2017 Pac-12 Tournament Teaser: Day 2

VEGAS, The Pac-12 Tournament, March 9th --

I will not be seeing the Hoover Dam, at least for one more year.  Thanks to a furious 2nd half comeback, the Colorado Buffaloes were able to forestall the ignominy of a 1st round exit, storming back to upend the Washington State Cougars 73-63.

The first half performance from our Black and Gold heroes was simply awful.  The Cougars were able to get whatever shot they wanted on offense, tickling the twine to the tune of 57% shooting from the field and 65% from downtown.  In all, they would make 17 baskets in that opening frame, assisting on 12 of them.  Colorado was getting carved up, to the point that it almost didn't matter that they themselves were struggling with the ball, knocking down under a third of all shots and just 2-11 from deep.  The Buffs were in a bad way headed into the break, relatively lucky to only be down 14 after WSU had raced out to a 19-point lead after only 13 minutes of action.

Then, CU found the safe harbor of halftime, and everything settled down. Seniors, like Derrick White, Xavier Johnson, and Josh Fortune seemed to say, 'to hell with this, we're going down swinging,' and started to take over.  White, especially, was on fire.  In just over five minutes, he dropped 13 points (along with a block and a steal), all but erasing the halftime deficit in dragging the Buffs to within two.  The Cougars were suddenly on the ropes, and, with two-thirds of the half still to play, were looking lost.  Derrick would finish with 26/5/5 against zero turnovers.

WSU would adjust, doubling White off the screen, and trying to deny him the attacking lanes he had abused early in the frame. That just meant it was time for XJ to step up.  He would add 12 second half points of his own, most of which came down the stretch, highlighted by this thunderous dunk off the break. What you'll also notice on that play: Josh Fortune making a beautiful pass in transition. He had a nice, solid performance on the afternoon, chipping in seven points, five turnovers, and two assists against just one turnover.  His last points, on a three-pointer with two minutes to go, put Colorado up by five, and finally seemed to put the Cougs away for good.  XJ's final line was 19/6.

I can't say enough about how decisive the turnaround was in the second half.  The seniors, as a group (Wes' performance was more off-the-board, but still provided 8/4/3/2/1), were outstanding, helping to pick the team up off the mat to rebound with postseason hopes on the line.  I'm still not 100% confident that Colorado will make the NIT, but they're certainly in a better position now with 19 wins then they would've been with another bad loss on their resume.

In the day's other action:

• Arizona State needed overtime to slip past Stanford, 98-88.
• Oregon State put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell to Cal, 67-62.
• USC coasted against a Washington team without Markelle Fultz, 78-73.

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Best pep band of the day: Cal

I'm giving it to the Golden Bears because their tubas were HOT FIRE.  They grabbed my attention from the first note, and laid down the phat beatz on songs like 'Come on Eileen.'

The Cal band has long been an interesting phenomena for me to take in.  With a big bass drum and a glockenspiel, they have a very unique core to their sound.  Not one that I generally prefer, mind you, but one that clearly stands out against their peers... especially when rival Stanford is outsourcing their work to some high school band.  Where have you gone, Stanford Band?

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Today's action:

- #8 Arizona State vs #1 Oregon - 1pm MT - Pac-12 Network - 

The league champion Ducks hit the court this afternoon, and I cannot be more excited.  Such a fun team to watch play, they feature an exciting style both on and off the ball.  I expect them to quickly dispatch the Sun Devils, completely shutting down the ASU guards who cut up Stanford yesterday.

- #5 Cal vs #4 Utah - 3:30pm MT - Pac-12 Network - 

Cal continues in this tournament, but does anyone really want to see them play?  The slow, negative Bears make for a tough watch, and playing the similarly pedestrian Utes will not help improve their style.  Utah's precision with the basketball will ultimately help them prevail in an ugly one.

