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News Junkie
By Stuart
October 31st
Colorado ranked No.*29 in AP preseason poll
The Buffs have been in the top 25 in many preseason polls. However, when the poll that counts came out, the Associated Press poll, the Buffs were relegated to a tie for the No. 29 spot, along with Iowa.
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Not a big deal? Perhaps not. With a tournament used to determine a national champion, polls are not as important in college basketball as they are in football. But … it sure would have been nice to have made the preseason poll.
Ask your Buff basketball friends when was the last time Colorado was ranked in the AP preseason poll … we’ll wait.
… It’s happened only once, in 1969, when the Buffs were ranked 10th in the 1969-70 preseason poll (the Buffs were out of the poll by the time the calendar turned to 1970).
The last time the Buffs were ranked at all was last season, when the Buffs were ranked 23rd and 19th in successive polls in November*before falling to Wyoming on December 1st. In the 112-year*history of the program, Colorado has only appeared in 33 polls. Conversely, the CU football team, which plays a season roughly a third that of the basketball team, has been ranked 293 times.
So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal for CU to be ranked …
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If the preseason poll is to be looked upon as a prediction for the Pac-12 race, then Arizona (No. 6) will win the conference, followed by Oregon (No. 19) and UCLA (No. 22).
Non-conference foes are also highly ranked, with Kansas coming in at No. 5, Oklahoma State at No. 8, and the Buffs’ first opponent of the season, No. 25 Baylor.
Also receiving votes in the first poll of the season were Harvard (No. 31), Arizona State (No. 34), Washington (No. 37), and Stanford (No. 38).
The entire AP poll:
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October 30th
ESPN: CU facing 9th-toughest non-conference schedule in the nation
ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan has put together the top ten best non-conference schedules for this fall. The full list, which includes Arizona at No. 6, can be found here.
Colorado came in at No. 9, and the write up for the Buffs is as follows:
9) COLORADO
Toughest: vs. Baylor (Nov. 8 in Dallas), Harvard (Nov. 24), Kansas (Dec. 7), vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 21 in Las Vegas) Next-toughest: Wyoming (Nov. 13), at Colorado State (Dec. 3), Georgia (Dec. 28) The rest: UT Martin (Nov. 10), Jackson State (Nov. 16), Arkansas State (Nov. 18), UCSB (Nov. 21), at Air Force (Nov. 30), Elon (Dec. 13)
In relatively short order, Tad Boyle has turned Colorado into a program that expects to play NCAA-tournament-level basketball on a yearly basis, and with that improved status, the ability — and a willingness — to build tough schedules has followed. (Boyle surely took heed in 2011, when his otherwise worthy squad was left out of the tournament thanks to its atrocious nonconference schedule.) The result is what you see above, which is highlighted by huge games against former Big 12 foes Kansas and Oklahoma State, complemented by games against a talented Baylor group and the loaded, experienced Crimson. (Which, yes, is a really weird phrase to write.) The good news, at least in real-world wins and losses terms, is that none of those games is a true road visit, plus almost all of the second-level opponents Colorado will face (Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, Georgia) are retooling.
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Oregon picks up top-rated junior college transfer
Welcome to Eugene, Oregon … the Manhattan, Kansas,*of the college basketball world …
From CBSSports.com … Michael Chandler is hoping the fourth (well, technically fifth) time is the charm when it comes to college commitments.
The Northwest Florida State (Fla.) center pledged to Oregon on Tuesday night, his junior college coach Steve DeMeo told CBSSports.com.
The big man visited the Ducks’ campus this past weekend.
“Coach [Dana] Altman and his staff will help Michael become a special player and a relaly special person,” DeMeo said. “We are very excited that Michael is going to such a special place like Oregon.”
Chandler, a 6-foot-10 Indianapolis native, had previously committed to Louisville, Xavier and UCF. He decommitted from Louisville and Xavier before seemingly settling on UCF. However, he did not qualify academically back in 2011, and was forced to go to junior college.
