Nebraska Basketball Preview #2

CU vs Nebraska.  One last time.  It all comes down to this.  Having tasted defeat in my final trip to Lincoln, I desperately want to see one last win over the Huskers. The women held up their part of the bargain, finding victory as the last Buffalo squad to ever visit the "shit-hole of the plains" (that's Lincoln's official nickname, right?).  Now it's up to the men to complete a series-ending sweep of the Huskers; fading Tournament hopes be damned, this is for blood.

Cory has one last shot at the Corn, and looks to end the home portion of his CU career on a high-note Saturday evening.  From: the BDC

I talked at great length back in November about what the rivalry means to me.  I won't spoil that declaration of hate with more garbled language, but, suffice to say, I'd rather lose a thousand games to ISU than take one on the chin in the final match with the Huskers.  Both teams could be winless in conference, and I wouldn't care; for one last dance with the Red Menace I'd walk through fire.

The Buffs come in fresh off of face-planting into the wall that is the ISU Cyclones.  For all of 3 days, the Tournament was a real possibility, now Buff Nation is back to taking what it can get.  A final win over the Corn on senior day would do nicely.  Besides the final date with the Huskers, Saturday will serve as the final home game for seniors Cory Higgins, Marcus Relphorde, Levi Knutson, Javon Coney and Trent Beckley. Additionally, CU can still land in 5th place for the Big XII tournament, setting up a rematch with ISU.  I bet the boys would want a shot at quick revenge next Tuesday.

I know Levi wouldn't mind another crack at ISU; to get it, CU will need a win Saturday along with some help from Mizzou and Baylor.  From: the BDC

Nebraska comes in with their own Tournament hopes in critical condition.  Their story these past few weeks has closely mirrored that of our Buffs.  Having beaten Texas at home, Nebraska fans were talking Tournament (It's worth pointing out that they're the only Big XII squad without a Tournament appearance in the Big XII era, and have never won a Tournament game), only to see the team crash and burn in Ames.  Their road to the Dance is probably even longer than CU's, and would certainly require a win in Boulder.

I hope everyone reading this can make the game Saturday, it should be a great atmosphere, and the departing seniors deserve as great of a send-off as we can muster.  Tip-off is set for 7pm.  If you're hoping for television coverage, I can't help you, but audio coverage will be aired on 850 KOA for those who can't attend.  That's right, for the first time since before I was born, Buffs basketball is on the region's largest radio station.  For reference, my preview of the first game is here.

If you're going to watch senior Marcus Relphorde play his final home game, you'll have to be in the gym.  From: the BDC

As this is the final regular season meeting with the Huskers, it also marks my final opportunity to say fare-poorly to the other school departing the Big XII.  Really, at this point, I don't have anything left to level at the Corn.  I'll cede my remaining time to Mr James Van Der Beek; I hear he has a final message for the Huskers.  Take it away James:

-link

Poetic in its simplicity.

Click below for my preview.

Quick-Post: First 2012 Basketball recruit

One of the primary concerns for Colorado basketball the past few years has been interior play.  While they've done well enough with a bevy of athletic swingmen, there hasn't been enough size in the paint to defend the other team's bigs, grab big-time rebounds, or get easy looks at the basket to stop opponent's runs.  It's a problem area in desperate need of addressing.  Slowly, but surely, Coach Boyle has been doing just that.

Having already signed the 6-7, wide-bodied Damiene Cain to the 2011 class, Coach Boyle has continued to go after post players to round out his roster.  As a result, Coach Boyle has received his first commitment to the CU class of 2012 in the form of Josh Scott.  A 6-9 Power Forward from Colorado Springs, Scott also marks the first in-state player to commit to play for CU under the Boyle regime (the 3 players in the 2011 class are all from California).  Scott has performed well for Lewis-Palmer High, providing 21/11 per game, and had, according to rivals, been receiving interest from schools like Stanford, Wake Forest and CSU.

I'm not sure if transfer guard Sabatino Chen is currently on scholarship or not (my bad), but the Buffs should be able to spend at least 4 total scholarships on players in the 2012 class with Nate Tomlinson, Austin Dufault, Carlon Brown, and Trey Eckloff scheduled to graduate after next season.  Spending one of those 4 on a local power forward seems like a great idea.  Way to go Coach Boyle, and welcome aboard Josh!