- #7 Colorado vs #2 Arizona - 7pm MT - Pac-12 Network - 

The Buffs and Wildcats have met each other in four of the five previous Pac-12 Tournaments.  While the 'Cats have won the last three, rather decisively, Colorado can still claim the one meeting that really mattered -- the 2012 tournament final. The Buffs will need a lot of that '12 magic this afternoon because they will be up against it in T-Mobile.  I expect a thunderous herd of Arizona fans in attendance, largely filling up the cavernous area that lay mostly empty yesterday for the game with Washington State.

I think CU can play with Arizona, even given the antagonistic crowd.  I look for them to come out of the gate, and play well in the opening half.  Once in the final frame, however, I expect the 'Cats to take over, and the Buffs to slip behind.  Not without a game effort, though.


- #6 USC vs #3 UCLA - 9:30pm MT - ESPN - 

A rivalry game to close out the evening.  There's a lot of independent money flowing in on the Bruins in this tournament, to the point that I would call them the 'people's favorite.'  They boat-raced their rivals in the second half of their last meeting, but don't look for them to duplicate that feat today.  I look for UCLA to win, but struggle to put the Trojans away.  This one could come down to the wire. 

GO BUFFS!  PROVE ME WRONG, AND BEAT THE WILDCATS!

2017 Pac-12 Tournament Teaser: Day 1

From: Pac-12.com

After four years of a near-perfect championship product in Las Vegas, the Conference of Champions has gone and tweaked the recipe, moving the league's tournament from the classic MGM Grand Garden Arena across the street to the sparkling new T-Mobile Arena.  Whereas the Garden was intimate and close, T-Mobile appears to be like any other modern monstrosity, with multiple decks of seating, segregated palaces for the well-off, and a roomier feel overall.  I'm sure it's quite lovely and that everyone will marvel over such things as multiple exit points and seats that aren't collapsible. What I'm worried about, however, is something more intangible.

Over at the MGM, the league had the perfect setup.  Their fans, boosters, officials, bands, teams, and media could all stuff into the same facility, sleeping, partying, eating, and playing under the same roof.  If I didn't want to, I never had to leave the MGM property during tournament week, having all my needs attended to while staying within walking distance of where the action was taking place. That made it so that I felt a part of the action in a way that I hadn't in previous Pac-12 and Big XII tournaments -- as intimate and personal a feel as you can get.  While I'm sure the new arena is beautiful and well-equipped, it is, by definition, separate from any other hotel on the Strip.  As a result, no matter what the league does, the new venue won't be able to replace this beloved aspect of the old, and I fear the league will have scrapped what made the annual Pac-12 fest special for little relative gain.

That said, I still anticipate a wonderful week of hoops.  While the action won't really get going until Thursday, when the three heavies hit town, any time you attend a conference tournament, something weird is bound to happen.  Throw in some Vegas love, and a short ride to a craps table, and you'd be at a stretch to keep a frown on your face.

For Day 1, the best games are the first of each session.  With Washington and Oregon State being decidedly a step behind the rest of the league, I wouldn't expect much from either.  But, the 8/9 and 7/10 affairs could be electric.  Early season meetings between Stanford/Arizona State and Colorado /Washington State each produced high-scoring showcases, with the prospect of a repeat in the desert a tantalizing proposition. Usually, 1st days ca be a little staid, but, if either of these games gets going, it should be worth the cost of tuning in.

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Hype Music for the Week: "Party Hard" by Andrew W.K.

Making it through a tournament week in Vegas is not for the weak of spirit.  To fuel you through those long hours spent straining to see through the cigarette smoke at the craps table, get yourself a drop-shot and some Andrew W.K.  Enjoy!

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Today's Games:

- #9 Stanford vs #8 Arizona State - 1pm MT - Pac-12 Networks - STAN -3

This is, by far, the hardest to project of the four games today.  It's a matchup of a pair of losing teams with more success in conference play than they probably 'should've' enjoyed; both chaotic and unpredictable. Stanford, especially, escapes my ability to understand.  They have some good talent, especially on the wings and in the paint, but their guard play is scatter-shot at best.  Conversely, the Sun Devils have a strong backcourt, but relatively nothing up front (all apologies to Obinna Oleka) and a short bench.  It's a good example of two opponents with alternate strengths, the kind of thing that usually makes for a fun game.