Demeo said that Chandler is on track to qualify out of junior college.
“He is working hard on his academics,” Demeo said.
When he was in the class of 2011 Chandler was a top-50 prospect nationally.
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October 29th
Oregon transfer allowed to play immediately
From ESPN … Oregon’s chances of catching Pac-12 favorite*Arizona improved mightily Friday after the NCAA granted a waiver to Houston transfer Joseph Young to play immediately for the Ducks, Young told ESPN.com in a text message Friday morning.
Young, who averaged 18 points a game for the Cougars last season, will give the Ducks — ranked 18th in the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll — another perimeter scorer in an already-deep backcourt.
“Offensively, he’s a handful,” Ducks senior forward Mike Moser said, according to the school’s website. “Nobody wants to guard him; nobody can guard him.”
Moser said Young isn’t a one-dimensional player like many playmakers tend to be.
“He’s the exact opposite,” Moser said. “He can score and also lock guys up on the other end.”
Oregon was picked fourth in the Pac-12 in last week’s preseason poll at the conference’s media day.
Young, 6-foot-2, will fit in with Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and*Johnathan Loyd*on the perimeter. The Ducks also added Moser, a UNLV post-grad transfer who is expected to be an impact frontcourt player.
Oregon has had a flurry of transfers under fourth-year coach Dana Altman, including former Ducks Arsalan Kazemi, Tony Woods and Devoe Joseph.
Young’s premise for an immediate waiver without sitting out was based on his father, Michael Young, being reassigned on the Houston staff.
The decision on Young comes two days after Georgetown — Oregon’s season-opening opponent at the Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys in South Korea on Nov. 8 — received news that UCLA transfer Josh Smith was eligible to play. Smith received his waiver despite playing in six games for the Bruins last year in the fall.
Smith got two full seasons of eligibility, which means he’ll play in a somewhat unprecedented four-and-a half seasons of eligibility, or nine semesters.
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UCLA forward out with appendicitis
From ESPN … UCLA forward Travis Wear has been diagnosed with appendicitis.
The fifth-year senior didn’t practice Monday and was being treated at a hospital.
A team spokesman says there’s no timetable for Wear to return.
Wear averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while starting 31 of 32 games last season. He was expected to be a key part of the Bruins’ frontcourt again this season.
UCLA opens the season at home against Drexel on Nov. 8.
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UCLA to participate in Champions Classic with Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio State
From ESPN … Kentucky coach John Calipari is close to completing another type of Champions Classic with three of the more iconic programs — North Carolina, UCLA and Ohio State — to match the current one the Wildcats are in with Duke, Kansas and Michigan State.
According to multiple sources, the four-team, doubleheader event with UK, UNC, UCLA and Ohio State would follow the same format of the current Champions Classic with a three-year rotation of matchups and sites.
The event would begin in the 2014-15 season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, then move to Indianapolis before a third year in Las Vegas. Matchups for the event are to be determined.
This is the third year of the Champions Classic, which began in 2011 in New York, went to Atlanta last season and will be at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 12. Kentucky will play Michigan State, and Duke will take on Kansas. All four teams have committed to continuing the series with a new three-year rotation in 2014.
UCLA coach Steve Alford confirmed the Bruins are in the event, but Ohio State coach Thad Matta didn’t say whether the Buckeyes had been locked in yet. However, a source said Kentucky has firm commitments from all three schools.
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October 23rd
Tad Boyle CU Media day remarks
From CUBuffs.com …
OPENING STATEMENT – “I really like this year’s team. I think we’ve got a lot of talent, we’ve got a lot of athleticism. It’s almost like coaching two teams at this point because we’ve got four starters returning and some veterans that have played a lot of games for us, but we’ve also got six freshman, four true freshman, and those six freshman haven
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie
October 31st
Colorado ranked No.*29 in AP preseason poll
The Buffs have been in the top 25 in many preseason polls. However, when the poll that counts came out, the Associated Press poll, the Buffs were relegated to a tie for the No. 29 spot, along with Iowa.
