ugly repeat of Saturday's train wreck, spiraling the defending champs out of the first round.  What's more, one loss to a team with an RPI ranking above 175 won't cost CU a spot in the Tournament (don't listen to the trolls), but a second one would lead to a nervous Selection Sunday.

Some soul searching required, the Buffs have two days to figure out how to beat the Beavers.  If they can't, all the hard work put in since the start of the season could be for naught.

At least it's not another weekend game.


Women's team unable to slay the monster - 

The dream was short-lived. Despite leading for much of the game, Linda Lappe and the Buffs were unable to hold back the Stanford wave down the stretch, and the Cardinal rolled past them for a 61-47 win in the Pac-12 semi-finals.

For a second there, I had convinced myself that CU had a shot. They had held Stanford to 28% shooting in the first half, and even held a halftime lead over the national title contenders.  All-World Cardinal forward Chiney Ogwumike, however, was operating unanswered in the paint, and her 25/19 body-blow of a performance eventually wore down the upstart Buffs.

Ogwumike was everywhere.

Despite the loss, I was really impressed with the heart and effort shown by the ladies.  Stanford, just like any of the sport's upper-echelon teams, can appear invincible at times.  That CU had them on the ropes for much of the game speaks volumes.

The Ladies now return home for two weeks of rest before the start of the NCAA Tournament.  Regardless of seeding, the Buffs should get slotted in Boulder, giving them an inside track for a Sweet Sixteen run.


National champs! - 

While the weekend may have been a downer on the basketball side of athletics, the Olympic side was rolling strong.

The big news was the ski team's 54-point final day comeback to secure the University of Colorado's 25th national title.  Leaning on their strength in the Nordic freestyle events, CU swept past the front-running Vermont Catamounts to mark the largest final-day comeback in finals history.

Wooooooo, go ski team!  From: CUBuffs.com

The win is the ski team's 19th overall title, and the 7th for head coach Richard Rokos.  It's also CU's first national title as a member of the Pac-12 (suck it, Utah).

Beyond the skiing exploits, a Buff also took home hardware on the track, where Olympian Emma Coburn scored an NCAA title in the indoor mile.  She took the lead from the opening gun, and never looked back, pacing the field to a sub 4:30 finish.  It's Coburn's second individual title.

Congrats to all the champions!


A North American brawl - 

The World Baseball Classic is something of an enigma.  One of the primary reasons baseball as a sport was dropped from the Olympics was the lack of international competition amongst the best players in the world, so MLB foisted this sorry excuse of a tournament on everyone to build up international play.  Unfortunately, they decided the best time for this is in the middle of spring training, when essentially everyone, fans included, would rather be focusing on the upcoming season.  As a result, play from teams that should be strong, like the US and the Dominican Republic, has often been disappointing.

Still, some teams do take the event seriously.  Take for example Mexico and Canada, who got into this all-out brawl on Saturday:

Yes, Canada needed extra runs for tie-breaking scenarios, but a cheap bunt in a 9-3 game is definitely showing up the opponent.  I'm not surprised Mexico took offense, and that shoving commenced.

What I don't get is how no one got suspended.  Really, even the third baseman who openly calls for the guy to get plunked?  If that was a Major League game, he'd be gone for weeks.

Regardless, it makes for fun video, and a reminder that actual baseball is around the corner.

Happy Monday!