2013 Pac-12 Tournament Preview

God bless Larry Scott.  El Jefe took one look at the flagging attendance in Los Angeles, and decided to move the Pac-12 tournament to sexier environs.  What could possibly be sexier than Vegas in March?  Nothing.

Sin City has, in recent years, turned into a hoops Shangri-La.  Besides the Pac-12, the Mountain West, WAC, and WCC all hold their conference tournaments in Vegas over the first few weeks of March.  For Front Range hoopniks, that means that you could theoretically see CU, CSU, and DU all play meaningful basketball in the same afternoon, while still spending some time at the blackjack tables... not to mention the fact that it'll be 80 and sunny all week.

The point is, by the time you read this post, I will already be in Las Vegas.  Feel free to turn green with envy.

What does that mean for the blog?  Well, since I still don't have a laptop, that unfortunately means I'm going dark for the rest of the week.  Instead, I'll be tweeting (probably a lot) from the games, so you may want to follow me @Rumblinbuffalo.

As for a tournament prediction...

I was all ready to predict a first round exit for the Buffs.  OSU dominated the paint, on both ends, last Saturday, mostly because Andre Roberson wasn't around to check the likes of Joe Burton and Eric Moreland.  Through that dominance, they were able to thoroughly out-work the Buffs without sharp-shooters Roberto Nelson and Ahmad Starks having strong games (Starks was particularly non-existant).  If the Beavers had maintained their advantage in the paint this afternoon, while at the same time getting production from their shooters, no amount of CU adjustments would've been enough to stave off a humiliating defeat.

Luckily, 'Dre has been cleared to play, and the balance of power in the paint has been leveled.  Roberson will be allowed to slip into the role of Willis Reed, giving the Buffs a much better shot to advance past the league-worst Beavers, and onto a favorable matchup with Arizona.

With 'Dre back leading the Buffs on the court, I feel much better about this week.

I don't think Colorado is likely to repeat as champions, although Jason King at ESPN thinks they will.  Still, I think a strong run to a third-straight league semi-final is within reach, and would leave the selection committee with little recourse but to pay off the Buffs with a nice seed for next week.

Overall, I think the tournament will see a lot of minor first and second day upsets, before reverting to chalk for the semis and finals.

I think Cal has a really nice path to the title game.  Their season-finale flop against rival Stanford notwithstanding, they should matchup well with the USC/Utah winner, before clocking either Oregon or Washington.

On the other-side of the bracket, I'm very interested to see what UCLA has in store for everyone.  Nothing would surprise me from that camp, be it a quarterfinals loss to Stanford/ASU, or a breezy run to the title. Neither CU or Arizona is a particularly strong matchup against the Bruins, so, as long as they don't trip up on Thursday, I like them to stumble their way into the final.

Given that chalk-filled tournament finish, give me the Bruins over Cal on Saturday.


GO BUFFS!  PROVE ME WRONG, AND BEAT THE PAC-12!

Quick Post: Pac-12 Tournamnet moving to Vegas

Vegas baby, VEGAS!

In the old days (read: last year), a trip to see the Buffs play in the conference tournament meant a depressing jaunt to "exciting" locales such as Kansas City or Oklahoma City (often involving a boring bus ride).  With the move to the Pac-12, that destination log was greatly improved, and I jumped at the opportunity to run off to SoCal last week.

But next year's conference finale won't be in the Staples Center, and with good reason.  The sparse, and largely dispassionate, crowd made it clear to everyone involved that a new venue was needed.

Enter: Vegas.  With the bright lights and myriad list of distractions, Vegas makes the perfect tournament destination.  Hell, the WCC, Mountain West and WAC had all come to that conclusion already, and each held their tournament in Sin City last week.

It's a great move by the league, made even better by the tournament setting at the MGM Grand Garden.  The venue, which has hosted countless high-profile events over the years, is a perfect setting.  On the strip, but with the comfort, size, and amenities that a power conference crowd demands.

The move is another master-stroke from El Jefe.  I know I'll be making the trip to Vegas every year.