–
Not a big deal? Perhaps not. With a tournament used to determine a national champion, polls are not as important in college basketball as they are in football. But … it sure would have been nice to have made the preseason poll.
Ask your Buff basketball friends when was the last time Colorado was ranked in the AP preseason poll … we’ll wait.
… It’s happened only once, in 1969, when the Buffs were ranked 10th in the 1969-70 preseason poll (the Buffs were out of the poll by the time the calendar turned to 1970).
The last time the Buffs were ranked at all was last season, when the Buffs were ranked 23rd and 19th in successive polls in November*before falling to Wyoming on December 1st. In the 112-year*history of the program, Colorado has only appeared in 33 polls. Conversely, the CU football team, which plays a season roughly a third that of the basketball team, has been ranked 293 times.
So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal for CU to be ranked …
–
If the preseason poll is to be looked upon as a prediction for the Pac-12 race, then Arizona (No. 6) will win the conference, followed by Oregon (No. 19) and UCLA (No. 22).
Non-conference foes are also highly ranked, with Kansas coming in at No. 5, Oklahoma State at No. 8, and the Buffs’ first opponent of the season, No. 25 Baylor.
Also receiving votes in the first poll of the season were Harvard (No. 31), Arizona State (No. 34), Washington (No. 37), and Stanford (No. 38).
The entire AP poll:
| 1 | Kentucky (27) | 0-0 | 1,546 |
| 2 | Michigan State (22) | 0-0 | 1,543 |
| 3 | Louisville (14) | 0-0 | 1,501 |
| 4 | Duke (2) | 0-0 | 1,435 |
| 5 | Kansas | 0-0 | 1,357 |
| 6 | Arizona | 0-0 | 1,311 |
| 7 | Michigan | 0-0 | 1,120 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 1,093 |
| 8 | Syracuse | 0-0 | 1,093 |
| 10 | Florida | 0-0 | 1,048 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 0-0 | 1,036 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 0-0 | 954 |
| 13 | Memphis | 0-0 | 741 |
| 14 | Virginia Commonwealth | 0-0 | 680 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 0-0 | 538 |
| 16 | Wichita State | 0-0 | 512 |
| 17 | Marquette | 0-0 | 510 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 0-0 | 448 |
| 19 | Oregon | 0-0 | 408 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 338 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 332 |
| 22 | UCLA | 0-0 | 244 |
| 23 | New Mexico | 0-0 | 213 |
| 24 | Virginia | 0-0 | 189 |
| 25 | Baylor | 0-0 | 180 |
- Others receiving votes: Tennessee 176, Creighton 145, Indiana 111, Iowa 83, Colorado 83, Harvard 46, Boise State 22, Villanova 14, Arizona State 11, Georgetown 11, UNLV 8, Washington 8, Stanford 6, LSU 6, Pittsburgh 6, Boston College 5, La Salle 4, Saint Louis 3, St. John’s 3, Missouri 3, Cincinnati 1
- Dropped from rankings: Indiana 4, Miami (FL) 5, Georgetown 8, Kansas State 12, Saint Louis 13, Pittsburgh 20, Creighton 22
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October 30th
ESPN: CU facing 9th-toughest non-conference schedule in the nation
ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan has put together the top ten best non-conference schedules for this fall. The full list, which includes Arizona at No. 6, can be found here.
Colorado came in at No. 9, and the write up for the Buffs is as follows:
9) COLORADO
Toughest: vs. Baylor (Nov. 8 in Dallas), Harvard (Nov. 24), Kansas (Dec. 7), vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 21 in Las Vegas) Next-toughest: Wyoming (Nov. 13), at Colorado State (Dec. 3), Georgia (Dec. 28) The rest: UT Martin (Nov. 10), Jackson State (Nov. 16), Arkansas State (Nov. 18), UCSB (Nov. 21), at Air Force (Nov. 30), Elon (Dec. 13)
In relatively short order, Tad Boyle has turned Colorado into a program that expects to play NCAA-tournament-level basketball on a yearly basis, and with that improved status, the ability — and a willingness — to build tough schedules has followed. (Boyle surely took heed in 2011, when his otherwise worthy squad was left out of the tournament thanks to its atrocious nonconference schedule.) The result is what you see above, which is highlighted by huge games against former Big 12 foes Kansas and Oklahoma State, complemented by games against a talented Baylor group and the loaded, experienced Crimson. (Which, yes, is a really weird phrase to write.) The good news, at least in real-world wins and losses terms, is that none of those games is a true road visit, plus almost all of the second-level opponents Colorado will face (Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, Georgia) are retooling.
