Tuesday Grab Bag: Team Colorado Comes Up Short in TBT Finale

Just when I though the post-TBT landscape would be a doom of non-basketball sporting entertainment, here comes the Olympics, ready and willing to slake my thirst.  I've been watching the Team USA blowouts, both men's and women's, from tip to final horn, not caring the slightest that barely any of the action has been the least bit competitive.  If you, too, find yourself jonesing for some hoops, please, bypass the tired old gymnastics and swimming garbage and give the tournament a try. 

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Today in the bag, I'm talking The Basketball Tournament final, a fresh new look for the CEC, and the start of fall camp for the football team.

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2016 TBT Final Preview: Team Colorado Plays for $2 Million against Overseas Elite

Note: there will be no Grab Bag this week.  In lieu, here's this preview!

Well, what the hell is this?  *checks calendar*  It's August, by God, and I'm writing a basketball preview. Has the world gone mad? OK, no, the world has not gone mad (at least not the sporting world...). I'm pounding this beast out in the heat of summer because a group of Colorado Basketball Alumni have caught fire, and rolled to the final game of The Basketball Tournament.

For those caught unawares, TBT is a single-elimination, five-on-five, professional basketball tourney played for a grand, winner-take-all prize of $2 million cash.  In it's third year of operation, the tournament has been steadily growing in prominence, and features a plethora of current and former pros from top-flight leagues from across the world (though, you won't find any current NBAers here). Many of the teams that featured in the bracket this summer were founded as alumni groups, made up almost entirely of former teammates from big-name college programs.  Team Colorado, in their second year of existence, was founded in this mold, looking to bring BasketBuffs of seasons past together in the name of program pride. The venture is the brainchild of walk-on hero Beau Gamble, who, in collaboration with general manager Trent Beckley, forged the current roster from pieces of the Patton, Bzdelik, and Boyle eras, highlighting some of the best and brightest from the last decade of Boulder hoops.

It's all come down to this.  One game for the money.

Team Colorado, for all their promise, struggled last year, losing their opening round game against eventual tournament runner-up Team 23.  Undaunted, and living by the 'Fight CU' mantra to "never give in," they re-formed this summer, using the knowledge of that painful 2015 loss to fuel a smarter attempt in 2016.  They started with a mini-camp in Boulder, taking advantage of Coach Boyle's open door policy to alumni to train at the Foot of the Flatirons.  They also added a full-time coach, former star and current DU assistant Dwight Thorne II, giving everything an organized flair, something that didn't really exist a year ago.  With focus and preparedness, they hit TBT on a mission, and have done nothing but win since the early days of July.

As a result, the team is now 36 minutes of basketball against the defending champion Overseas Elite away from a $2 million prize and bragging rights.  What's more, since the Tournament operates in a weird, social media focused selection process, 100 of the team's supporters could win with the Buffs, sharing in the prize should they come home with the title.

So, since the opportunities to credibly talk hoops over the summer are few and far between, I'm jumping at this chance.  I'm going to give this championship game the full preview treatment, with in-depth discussion of both teams' rosters and abilities.  I'll also come up with a prediction, saying just how likely it is that TC and friend of the blog @Coloradotrv get to share in a big payday on Tuesday. Let's get to it!

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Hype Music for the Evening: "I Get Money" by 50 Cent

Curtis Jackson, who I last saw promoting boxing, of all things, was one of the biggest rap acts in the world when I was going to CU.  Since then, he's slid off my radar, dividing his time and talent amongst a bunch of differing pursuits.  This song, one of his lesser hits, fits with tonight's theme: makin' money, bruh.

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Tip off from historic Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx is set for 5pm MT on Tuesday, 8/2.  Televised coverage can be found on ESPN, with no radio option available, as far as I can tell.  For those of you in the NYC area, you can purchase tickets here.

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Tuesday Grab Bag: 'Final Four' and 'Colorado' in the same sentence

I come to you today from Newark, NJ, of all places, stuck in the relatively benign airport hell of a three hour layover on the East Coast. How and why I came to be here is neither important or interesting.  Suffice it to be said that I can't wait to board the next flight, and get back to beautiful, colorful Colorado.

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As a quick aside, there were some unscrupulous bloggers around the intertubes tossing around the notion that the University of Colorado would be well-served by a return to the Big XII.  See, the old conference of UT lackeys is looking to re-expand, and there are a few lost souls out there who are naive enough to think that CU was anything but thankful to be rid of that albatross of a league back in 2011.  Let me assure you all out there in BuffNation, these articles were written by people with no understanding of the factors in play, and no contacts within the Athletic Department.  Colorado is well and clear of that debacle, and never going back.

Further, for the record, I still think CSU's hopes of earning a bid to that league are as laughable as the notion that CU might want back in.  Unless the BigXII has to dip into their third-tier of choices, which I doubt, the Rams will still be on the outside of the Power Five looking in once this dust-up settles.