Meanwhile, the women's tournament, which was split between Staples and the beautifully appointed Galen Center, will be moving to Seattle.  About the only problem I can see with that is the fighting that's sure to break out in basketball bands across the west, as band geeks struggle to get on the trip to LV over the side show in Washington.  A free trip to Vegas?  Damn, I was born a few years too early.

Quick Post: On the evolving Pac-12 Network

Work began on the future home of the Pac-12 network yesterday, with the expectation that the operation will be up and running for the fall.  It's an exciting time in a conference seemingly bent on sports-world domination.

The new secret lair... located on Third St in San Francisco.  from: Pac-12.org

The new home of Pac-12 Enterprises, who will produce both the Pac-12 Network and digital distribution content, is a symbol of what CU left the rotting corpse of the Big XII for.  In addition to more money, CU's new home offers a sense of inclusion and forward thinking that was beyond lacking when UT was running the show.  The Big XII continues to be years behind competitors in terms of distribution and market expansion.  With the Pac-12, CU is a part of the new frontier of sporting consumerism.

So, what exactly does this mean to you, the consumer?  It will be easier to follow the Buffs than ever before.

No longer will games go un-broadcast.  The Pac-12 network will be on the basic cable tier in home media markets, with every regional network available on expanded sports tiers.  While satellite provider agreements are still in the works, I have no doubt that sports friendly DirecTV will be involved. Additionally, through the philosophy of "TV everywhere," everything broadcast on the various Pac-12 networks will be available online or on your phone. 

If you want to pay for it, you will be able watch the Buffs, wherever you may roam. This point was underscored for me when I looked up my ISU live-blog from last-year.  No more blackouts!

I'm talking Scrooge McDuck money.  Straight cash, homey!

All told, the Network and digital distribution could mean an additional $15+ million per year into the Buff Treasury.  The digital media rights, along with the Pac-12 Network system, are all in addition to the $2.7-3 billion television deal signed last May.  That deal alone should bring in $15 million to CU starting this fall, with that number only going up in future years, via a built-in escalator clause.

The CU athletic department is about to be seriously rolling in the dough.  As if you didn't already know that.

Quick Post: the Pac-12 is staying the Pac-12!

The SWC hordes have retreated!  Larry Scott remains El Jeffe!  The Pac-12 is still an economical 12-Pac!

I hope the rest of Buff Nation is as jubilant as I am, because this is fantastic news.  A vote on the future of the conference tonight came down decidedly opposed to any of the varied expansion proposals that had been bandied about.  While I'm sure CU was decidedly against any expansion scenarios, I'd be interested to see who else made up the "overwhelming support" in favor of remaining a 12-team league.

While it's probably true that this is just a temporary bump on the road towards a western super-conference, it's important that the Pac-12 enter into the new era on it's terms.  If Texas, or for that matter any other school, can't come to grips with who holds the power in negotiations, then they can take a hike.  It's El Jeffe's way or the highway!

For CU, this means more time to solidify it's position and relationships within the new conference, while staying in a schedule model that includes yearly games in Los Angeles.  For the Big XII, this probably means a few more years of existence before the executioners axe falls.

Yet another Buffalo victory in the expansion wars!

Quick Post: I kind of like this whole Pac-12 thing

In case you haven't noticed, being in the Pac-12 is totally badass. 

Earlier this year we found out exactly how much cash was being thrown CU's way as a result of the move.  Additionally, because the Pac-12 is a bunch of media savants, we've seen Jon Embree all over ESPN the last 24 hours.  Now we find out that CU will not only have a stake in a new Pac-12 television network, but that they will also share a regional affiliate with mountain time zone partner Utah.

How the hell did CU get so lucky?  It's only been a few weeks as official members of the Pac-12, yet it's already 20 times better than where the Buffs were.  Just imagine, Buff Nation could be screaming at the tide over just how much Texas would be allowed to screw us for the privilege of being in their company.

This whole thing is like breaking up with an abusive girlfriend, who never really liked us anyway, only to wind up with a caring supermodel.  This shit is awesome!  Are there bronze statuettes of Larry Scott available online somewhere?  I'd like to have a graven imagine of this genius to sacrifice goats and such to on a daily basis.