Quick-Post: CU kicks me while I'm down

Season football renewals came out today.  Great, not only am I still grieving over last night's loss to ISU, but now I have to watch money fly out of my bank account. The good news is that total prices are down, but, unless you sit in the cheap seats or section 220, that's mostly due to there being one fewer game on the schedule.

On the bright side, while it does hurt to pay cash money right now, my decision to renew isn't as difficult as it was last March.  Even if the Buffs-4-Life coaching crew can't spin immediate voodoo, things should at least be interesting to watch this fall.

ISU wrap

Ouch, that one hurt.  Last night's 95-90 CU loss to ISU essentially eliminates the Buffs from Tournament competition.  It's days like this, after painfully tough losses, that I drastically change up my morning routine.  I wake up bright and early, don't listen to any sports-talk on the radio, and I avoid the newspapers like the plague.  It's as if, by avoiding any mention of the loss, that the outcome will magically change; that if I never hear about it again, then it never really happened.

Unfortunately, it did happen, and it was those old Achilles Heels of defense and rebounding that did the Buffs season in.  ISU was able to shoot over 70% in the second half, and 57% for the game, while out-rebounding the Buffs by 8.  Additionally, ISU had 5 players in double figures, and two (Calvin Godfrey and Jamie Vanderbeken) had double-doubles.  It would take a damn miracle to win on the road against numbers like that.

While it was a overall team blitz by the Cyclones, the presence of Calvin Godfrey, who missed the first game, was the key difference.  The freshman had a career night, going 23/11 in only 23 minutes of play.  I fretted in my column yesterday that Godfrey might gash the Buffs, but I never imagined him having that level of impact.  CU just didn't have an answer for him, and paid the price in the end.

Godfrey destroyed CU last night.  From: the Ames Tribune

On the positive side for the Buffs, there was a lot of offensive highlights (which is to be expected when you drop 90 on a team).  Alec Burks had another big night,  nearly posting his own double-double while providing 24/9/4.  Marcus Relphorde also had a big impact, chipping-in 21/7 while shooting 5-10 from 3.  Had he not had some big 3-pointers in the second half, the Buffs would've lost by much more.  Levi had a near-perfect night again, going 4-4 from 3 on his way to 16 points.  CU battled offensively all night long, and put up some pretty impressive numbers, but just couldn't keep up with the night ISU was having.

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Yesterday, when finishing up my preview, I looked past all of the sign-posts (road game, the return of Godfrey, trap game, etc) and picked the Buffs to win anyway.  I just couldn't bring myself to admit that CU was going to lose last night; but lose they did.  It wasn't lack of effort (outside of a few defensive letdowns, they played their asses off last night) but fate that doomed CU.  It just wasn't going to happen last night.

So what does CU have left to play for?  Well, for one, the seniors;  Higgins, Relphorde, and Knutson deserve a proper send off Saturday evening.  There is also that probable NIT berth on the horizon.  The last time the Buffs found themselves in the NIT (2006), the team didn't take the "not-in-Tournament" tournament seriously, and the Buffs got blown out at home by the vaunted Old Dominion Monarchs from the Colonial Athletic Association; I'd sure everyone would like to avoid a repeat of that performance if possible.  Finally, there's always pride.  This is a good team.  Sure, it has its flaws, but you don't just wake up one day and start beating Missouri, Texas, and K-State twice.  The Tournament may not be in CU's future, but they're still an exciting team to watch, and I'll be there loud-and-proud Saturday evening to cheer them on against the hated Corn.

Quick Post: Nebraska game sold out

There was a time when CU basketball would sell out maybe one game of the year, and even then it would be mostly visiting fans.  This season has put that old reality on its head.  Saturday will mark the 5th sellout of the season; that's a record.  In fact the CEC has been sold out the last 3 games, and all without the benefit of those KU fans that I hope I never see again. 

Way to go Buff Nation!  This has been a great season both in terms of play on the court and support in the stands.  I can't wait to get back into that packed gym Saturday evening!

