Tuesday Grab Bag: What's this? A win!? Now I'm really confused.

I don't want to let this slip through the cracks.  The CU men's basketball program did a pretty cool thing last week when they 'signed' six-year-old Cason Turkaly to the 2015 recruiting class (I know Tad likes to go after early commits, but damn).  Of course, this was an event coordinated with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization working to make once-in-a-lifetime dreams come true for chronically ill children.  They even had Cason, who suffers from Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome, sign a NLI, which may have been the cutest damn thing I've ever seen.  Good on the Buffs for making this happen, and helping to bring a smile to little Cason's life.

Cason Turkaly, the newest commit to the #RollTad army.  Hear he's got a mean handle. From: CUBuffs.com

Side note: inspired by their new signee, CU went on to beat Stanford over the weekend, ending a three-game losing streak. Karma, man.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking the win over Stanford, the world of Pac-12 basketball, and Spring Training.

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2014-15 CU vs Stanford Basketball Preview - We Can't Have Nice Things

The Buffs seemed to have a lot going for them Thursday night against Cal.  For the first time in 2015, every eligible scholarship athlete was available, they were playing a 'beatable' team at home, and even 'The Mayor' Spencer Dinwiddie was in attendance.  Even still, Colorado struggled on both ends of the court, continuing to play a tentative brand of offense, while leaking like a sieve defensively. They would have a chance to steal the win late, but CU couldn't make the necessary plays, and lost yet another home game.  This time by a 68-61 final.

Bruh, I just need a TO.  From: the BDC

I hate to repeat myself, but the same damn issues keep popping up.  Perimeter defense was typically porous, with Golden Bear shooting specialist Jordan Mathews allowed numerous undefended looks at the basket. He would finish with 19 points, buoyed by 4-of-6 shooting from three (overall, the Buffs allowed Cal to go 10-22 from beyond the arc).  The defensive woes didn't just stop there, however. With the Buffs clinging to life down the stretch, the Bears scored or got to the line on seven of eight possessions from the fourth minute onward. That's how you lose a close ballgame.

This was particularly painful because the Buffs were still playing tentative and inefficient basketball on offense.  CU was held under 37% from the field, to only 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, and continued to pass up open looks to hit a cutter or shoot. It continues to amaze me that 19 year olds, many of them with the attention span of a gnat, are reluctant to fire one off.  I would think that you'd have to plead with them not to pull the trigger, but the reality is the opposite.  The result is yet another game scoring under one point per possession.  For the record, the Buffs are 9-2 this season when they're over that Mendoza line, 2-10 when they aren't.  The proof is in the pudding; sometimes, you just need to score some fucking points.

Josh fought through lingering back pain for a nice night, but he was mostly alone.  From: the BDC

And yet, knowing all of that, Colorado still had a chance to win the game in the final minutes.  A clutch three pointer from Askia Booker with 1:43 to play made it a two-point ballgame.  The Buffs wouldn't score again, however, as a Josh Scott baseline jumper on the next possession rimmed, deflating sails.  Booker and Scott, who combined to score 28 of CU's 61 points, just couldn't do enough to engineer the comeback. A few turnovers later, one each from Ski and Xavier Johnson (who's still not 100%), and the fate was sealed.

CU has now lost seven of their last nine to slide into 10th place in the Pac-12. 10th?  Really, 10th?  Has it gotten that bad? Yep, 10th. *sigh*  Another opportunity to right the ship presents itself this afternoon, as the Buffs will take on Stanford at home.  Tip-off from the CEC is set for 2pm today; television coverage will be on Fox Sports 1, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

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2014-15 CU vs Cal Basketball Preview - The Struggle is Real

This week's Men in Blazers podcast reminded me of a quote from the Great Gatsby (which I loathe): “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.”  F. Scott Fitzgerald generally had his head up his ass, but managed to find the target with that one.  Standing on the sidelines during a meltdown is the absolute worst.

We've all faced those moments before, and I can't help but feel for Askia Booker, who stared one down last Wednesday.  Sidelined with a pair of hip pointers, all he could do was watch as the Utes ripped his punch-less teammates apart.  There won't be a repeat this evening, however, as Ski's had enough with the watching.

"I'm still playing through some injuries and pain, but I don't really care now. My team needs me. They need me to perform and they need me on the court, so that's what I'm going to do."

Whatever you say about Ski, the kid knows the tune, and has the will of a warrior.  He's going to fight through the pain to try and give CU a chance at staying afloat. I'm not expecting a lot from Ski, remembering what his jumper looked like at Pauley two weeks ago, but just his presence on the floor will change the way the Buffs are defended.  If that even opens up one extra opportunity for a teammate, then it's worth it.

It's an important moment, because, as Xavier Johnson pointed out today, it's the first time in a long-ass while that everyone on the team practiced together. For all the crap handed out to the squad this year for not having their heads on straight, they've been dealing with a lot of absences, which has contributed to the unique timbre of the season. Certainly, some of that has been self-inflicted, but it's important to acknowledge that the team we expected to see back in November has rarely had a chance to run out onto the court as a whole.

We'll just have to see how it all fits together this evening.  The time to turn the season around has passed, but there's still pride at stake.  It worked for Cal, as they recently righted their own listing ship, so maybe the Buffs are in store for a revitalizing performance against a team that has often brought the best out of them.

