Reply With QuoteGreatness. Thankfully we have a team we can be truly proud of.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball
Colorado had the most boisterous contingent at the Pit during the NCAA tournament.
The black and gold fans in Albuquerque were loud, proud and committed to ensuring the Buffaloes were well represented. I was there. I heard it. It was obvious to anyone in the arena.
The Buffaloes were rewarded with an NCAA tournament win over UNLV -- their first such victory in 15 years -- before losing to Baylor in the round of 32.
This was Colorado, and the sport they were cheering was men's basketball. Now that's progress.
The CU fan base had rarely been known as well traveled (or loud) during its days in the Big 12. Yet something has changed in Boulder -- for the better -- since Colorado's move in the Pac-12.
Now the fan base has something to cheer about: a team that isn't going to shy away from its newfound success under Tad Boyle, who is entering this third season with the Buffs.
"Two things contributed to our home-court edge,'' said Boyle, whose team lost just one league game at home last season. "The students really got into our program, and we were very consistent. The fact that we played at altitude and played fast for the whole game got everyone to buy into the home-court atmosphere. It was the best home-court advantage in the Pac-12. Arizona may be more consistent in terms of numbers game in and game out, but when our arena is full and it's a big game, it's a wash.''
Colorado's 11-7 record in its inaugural Pac-12 season was no fluke. Neither was the team's run to the Pac-12 tournament title in Los Angeles. The league's move to Las Vegas' MGM Grand for the conference tourney should bode well in the coming years for this program. If the fans traveled well to New Mexico for the Big Dance, they'll surely make the more destination-driven spot of Vegas.
"We've got momentum now,'' Boyle said.
However, Boyle does expect this team to struggle a bit out of the box. The Buffaloes lost a few key players in Carlon Brown and Austin Dufault. The schedule will be challenging with the Charleston Classic, which includes Baylor and Murray State. Hosting Colorado State and Air Force will test this team, as will a road game at Wyoming, all regional rivalries that are more difficult than they seem.
As for the roster, the Buffs have a rising star in junior forward Andre Roberson, who was critical in the Pac-12 title run with double-doubles in three of the four games and a 13-16 performance against UNLV. Boyle also plans on leaning heavily on sophomore Askia Booker, who shined in the NCAA tournament with a combined 31 points in the two games.
The expected impact of big-time in-state recruit Josh Scott, a 6-foot-10 center from Monument, Colo., and 6-6 wing Xavier Johnson from Temecula, Calif., is already being felt. Boyle has worked out the newcomers and hasn't shied from heaping expectations on them.
"Our two most highly rated guys -- Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson -- are both as good as advertised,'' Boyle said.
They, along with four other newcomers, will get a jump on the season with an August trip to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Boyle said he's hoping that the freshmen will pick up necessary details sooner because of the trip.
The addition of Johnson gives the Buffaloes three key players (the other is rising sophomore Spencer Dinwiddie) from Southern California. Would this have happened if Colorado wasn't in the Pac-12?
"No way, no way, no way,'' Boyle said. "We don't get them if we're not in the Pac-12. We don't get Xavier Johnson. No question about it. It was a good move for us to capitalize on the West Coast.''
No one associated with Colorado is foolish enough to think the Buffaloes will be picked to win the conference. The combination of returnees and top-five recruiting classes at Arizona and UCLA put those two programs at the top of the league. Stanford's NIT title and returning core probably put the Cardinal at third in the pecking order.
But Colorado has every reason to believe it can be in the top four, pushing past programs like Cal and Washington. Regardless, the Buffs are now officially in the mix on a regular basis.
"We've got a few key guys coming back that contributed to our run,'' Boyle said. "I like where we're positioned, not just for this year. We could be good this year, but we're poised to be good for two or three years down the road, too.''
Greatness. Thankfully we have a team we can be truly proud of.
Great article. Nice to get some national attention.
Can't wait to see Xavier flying to the hoop.
#isitnovemeberyet
Sacky's reaction to a text alerting him to Embree's dismissal.Originally Posted by absinthe
Just ecstatic about what we've got the chance to build here at CU in basketball (and we're already ****ing conference champions, baby!!) Keep it growing!!!
COLORADO BUFFALOES BASKETBALL: 2012 PAC-12 CHAMPIONS
2012 Charleston Classic Champions
I think that the Europe trip is going to be HUGE for this team and the impact will last for years to come. Between the early opportunity to gel as a team and bond AND the chance for the new guys to get used to the speed of the game and playing with their new teammates, I think that the impact of the extra preseason practices and games cannot be overstated. I'm extremely grateful that the Pac-12 network will allow me to see every game when I'm no longer in Boulder anymore. The next few years for CU hoops are going to be extremely special and I'm really glad I got to be here for the beginning of it all.
I wonder if this article has been met with teeth gnashing from our former conference mates to the east of us?
It would be great if somebody would e-mail it to the Governor of Missouri....
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading - Lao Tzu
The pride and tradition of the Colorado Buffaloes will not be entrusted to the timid or the weak
Amen to that!
this is the perfect year for us to do a b-ball trip. We get one trip every four year plus 10 extra practices and the multiple games. I don't think we will see a time in the near future where we have as many freshman as we do this year and they should start the season closer to the same page than if we went in without any games under our belt.
Everything's coming up Tad.
Standing on the wall for Colorado Basketball since 2002.
No man wastes that many "f---s" over something he doesn't love.
For more, please visit The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo.
Read the comments. More along the lines of "The Pac 12 sucks, a bottom dweller Big 12 team just schooled you."
Tini matured and left ESPN boards to come to allbuffs, that shows you how bad those people suck.
Didn't we make the semis of the Big 12 tournament the year before? How quickly people forget.
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. - Alex Levine
