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...

2016-17 CU vs Stanford Basketball Preview #1

Remember February 23rd, 2012?  That was the night Stanford walked into the Coors Events Center, and destroyed Colorado on their home floor, 74-50.  The Cardinal shot near-50% from the field that night, and was allowed to out-rebound CU 50-26. Let me say that again, FIFTY TO FUCKING TWENTY-SIX. It was a loss was so disheartening, so nausea-inducing, that my recap consisted of an Alf re-run and nothing else. I still feel justified.

The most interesting storyline to come out of that game, however, was not the rebounding margin (though those numbers still inflame).  Instead, it's the fact that Colorado hasn't lost to Stanford since. Go ahead, look it up.  6-0; three wins in Boulder, three wins on the Farm.  I'll call it divine retribution for the wanton pillaging that occurred five years ago.

The Buffs will certainly be eager to keep that streak alive this evening.  Coming off a homestand that served as a reset button for a season gone sour, any opportunity to extend the run of good feelings is welcome.  A trip to Maples Pavilion - a place where CU has had success - against a Stanford team that has proven to be inconsistent this season, is just such an opportunity.  Here's to hoping that CU can keep the mojo running, and steal out of Palo Alto with the win.

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Hype Music for the Evening: "Fake Tales of San Francisco" by the Arctic Monkeys

We refer to Palo Alto as Bay Area, essentially San Francisco, but it's a relative world away from The City.  Somewhat like Fort Collins Kids claiming the cow-town up north is Denver-area. What a fitting song to tab for the evening, then; a story of people slinging lies about gigs they've never played, associations they should never be able to make, to play up an image.  Enjoy!

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The late shift again; tip-off from Maples Pavilion is set for 9pm MT on Thursday. If you can afford to stay awake that late, coverage can be found on Pac-12 Networks.  The Radio call will be on 760AM.

Click below for the preview...

2016 CU vs Stanford Football Teaser

One to go.  One more win and, regardless of what happens the rest of the year, the Buffs will finish the season at a bowl game. Sure, the carrot of bigger things beyond this milepost is enticing, but for a program nearly a decade on the outside of the cool kids club, the pedantic steps must be observed.

That's why the game this week is so important.  I don't want the specter of bowl eligibility to linger; just get it done, and move on to the cooler stuff at the end of the rainbow.  It's all in CU's hands, they just have to execute.

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Hype Music for the Week: "Olive Tree" by Scale the Summit

So, let's talk about progressive metal. It can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but is generally characterized by three things: the extended run time of its songs, 'aggressive' guitar, and extreme musicianship. Regardless of how you define it, however, prog-metal is not for the feint of heart.  You have to be a special breed of geek to like this stuff, as I do, just as you have to be a special breed of geek to get into Stanford.

This track, by Texas group Scale the Summit, always strikes me as hopeful and inspiring; the kind of thing you should be listening to on the precipice of bowl eligibility.  It's also great fuel for putting words to paper, should you need a backbeat to come up with a 25,000 word basketball preview...

Anyways, enjoy!

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Kickoff from venerable Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto is set for 1pm on Saturday.  For those going, the weather looks a little cool and cloudy, but otherwise fine.  For those stuck in Colorado watching, coverage can be found on *sigh* Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

Click below for the bag...

2015-16 CU vs Stanford Basketball Preview #2: Deforestation Efforts

Not much to say into the lead-up for this one, straight to the action!

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Hype Music for the Evening: "The Trees" by Rush

Rush is both underrated and overrated at the same time; an incredible feat of critical gymnastics. I present this song, from their sixth of 20 damn studio albums, because it's obligatory, considering the opponent. Enjoy!

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Tip-off from the CEC is set for 7pm this evening.  We need a huge crowd in the gym for this one.  Stanford has proven over the last few weeks to be a much stronger opponent than originally perceived, and a dollop of home cooking will be needed to help keep the Buffs from dropping a winnable home game. Coverage for those unable to attend can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on AM 760.

For reference, my preview from the first game can be found here.

Click below for the preview...

2015-16 CU vs Stanford Basketball Preview #1 - Looking for a Rebound

Well, that was unexpected.  Throughout the season, no matter the caliber of the opponent, or the venue, or the situation, the 2015-16 Colorado Buffaloes could be relied on to bring consistent intensity and grit for 40 minutes of play.  That was not the case Friday night in Berkeley, as CU was punked from tip to final horn by the Cal Bears.  It was a sight BuffNation had grown accustomed to a year ago, but not this season.  No, this season was supposed to be about a new attitude, free flowing offense, and a larger return to #TadBall principles of defense and rebounding.  All of that was thrown out against Cal, however, as the Golden Bears controlled every second of the action, en route to a commanding 79-65 final.