Tip off from the CEC is set for 7pm this evening.  Fox Sports 1 has the pictures, 850 KOA the descriptions. Let's get after it, Buffs!

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Tuesday Grab Bag: Fine, I'll Talk About the Football Program

The agonizing wait for a new defensive coordinator is over, and, in retrospect, the whole process looks to have been well worth it.  Gettin' down with the realities of cleaning up a defense that ranked 111th nationally in total yards allowed per game (461 per... yo!), Coach MacIntyre dipped into his bag of tricks, and pulled out the name of Jim Leavitt.  Yep, that Jim Leavitt, the one who was long known as one of the better defensive minds in the collegiate game for his efforts at South Florida, as he took the Bulls into a national title hunt in 2007.  For on-the-field production, I doubt CU (as currently constituted) could've done much better than the 58 year old lifer, who comes directly from the San Francisco 49ers where he was coaching the linebackers. Indeed, in accordance with his quality, Leavitt will be paid a cool half-mil per year, making him the highest-paid coordinator in school history.

One of the best defensive minds in the country is now heading the Buffs 'D.'

Of course, Leavitt comes with a hefty amount of baggage.  In 2009, he was accused of grabbing the throat of, and repeatedly slapping, a student athlete, which resulted in his termination from South Florida.  Leavitt has repeatedly denied that version of the encounter, and sued the school for wrongful termination. Nonetheless, there are some who would recoil at the notion that Leavitt ever again coach in the collegiate ranks.

I have no doubt that this played a part in CU's ability to hire a coordinator who would, otherwise, be considered for some very high profile gigs.  Colorado offers an opportunity to rebuild his image, while Leavitt offers a major upgrade over former DC Kent Baer.  As to the 'South Florida Incident,' I also have no doubt that MacIntyre, a man who's first season was dedicated to the CARE slogan, wouldn't have signed Leavitt unless he truly felt that there was no possibility of a repeat scenario developing.

It's not a perfect marriage, but one that fits with the current state of Colorado football.  Of the available targets, CU grabbed the biggest they could find, and one that projects to help the defense out dramatically. Off-the-field issues could be something to watch, but, for the time being, I'm pretty happy with the move.

Welcome aboard, Coach Leavitt!

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Today in the bag, I'm talking Saturday's basketball implosion against Utah, the noise surrounding the RMS, and the football recruiting class

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2014-15 CU vs Utah Basketball Preview #2 - The Return of Jelly

With just over five months left to go before the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado Basketball has officially entered the home stretch.  In years previous, this meant postseason positioning; not just for Las Vegas, but for the real Dance, as well.  The latter part of that equation is no longer an at-large possibility, but the former portion is still a practical purpose. Currently sitting in 7th at 4-5 in the league, the Buffs have a ways to climb to get over the hump, and into the top-half of the Conference of Champions.  The team has five games to play at home, and need to leverage them to their fullest stay where they've historically finished on the league table.

Which leads into tonight's fixture with the #13 Utah Utes. A win here gets Colorado that much closer to an upper-half finish (and some saved face).  It wouldn't single-handedly salvage the season, or anything like that, but a win tonight over the travel partner would serve as a beacon of light in an otherwise foggy campaign.

Tip-off from the appropriately suds-filled Coors Events Center is set for 8pm this evening.  Pac-12 Network has the coverage, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

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My 5th Anniversary

Plainly, simply, today is the 5th anniversary of my first post on the Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo. Let's get crunk (at nine in the morning).

 

I would like to take a minute to thank each and every one of you who have spent time reading my rumblings over the last half-a-decade.  I am continually humbled by your readership, and hope that you've found something of value in this space.

I would also like to thank everyone who has given my little corner of the internet a voice in their own kingdom, particularly AllBuffs and PacHoops.  You're all awesome, and welcoming, and the best internet friends a blogger could ask for.

Finally, here's to the next five years!

Go Buffs!

Super Tuesday Grab Bag: A Split in LA

So, as you may have heard, CU didn't earn the commitment of highly pursued five-star guard Tyler Dorsey. Instead, the 40-point scoring machine will be attending the University of Oregon. Yes, before you ask, vomiting a little in your mouth is an appropriate reaction to hearing this news.

Not entirely unexpected, it still stings a little bit, not only because of how little I view Dana Altman and his program (and the fact that he stayed in the Pac-12 at all), but because of how much I coveted Dorsey's offensive spark being added to the 2015-16 mix.  Scoring has been a struggle for the team this year (duh), and a little single-guard creativity seemed to be the cure-all headed into next.  Yes, Josh Fortune waits in the wings, but this program still needs more scoring punch from the backcourt.  As Ski has proved this season, going at it alone can only take you so far.

Sadly, however, disappointment is one of life's least fleeting pleasures, so we'd all best get to looking past this. The non-commitment leaves CU's one-scholarship 2015 recruiting class still wide open, although the prospect of advancing the time table on Deleon Brown remains. Beyond that... I... have nothing. Nothing at all.  This really kind of sucks.  Happy Tuesday, y'all!

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Today in the bag, I'm talking the loss in Los Angeles, the Superbowl, and Marshawn Lynch.

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