But, enough of that nonsense. Today in the bag, I'm talking about Team Colorado and The Basketball Tournament, some hoops scheduling notes for the CU Men's team, and My Sox at the end of their road.

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Tuesday Grab Bag: Team Colorado steams into Sweet Sixteen

So, how's everyone's summer going?  It's been pretty quiet on the sporting front, with little to nothing happening as we hit July.  In fact...

... wait, we have breaking news from the Drew League:

@ShannSharpe2 with the DUNK OF THE SUMMER at the @DrewLeague today!!! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/XYWMrs3gd0

— Dunkademics.com (@Dunkademics) July 11, 2016

Good Lord, that should come with a NSFW tag.  That's former CU guard and manager Shannon Sharpe throwing down on... some guy in the Drew League, and... you know, I really think that poor man may be dead...

So, RIP, random dude who got dunked on.

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Today in the bag, I only have two items of note for y'all, as I won't waste my breath on the All Star Game.  I'm talking success at TBT and the Euro Finale.

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Tuesday Grab Bag: Buffs fill out roster in style

Over the holiday weekend, Boulder was visited by an eclectic mix of aged hippies and hangers on... which didn't really differentiate it much from any other weekend, come to think of it.  I kid, but the Grateful Dead, or what remains of the old school peace and love touring group, played two shows at Folsom; the first such musical performances at the stadium since 2001 (Dave Matthews Band).  From all accounts, the concerts went off without a hitch, and, more importantly, there was little trouble in the City of Boulder pre- or post-shows.  From my own experience, I found the attendees to be rather reserved and far from destructive on the larger neighborhood (I live four blocks from Folsom, and walked the creek path before each show).

Seemed like a pretty cool scene up on campus.  From: @CUBuffsTurf

Now, I don't give a shit about the Dead.  Not my style of music, not my kind of crowd (outside of Bill Walton, who is, of course, always welcome at the Casa de Rumblin).  But, this was an important moment for CU.  The ability to hold concerts at other non-football events at Folsom is a nice revenue stream to the athletic department, and putting on these shows with the Dead and Company were the first steps towards tapping that stream since before the east-side suites went up.  I don't believe for a second that CU made too much money this weekend, at least nothing that'll come close to erasing the remaining costs of the facility upgrades, but every dollar added, without too much impact on the community, is important, and nothing to sniff at.

Additionally, the last time Folsom hosted a concert, the football team went on to win a conference title, and drop the most satisfying scoreline in the history of the program.  Maybe, in that vein, the return of some touring musical karma will help the 2016 Buffaloes end the painful bowl drought...

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Today in the Bag, I'm talking a huge pickup for Coach Boyle and the men's basketball team, tipoff in The Basketball Tournament, and a Euros update.

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Tuesday Grab Bag: The State of the CU Athletic Department

The news broke last night: the great Pat Summitt had passed.  A titan of the college basketball world, Summitt owned the women's game for nearly four full decades, heading the Lady Vols of Tennessee through 8 national titles, 16 conference crowns, and well over 1,000 wins (at an 84% clip).  Really, the only head coach who can hold a candle to her success is UCLA's John Wooden, but Summitt coached longer, endured against more persistent competition, and ultimately won more (though Wooden did leave a bunch of years on the table). In that vein, there is a very credible argument to be made that Summitt, not Wooden, is the sport's greatest coach.  Oh, and did I mention that she graduated everyone and ran a clean program?

It's with all that in mind that the entire basketball world mourns the loss of a legend; RIP.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking the Rick George roundtable, some recruiting news that has BuffNation all abuzz, and soccer notes from both the Copa and the Euros.

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Tuesday Grab Bag: A new Mayor for Chicago

While Rham Emmanuel isn't gone, the City of Chicago did see some Mayoral reform last week. Yep, the one, the only, Spencer Dinwiddie is headed to the Madhouse on Madison, as the former CU star was traded to the Chicago Bulls late last week.

The move by Chicago, ostensibly to build guard depth while avoiding paying guaranteed money to a bench slot, makes sense.  As Blog A Bull pointed out, with Dinwiddie's non-guaranteed portion of his contract lasting through November, the Bulls get a relatively cheap look at the former Colorado guard before having to make a decision on the roster spot at season's onset.  All it cost them was Cameron Bairstow, a reserve forward who was probably going to get cut anyway.

Sure, this essentially innocuous trade isn't going to turn too many heads around the basketball world, but one thing it did do is lead me into a victory lap around my office. For me, to see one of my favorite CU stars of the recent past winding up on my beloved Bulls is a wonderful turn of fate.  I still believe Spencer has the talent to play at the NBA level, and the team that gives him a solid chance should be able to reap some good rewards.  If it's My Bulls, you better believe I'm dropping the cash for a new jersey... and boy will the Bulls.com shop be surprised when they receive in that online order.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking Game 7, Copa America, and the solidifying of the non-conference schedule in men's hoops.

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