The Cardinal actually lost both tilts this season to ASU; the first a high-scoring affair in Maples, the most-recent a more demure result in the desert.  Usually, I would be saying here that it's hard to beat a team three times, and that you should expect Stanford to claim the revenge game in LV, but that's not the case today.  This time of year, I generally defer to the better guard play, and State gets that checkmark here.  As such, give me the Sun Devils and the points.  Regardless, should be a high scoring affair.


- #12 Oregon State vs #5 Cal - 3:30pm MT - Pac-12 Networks - CAL -14

As interesting and entertaining as that first game might be, this meeting of the Beavers and Bears should be an absolute dog.  With two painfully slow teams, one of whom, Cal, loves to close the distance and go for the body, this with be an ugly, grainy battle.  Expect a number of missed baskets, slothful possessions, and the overall pace of grass growing.  Essentially: unwatchable.

Cal should win easily, but that may not mean the 14 points necessary to win you some money.  In a low-scoring affair, getting out to that big of a lead may be difficult.


- #10 Washington State vs #7 Colorado - 7pm MT - Pac-12 Networks - CU -10

OK, so here goes.  Colorado has never lost an opening-round conference tournament game under Tad Boyle, 6-0.  While it is also true that they have always had to play an opening round game under Coach, at least the program enjoys a tradition of winning them.  The joke has always been that, should CU ever drop one of these, I'd wake up early the next day and take a trip of shame to the Hoover Dam, basically just to get out of town.  I don't want to have to make that trek this year. *knocks on wood, furiously*

Problem is, Washington State is no pushover.  Coach Boyle this week was calling them 'sneaky good,' which makes a lot of sense.  They have a lot of good role players, the kind of guys who excel at one or two areas, making theirs a delicate puzzle of balance. Generally, better than the sum of their parts. When the pieces lay on the table well, as they did when the Buffs went up to Pullman this season, it looks pretty good, and they can boat-race you.  When they don't fit, however, like in the return game in Boulder, the Cougs can get blown out.  I would certainly expect something more akin to the road visit to Eastern Washington than what we saw on the Front Range, but exactly how much closer remains to be seen.

Off the top, all those cheeky back cuts the Buffs employed in the home fixture will probably be cut-off by a better-prepared WSU defense.  In the same way that Colorado was able to calm the Charles Callison worries given a game's worth of tape to prepare, the Cougars will be much more attentive off the ball.  From there, it'll all be about rebounding margins and who is making shots.  Ike Iroegbu is due for an explosion, but I expect Derrick White to counter.  Xavier Johnson vs Josh Hawkinson, then, could be the difference.  In the end, this rematch of last year's tournament opener will probably be closer than the 10 points afforded by Vegas, but CU should claim a scary one to survive and advance.


- #11 Washington vs #6 USC - 9:30pm MT - Pac-12 Networks - USC -11

The nightcap could've been a showcase for the absurd if Markelle Fultz was going to play, but I highly doubt that he'll step out of the phone booth this late in the season.  He's got the upcoming NBA Draft to think about, after all.  As a result, the Huskies will walk into the gym severely under-manned, and will probably end up getting party-wiped by the Trojans.  No wooden horse needed.


GO BUFFS!  PROVE ME RIGHT, AND BEAT THE COUGARS!

Fifth Annual Rumblin' Awards

Yesterday, the Pac-12 released their seasonal awards (Congrats to Derrick White for his 1st Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors!). Never satisfied with the musing of coaches and professional pundits, however, I'm going to delve into who I believe should have been honored by the conference this year.

After the jump, find my choices for the All-Pac-12 1st and 2nd teams, along with my Player, Coach, Defender, and Newcomer of the Year.

Please remember that the Rumblin' Awards are a strictly black tie affair.