Yep, that look pretty much sums it up.  From: @TheGhostofMarv

Even Coach Boyle noticed the different timbre of the action, saying after the game, "It’s the first time I felt all year where we got out-toughed and really got out-scrapped and outplayed."  Quite simply, it did not look like the Buffs were ready for the ramp up in intensity and competitiveness that always comes the start of conference action.  They had been sitting idle for nine days between the end of the Las Vegas Classic and the game with Cal - an abnormally long time off between the end of non-conference play and the start of the 'second season' for Coach Boyle and crew - and the rust showed.  Colorado had routinely scheduled a game or two between Christmas and New Year's in the #RollTad era, a practice that was adjusted last year in deference to the long flight back from Hawai'i, and then outright abandoned this winter.  While I had grumbled at the time about mid-break tilts with the likes of Western New Mexico, New Orleans, and Hartford, those games served an important rhythmic purpose.  It'll be interesting to see how scheduling breaks out next season, but don't be surprised to see a return of the pre-conference cupcake after Christmas.

Regardless, Friday's stat sheet is pretty damn ugly.  Colorado allowed 52% shooting form the floor for the game, were down 10 rebounds at the end of the first half, and only generated six assists (from two players) on 21 made baskets.  Cal was able to completely disrupt everything that had made CU special over the first two months of the season, snuffing out activity in the paint without doubling to cancel any inside-out action. As a result, not a single Buff had what I would call a 'good' game, with typical scoring leaders Josh Scott and George King going a combined 8-28 on the offensive end, and numerous defensive issues springing up.  It was a combination of the Bears being better than they had shown previously this season, the Buffs being far worse, and, to top it off, almost every 50-50 bounce of the basketball seemed to go the way of the home team.  It was a perfect storm of suck, one that Colorado is lucky to escape from with only a 14-point loss.

Mathews and Okoroh had massive games against Colorado.  From: USA Today.

Unlike many, however, I'm not ready to hit the panic button.  As frustrating as the effort and execution was to watch in the dying embers of a New Year's hangover, it was the first time CU had failed to answer the bell this season.  I would only get concerned if that level of play was repeated this evening against the Stanford Cardinal.  As it is, the goal on every road trip is to get a split -- that carrot is still on the table, but that only further places emphasis on the result this evening.  It's not a 'must-win,' or any of that nonsense, but it's a game that can no longer be looked at as a simple run out.  The Buffs need to show up and play well, or the once promising season will suddenly start to get disjointed.

Tip-off from Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto is set for 8pm this evening.  Colorado has done pretty well in recent years against the Cardinal, winning each of the last four, including two trips westward in 2013 and '14. In a game they most certainly need, hopefully the Buffs will be able to keep that good run of play against Stanford rolling.  Coverage can be found ESPNU.

Click below for the preview...

2015 CU vs Stanford Football Preview

Everyone see "The Gospel According to Mac" this week?  Pretty sweet, right?  What a powerful image of BuffNation on national television.  Prime time, in the spotlight, there was the best of CU for all to see.  I was especially drawn in by the story of Sal, which has never been told so well.  That and the interviews with the players.  There's so much passion in that group, from Mac on through, and it still shines through today.  Very inspiring.

As much as I liked it, there's an admitted bias.  Further, I will say I kind of agree with this critique of the event.  The show got caught up a little too much in the various narratives of the football story (which isn't itself a linear tale with the '89 Orange Bowl loss) and other side arcs, and lost focus on Mac himself.  I understand this is ESPN, and the football is the draw, but Mac's the crux of the story, and I don't think they really delved into his deal.  You don't have to take a hatchet to the man to tell his story, either - he's a fascinating, influential figure, even beyond just 1989 and 1990 or Promise Keepers.  The dichotomy between the man and the town he thrived in, particularly, was something I would've liked to hear more about.

Regardless, good stuff, and worth any CU fan's time.  I'll be looking for it when it hits blu-ray shelves for sure.

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Hype Music for the Week: "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe

(Alternate version)

Fitting with the mood of the 30 for 30 take on the McCartney-era Buffaloes, I'm throwing it back to 1990, and gifting you the splendor that is Bell Biv Devoe.  Enjoy!

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Kick off from Folsom Field is set for, yeesh, 11am in the damn morning.  Get your mimosas and bloody marys ready, 'cause we're back to a breakfast tailgate. Coverage for those not in attendance can be found on Pac-12 Networks, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

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.

Click below for the preview...