Iowa State Basketball Preview #2

It's a good time to be playing your best basketball.  With last Saturday's stunning comeback against #5 Texas, CU has now won 3 of it's last 4 contests, with the lone loss being against the fired-up Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence.  That's not to say things haven't been close.  If you take away that KU debacle, over the last 3 weeks CU has only been separated from their opponents by an average of 2.5 points.  The Buffs have been finding a way to win, and now stand a week of good basketball away from a 20-win season and a decent shot at making the Tournament.

The Buffs are rising and firing at just the right time.

It's not exactly a foregone conclusion, however.  While, on paper, games against ISU and Nebraska look like wins, basketball never ceases to amaze me.  Teams without a hope-in-hell of winning somehow come through with their best games of the season. Tonight especially poses a quirky challenge.  ISU may be the worst team in the conference, but the long bus ride to lonely Ames, Iowa has a funny way of messing with teams, and, even with their poor record, their fans show up (drawing over 12,000 per game) and create a loud and raucous atmosphere; the locals call it "Hilton Magic."  It would behoove the Buffs to build a lead early, silence the crowd, and move on.

The Buffs enter tonight's contest back in the thick of the chase for one of the few remaining at-large slots in Tournament.  A perfect 2-0 week over Lone Star State squads is the cause celebre, and CU has been getting a lot of national, regional, and local attention over the last few days.  A loss to ISU, however, would end all of that love in a hurry.  It certainly wouldn't be unprecedented; the last time CU won at ISU was 2005, and the Buffs are a paltry 18-47 all-time in Ames.

Nate and the guys still have work to do to slip into the Tourney.  This isn't over yet.  From: The BDC

ISU comes in having caught the previous up-setter of Texas, Nebraska, flatfooted in Hilton Coliseum over the weekend.  I hope the Buffs were paying attention, because that same fate awaits them if they don't take this Cyclone team seriously.  While ISU has been struggling overall this season, in Ames, backed by their always surprisingly large crowds, they've played some decent basketball.  Other than their 2 wins, they've also made Kansas, K-State and Missouri sweat it out late in home games.  This is never an easy building to walk out of with a W, and I expect nothing different tonight.

Gametime is set for 5:30, so you may want to get out of work a little earlier than usual to make it home in time for tip-off.  The game isn't regularly available on television, but you can find it on the ESPN Full Court premium package and the always reliable ESPN3.com streaming site ("the tres," and it's free-streaming coverage of nearly all Big XII games, is the only thing I'll miss when we're in the Pac-12 next season).  For reference, my preview of the first game is here.

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Tonight's game will also mark the final time CU and ISU will meet in the regular season.  While it's looking very possible that these two teams could meet again next week in KC, I'll take this as my final opportunity to say goodbye to the forgotten middle-child of the Big XII.  ISU, while definitely an "Aggie school," has always seemed to be more removed from the rest of the Big XII than even CU.  It's a hard school to travel to, and Ames is an easy place to forget... that is unless a goddamn tornado nearly lands on your head

In the fall of '05, a series of tornadoes hit the state of Iowa and the Ames area.  I had ventured out to Ames that day to see the last ranked CU football team look to finish the season strong.  With the tornadoes hitting the area, they ushered a large part of the crowd into the basketball arena (which is essentially a giant concrete bunker).  Imagine that, my only trip to Hilton Coliseum didn't even involve a basketball game.  Everyone inside was alright, and the game eventually got started after a lengthy delay.  Wide-eyed with shock, I spent the rest of the evening watching a unimpressive ISU squad push around the last decent CU football team I've seen.  I blame the storm.

Anyways, they've been essentially a piece of luggage being dragged around by the higher profile (and richer) schools during the whole conference re-alignment tussle.  Credit to them, they've kept their heads low, and didn't go crying to the press too much. 

Unfortunately, were the Big XII to disintegrate tomorrow (I haven't ruled it out) I honestly believe that they'd end up joining the MAC, and that's just sad.  They're nice people and deserve better than that .  Of all the fanbases in the Big XII, I hold the least animosity for 'Clones fans, and I hope they find a way to land in a good spot when this is all over.

Fare-the-well, Bird-in-a-blender.

Click below for my preview

Tourney Talk

With the Buffs now firmly entrenched on "the bubble", it's time to talk not only where CU can end up in the conference tournament, but the national one as well.