Quick Post: Cal Wrap

We as fans often discuss the impact officiating can have on the game, but usually in terms of how it affects 'our' team.  "The refs screwed 'us,'" etc.  As a former official myself, however, I tend to look at it on a more holistic level.  Poor officiating, in fact, rarely just leverages against one team; it usually strikes both, bringing down the quality of play across the board.

Such was the case Saturday at the Coors Events Center.  The officiating crew of Marc Beasley, Michael Irving, and Deron White took it upon themselves to keep a tight leash on the proceedings in the opening minutes, whistling numerous touch fouls for little or no cause (11 called in 10 minutes).  As a Colorado fan, I can tell you that this heavy hand from the zebras knocked forwards Wes Gordon and Tory Miller out of the action with two soft fouls a piece, but a Cal junkie would similarly bemoan the quick whistles against Charlie Moore and Jabari Bird. Regardless of what side you were cheering for on Saturday, though, the result was the same -- quality players who should've been free to play the majority of the half were relegated to the bench for whole stretches.  All-in, there were 18 fouls called in the opening frame, two more than there were field goals scored.  Officials should be there to keep the play clean and facilitate an open and honest expression of the sport.  Instead, over the opening 20 minutes in Boulder, this trio did the exact opposite, wrenching the life out of the action before it even had a chance to flourish. The play to that point had not been overly physical, it had not been aggressive.  The stripes just came to town with an itchy trigger finger and laid waste to anything that moved.

The end result in the 1st half was this: 47 total points scored, a combined shooting percentage of 27.6, and 32.5% of all minutes played by reserves.  Colorado, without their best forwards, was eviscerated on the glass, getting out-rebounded by nine.  Cal, starved for points without their guards, were unable to capitalize and score, leading to a hilarious series of missed bunny layups.  Simply, one of the worst halves of basketball I have ever been subjected to, and a situation wholly to blame on the refs for having no sense of rhythm, circumstance, or process.  A pox on the house of officials everywhere.

Luckily for Colorado, the game did not simply end at halftime out of a sense of shame.  Instead, we got a second half of action, within which the Buffs were able to right the ship.  Wes Gordon returned with a lot of energy and started attacking the defensive paint with a sense of purpose.  He would pick up three blocks in the final frame, and, while he wouldn't score, seemed to help settle things down under the rim.  George King recorded his only points of the second half with a monster put-back dunk that brought the crowd to life for the first time all game. He also grabbed eight boards, helping CU out-rebound the Golden Bears by six after halftime. Derrick White and Xavier Johnson, on their senior day, combined for 25 points in the final 20 home minutes of their careers.  White even closed out the game with a desperation three after nearly falling out-of-bounds with the shot clock ticking towards zero.  While not perfect, Colorado at least seemed to be in a much better way after the break, looking much more like themselves.  By the final horn, they clearly deserved the 54-46 victory.

Cal, however, continued to struggle. After shooting 30% in the 1st, their hit rate from the field dropped to 24% in the 2nd, and just 1-8 from deep.  That translates to 0.72 points per possession, and just 11-40 from inside the arc.  CU was doing a good job on defense, but the Golden Bears were also missing open looks while settling for static, unimaginative sets.  Overall, they looked nothing like a team competing for a NCAA Tournament berth.  All things considered, and including their dismal performance against Utah from earlier in the week, Cal doesn't even appear to be NIT-worthy, at this point.  Whatever happened in Berkeley to jump this group off the tracks, it was decisive -- they're completely lost right now on the basketball court.

Still, kudos to the Buffs for coming through in the regular season finale.  With NIT hopes on the line, they played gritty, determined basketball, fighting through poor officiating and a 1st half disaster on the boards to power through to victory.  It was the kind of closing ability the team was desperately missing earlier this year, and something that should serve them well in post-season action.