2013-14 Stanford Basketball Preview

For those wondering, Shldr2Shldr had a great post over on Allbuffs listing the numerous seeding breakdowns that could play out this week.  With ASU losing in Eugene last night, the dream scenario which sees CU vault into third place remains alive, but they'd have to sweep in the Bay Area and have the Sun Devils choke in Corvallis on Saturday.  Highly unlikely.  Even without that perfect set-up, however, the Buffs could still claim a bye, but have to win at least one in San Francisco.  My feeling is that the game against Cal is the likelier of the two, at least with how the teams have been playing lately, but I think CU 'matches up' better with the Cardinal.  Regardless, the Buffs are underdogs this week, and some chalk could complicate the Vegas trip.

I still have faith, however.  Two unsurprising losses have some reaching for the panic button, and others getting ludicrous and mumbling bullshit like 'Right now, the only teams CU may be better than are Washington State and USC.'  Overreact if it makes you feel better, but this is still a strong CU team, and no one will be taking the Buffs lightly over the next few weeks.  Count this bunch out at your peril - watch them surprise us all and make the 3rd-seed happen.

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Tip-off from Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA is set for 7pm this evening.  Coverage can be found on ESPN2, with the radio call on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

2013 Stanford Basketball Preview #2

Last season, facing a similar stretch run against the NorCal and Oregon schools, the Buffs went 1-3, destroying any possibility of an at-large berth, and pushing the squad all the way out to the 6-seed in LA.  A repeat stumble cannot happen this season. 

With a second home loss, the once sterling RPI is starting to slip into the danger zone, and the Buffs need to show at least some life to reinforce the Tournament firewall.  Even a single win this week would suffice.  The good news is that I don't hate either matchup.  CU thrashed both Stanford and Cal in Boulder, and neither win seemed purely a result of home-cooking.  A split isn't all that much of a stretch.

On paper, with Cal playing some of the best basketball in the West, Stanford appears to be the riper fruit for picking.  However, I don't really care which team the Buffs end up beating, as long as they find a way to get at least one win in the Bay Area.

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Tip-off from Maples Pavilion is set for 9pm MT this evening.  Coverage, including color from Pac-12 hype-man Bill Walton, can be found on ESPN2.  If you for some reason hate America, and would rather not listen to Walton, Mark Johnson will have the radio call on 850 KOA.

For reference, my preview from the first game can be found here.

Click below for my preview of the rematch...

2013 Stanford Basketball Preview #1

Thorburn did a pretty good job yesterday highlighting just how awful the team was against the Cardinal last season.  22-point average margin of defeat, out-rebounded by a total of 32, 51% shooting allowed from the floor ... they essentially kicked the snot out of the Buffs for 80 minutes.  Or, as Ski put it today, "They didn't just handle us, they destroyed us.  They put our heads in the dirt and kicked us in our head."  Exactly.

But the BasketBuffs aren't alone in their struggles with the red horde from Palo Alto.  CU, across the six head-to-head varsity team sports that it still competes in, has yet to defeat Stanford in anything since the start of the Pac-12 era.  0-13. While the athletic department has been similarly futile against UCLA over the last two years, Stanford has historically been an imposing hurdle for Colorado Athletics.  All told - between football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, and tennis - the University of Colorado has posted a 10-39 all-time record against the Cardinal, with the last win coming in 2002 (the women's sweet-sixteen victory up in Boise).  Prior to that, you have to go back to 1990.

Sure, much of that history of futility comes from the fact that they weren't regularly scheduled prior to last season, but the point remains. It's time that the University finds a way to break through against their NorCal rivals.  The Cardinal women's programs are far superior to their CU courterparts, and we all know the disaster that resides in Folsom, so the task falls at the feet of Tad Boyle and crew.

Tip-off from Boulder is set for 8pm MT.  Tickets are still available; no excuses, pack the CEC! Coverage for the out-of-town set can be found on ESPNU, with Mark Johnson and his radio coverage on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...

2012 Stanford Football Preview

This weekend is homecoming... which means... something.  Damn it, I swear I had something for this.  I'm sorry, it's just the haze of losing has stunted my memory.  Wait... it's coming back to me... 

In recent history, at least, homecoming has meant that CU is about to get their asses kicked.  Since squeaking by Oklahoma on Kevin Eberhart's last-second field goal in 2007 the Buffs have lost four-straight homecoming games by an average of 22.25 points.  Included in that is last season's 45-2 disaster against Oregon.

Don't mind him, he's just livin' the dream.

To be fair, you could pick any random game since that miracle over Oklahoma and have a 69% change of picking a loss (CU is 20-45 since that day), but they've been remarkably consistent in treating the returning alumni to shit performances.

Based on that open, I bet you can tell where this preview is headed... but don't forget to GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! :-)

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Kickoff from sun-splashed Folsom Field is set for high noon on Saturday.  Coverage can be seen on FX (I don't know why CU keeps getting the non Pac-12 Networks slots, but they do), and heard on 850 KOA.

Click below for the preview...