Alec and the Buffs still have work to do in order to fight their way into the Tourney.  From: The BDC

In order to make their first Tourney appearance in 8 years, CU should win each of the final 2 regular season games to make it to 20 overall wins.  While the mystical "20-win" round number marker no longer means what it used to, it is a general indicator, in a power conference, that you belong in the Tourney. 

If CU can get to 20, it'll be hard to keep them out, weak non-conference schedule be damned.  Additionally, 2 more wins probably vaults CU into the 5th seed in next weeks conference tournament (with that plum 1st-round game against ISU) as I'm still assuming Kansas can beat Missouri on the final day of conference play (Although, as we all saw last night with KSU/Texas, things don't always go as planned).

Could CU still make the Tournament after losing one of the next two ballgames?  Sure, but it would take an outstanding run in the Big XII tournament, possibly to the final, to make the selection committee forget a late-season loss to a lesser opponent.  Best to win these final 2.

The good news is that getting those final 2 wins comes at a slightly easier cost than getting the 18th last Saturday.  CU just needs to beat struggling Iowa State on the road tomorrow night and defeat rival Nebraska at what will probably be a sold-out CEC this Saturday to reach the 20-win plateau.  While I'm not going to sit here and count my chickens before they've hatched, this schedule is more favorable than if CU still had to play one of the Kansas schools or travel to College Station.

Having to go through the Huskers to make the Tourney will be tough, but it could be worse.

Once CU gets to KC, and assuming KSU doesn't stumble against ISU in their final game of the season, the Buffs will have a first round opponent.  It is absolutely imperative that they win this game.  Even with 20 wins, a CU team who loses to a low-RPI team in the first-round of the Big XII tournament could still end up in the NIT should other bubble teams play deeper into their respective tournaments.

So essentially, CU still needs 3 wins.  Go get 'em, boys!

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When looking at the national implications, without a run to the semi-finals of the conference tournament, I think the Buffs are probably going to end up in the "First Four" mini-tournament in Dayton, OH.  That soft non-conference schedule (ranked in the 320's nationally) is like an anchor around the Buffs necks, keeping them tied to the lower reaches of the bracket.  Things could certainly shake out to keep them off the bottom line, but I think most scenarios at this point have CU as "sneaking" into the Tournament.  I still don't like Tournament expansion (from the 34 at-large teams of previous years to 37 this year), but I'll keep my mouth shut if the Buffs get in because of it.

I guess pre-Tournament is better than no Tournament at all.

Obviously, this time of year invites scoreboard watching.  While there are plenty of teams anxiously playing out their final few games left on the schedule, here are a few that Buff fans may want to follow with some extra attention (read: root against them):  Illinois, Richmond, Alabama, Michigan, Baylor, Wichita St, Clemson, Boston College, Colorado St. Maryland, Nebraska, and Memphis.  A few of these teams play tough games this evening.  Here's a list of 5 games that CU fans should be follow closely tonight, along with a short explanation as to what the game could mean:

Illinois @ Purdue - I still think the Illini could play themselves out of the Tournament.  They've played a tough schedule, but have lost some howlers this season (UIC, @Indiana, @Northwestern).  Their saving grace might be that final game against Indiana; losing in Bloomington is one thing, losing to them in Champaign is another matter entirely.

Alabama @ Florida - How can a team who lost to St Peter's be in Tourney discussion?  Well, they're the #1 team in the SEC West (which is like wining the Big East in football), and if they win this game would probably be in the Dance.  Here's to them falling on their face.

Mizzou @ Nebraska - Nebraska is way on the outside the Tourney discussion.  They would have to win out, and have a strong showing in KC to make it in my estimation.  Not out of the question with their defense, but very unlikely.  If they win tonight it would set up a titanic match-up on Saturday, possibly for a spot in the Dance.

Baylor @ OSU - Hanging around, hanging around, this team's got alligator blood.  Baylor just won't die off.  CU needs to find separation from them to better their conference seed, but just can't seem to slip by them.  Any trip to Stillwater, even when the Cowboys are playing bad basketball, is tough, but CU may have to wait untill the weekend to leap-frog the Bears.

Boston College @ Virginia Tech -  BC is a team with similar resume to the Buffs.  They started 3-0 in conference before falling on hard times.  They even have a loss to Harvard and a win against Indiana.  If the Eagles have any hope of making the Dance, they have to beat VaTech tonight.  C'mon Hokies!