And, with that, attention turns to the Pac-12 Tournament.  Thanks to this win and the predicted belly-flop from Arizona State against the UofA, Colorado finished 7th in the league.  This means the Buffs will get Washington State in the 7/10 game on Wednesday, a 7 pm MT tip from T-Mobile Arena.  It also sets up a potential quarterfinal matchup with Arizona, something that any trip to Las Vegas just wouldn't be the same without (exasperated *sigh* implied).  I'll be back on Wednesday with some more specific thoughts on Colorado's place in the bracket, but, for now, I will say this is about as good as the team could hope for, and that they have an excellent chance to both swing past WSU and give the Wildcats a game.  Any more than that, however, and you're dancing for rain.

2016-17 CU vs Cal Basketball Preview #2

Thursday night against Stanford was another of those moments where you could imagine the parallel universe where this season had gone slightly differently.  One where the Buffs had survived the brutal opening stretch of conference play to remain in contention for the NCAA Tournament.  Indeed, as they showed against the Cardinal, there is a good team in there when the switch is flipped on.  Firing on all cylinders offensively, they boat-raced the visitors in a game that was well-over by the start of the first timeout in the second half.  91-72; about as straight-forward as you can get.

Assists fueled an offensive explosion against Stanford.  From: the Post.

This was not the same kind of game as the win over Washington State from a few weeks back, when I was using words like 'perfect' to describe the team's performance.  In fact, against the Cardinal, I thought Colorado was barely acceptable defensively, though they did a solid job frustrating opposing stars like Travis Reid and Marcus Sheffield.  No, Thursday night was all about the offense.  CU poured in the points at a 1.4 ppp clip, only missing out on the heights of 1.5+ and 100 points scored due to there simply not being a need to.  They were sharing the ball, knocking down open looks, and executing like I've rarely seen in these parts; in response, Stanford had no answer.  All told, the team assisted 25 times on 35 made baskets -- a 71% rate that makes me weak in the knees.  This was offense at its most effusive.  Nine players posted ORtgs over 100, for the love of Tad.

This offensive explosion was credited after the game to a drill instilled this week by assistant coach Bill Grier.  While running plays in practice, buckets would only count if they came off a true assist. With this in the back of their minds, Colorado was certainly, to a man, willing to look for teammates Thursday night. Seven players tossed out dimes, with six of those recording at least two.  For the most part these weren't extra passes for passing's sake, either.  Outside of a few exceptions, each assist was necessary to create the basket, particularly the entries that helped the Buffs generate 38 points in the paint.  There was even a perfectly executed alley-oop!  Who are these guys, the Flint Tropics?

All too easy.  From: the BDC

I can't really point to one player as the star of the game, such was the balance on display (seven players with at least nine points), but I was especially piqued by the efforts of Lucas Siewert.  The freshman power forward had his best game in a CU uniform, coming off the bench to chip in 15/3/2 against zero turnovers in 21 minutes.  He was everywhere, hustling defensively, and nailing jumpers off precision passes.  Along with 10 points from fellow frosh Deleon Brown (who is looking much better after lost time to injury and illness), the new generation of Buffs was shining brightly against Stanford. Elsewhere, Xavier Johnson finally kicked a slight slump, going for 15/9 in limited minutes. Had the team needed, he could've provided more, but, much like the pursuit of 100 points, it just wasn't called for.

And so, the Buffs shrugged off a sour performance against Utah to get back in the hunt for an NIT bid.  The next hurdle: a game against the solid, (probably) NCAA Tournament bound Cal Golden Bears.  With a win the Buffs will potentially climb to the 7th-seed in the Pac-12, while similarly helping those rival Utes slot in 4th.  A loss, and things could get complicated for everyone in the league.  Best to just claim the win, send the seniors out in style, and step up to #7.

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Hype Music for the Evening:  "Seven Steps to Heaven" by Miles Davis

I don't get jazz.  Never have.  I put it down to a lack of drug use, but it is what it is.  Regardless, Miles Davis is one of the greats of the genre, and deserves his due.  This track, a live rendition of the titular anchor from his 1963 studio album, features frenetic drums, extensive solo work, and sporadic themes.  Enjoy!

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Tip-off from the Coors Events Center is scheduled for high noon on Saturday.  Remember to get there early for the Senior Day tributes.  The 2017 graduating class deserves a strong round of applause. Coverage for those unable to attend can be found on Pac-12 Network, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

For reference, my preview for the first game against Cal this season can be found here.

Click below for the preview...

The 2017 Senior Class

It's that time once again, time to honor another group of seniors for their contributions to Colorado Basketball.  In this case, similar to last season, it's another quartet expiring their eligibility, preparing to run out of the north tunnel for the final time Saturday afternoon against Cal. Regardless of how the season has gone compared to expectations, they still deserve a final tip of the cap and their due, a thank you for years of service and hours of work behind the scenes to put a largely successful product on the court.

In their number count the final vestiges of the famed 2012 recruiting class.  At the time, that group stood as the most highly rated recruiting class in the modern history of the program.  While the 2017 class may end up stealing some of that thunder, especially if there is a late addition, there's no doubt that, at the time, the 2012 sextet was seen as a thunderbolt statement that CU hoops had arrived and was getting feisty on the recruiting trail.  With the book on that class finally coming to a close, it's the end of an era of Colorado Basketball, one which, admittedly, never quite managed to live up to the hype.

Of that six-member class, Josh Scott, Xavier Talton, and Eli Stalzer graduated last spring, while Chris Jenkins transferred to Detroit Mercy, where he has been putting up solid 12/7 numbers for the Titans in this, his final season of collegiate competition.  That leaves Xavier Johnson and Wes Gordon as the last men standing to take their bows this week.  They will be joined by a pair of outsiders who started their careers elsewhere before eventually joining the Black and Gold, but are, nonetheless, valued teammates -- Derrick White and Josh Fortune.  All four, interestingly, hold the distinction of being fifth-year seniors, a rarity in the current era of major conference college basketball.

Pointedly, who you won't find mentioned here are any of the four members from the 2013 recruiting class.  What would've been their natural graduating year will pass by without a word.  A large part of that is due to the fact that three quarters of them are no longer with the program -- Dustin Thomas and Jaron Hopkins each transferred two years ago (to Arkansas and Fresno State, respectively), with Tre'Shaun Fletcher bolting this past offseason for Toledo. Only George King remains, but he is considered a junior, due to a well-applied redshirt in 2014-15.  This absence of results from the majority of the 2013 class, even more than the production of those who signed on in 2012, is cause for a lot of the relative frustration from the last three years.

However, such recriminations are for another day. For now, though, let us stand united in thanking the four taking their final bows on Saturday.  After the jump, I'll give my thoughts on the careers of each, while also taking a look at what I best remember from their tenure in Boulder.

Click below for the post...

2016-17 CU vs Stanford Basketball Preview #2

I want to provide a quick rundown of all the activity I'm going to have here on the Rumblings over the next 10 days.  Tomorrow I'll have my annual senior class retrospective up, with a Cal preview set for Saturday morning ahead of the regular season finale.  Monday, look for a quick review of the game against the Golden Bears (sorry, no Grab Bag), with my fifth annual Rumblin' Awards hitting the wires on Tuesday.  From there, look for daily dispatches from Las Vegas -- I'll be recapping the action from the Pac-12 Tournament, documenting which pep bands I really enjoyed, and sobbing over how my pocketbook is doing.  Lot of content to come, I hope you'll stay tuned to this little corner of teh interwebz.

For now, however, I have the game with Stanford firmly set in my sights.  Let's get it started!

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Hype Music for the Evening: "Love Me Sexy" by Jackie Moon aka Will Ferrell

I have an unreasonable affinity for the movie 'Semi-Pro.'  A farcical tale of the final days of the ABA, it is, in my estimation, one of the best sports movies ever made -- I'm not kidding, I'm completely unreasonable on this topic.  This send-up of the soul anthems from the era, which features throughout the file, will stick with you, whether you like it or not.  Enjoy!

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Tip-off from the Coors Events Center is set for 7pm this evening.  Coverage for those not heading up to Boulder can be found on ESPN2, with the radio call on AM 760.

For reference, my preview for the first game against Stanford this season can be found here.

Click below for the preview...