–
Oregon picks up top-rated junior college transfer
Welcome to Eugene, Oregon … the Manhattan, Kansas,*of the college basketball world …
From CBSSports.com … Michael Chandler is hoping the fourth (well, technically fifth) time is the charm when it comes to college commitments.
The Northwest Florida State (Fla.) center pledged to Oregon on Tuesday night, his junior college coach Steve DeMeo told CBSSports.com.
The big man visited the Ducks’ campus this past weekend.
“Coach [Dana] Altman and his staff will help Michael become a special player and a relaly special person,” DeMeo said. “We are very excited that Michael is going to such a special place like Oregon.”
Chandler, a 6-foot-10 Indianapolis native, had previously committed to Louisville, Xavier and UCF. He decommitted from Louisville and Xavier before seemingly settling on UCF. However, he did not qualify academically back in 2011, and was forced to go to junior college.
Demeo said that Chandler is on track to qualify out of junior college.
“He is working hard on his academics,” Demeo said.
When he was in the class of 2011 Chandler was a top-50 prospect nationally.
—
October 29th
Oregon transfer allowed to play immediately
From ESPN … Oregon’s chances of catching Pac-12 favorite*Arizona improved mightily Friday after the NCAA granted a waiver to Houston transfer Joseph Young to play immediately for the Ducks, Young told ESPN.com in a text message Friday morning.
Young, who averaged 18 points a game for the Cougars last season, will give the Ducks — ranked 18th in the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll — another perimeter scorer in an already-deep backcourt.
“Offensively, he’s a handful,” Ducks senior forward Mike Moser said, according to the school’s website. “Nobody wants to guard him; nobody can guard him.”
Moser said Young isn’t a one-dimensional player like many playmakers tend to be.
“He’s the exact opposite,” Moser said. “He can score and also lock guys up on the other end.”
Oregon was picked fourth in the Pac-12 in last week’s preseason poll at the conference’s media day.
Young, 6-foot-2, will fit in with Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and*Johnathan Loyd*on the perimeter. The Ducks also added Moser, a UNLV post-grad transfer who is expected to be an impact frontcourt player.
Oregon has had a flurry of transfers under fourth-year coach Dana Altman, including former Ducks Arsalan Kazemi, Tony Woods and Devoe Joseph.
Young’s premise for an immediate waiver without sitting out was based on his father, Michael Young, being reassigned on the Houston staff.
The decision on Young comes two days after Georgetown — Oregon’s season-opening opponent at the Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys in South Korea on Nov. 8 — received news that UCLA transfer Josh Smith was eligible to play. Smith received his waiver despite playing in six games for the Bruins last year in the fall.
Smith got two full seasons of eligibility, which means he’ll play in a somewhat unprecedented four-and-a half seasons of eligibility, or nine semesters.
–
UCLA forward out with appendicitis
From ESPN … UCLA forward Travis Wear has been diagnosed with appendicitis.
The fifth-year senior didn’t practice Monday and was being treated at a hospital.
A team spokesman says there’s no timetable for Wear to return.
Wear averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while starting 31 of 32 games last season. He was expected to be a key part of the Bruins’ frontcourt again this season.
UCLA opens the season at home against Drexel on Nov. 8.
–
UCLA to participate in Champions Classic with Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio State
From ESPN … Kentucky coach John Calipari is close to completing another type of Champions Classic with three of the more iconic programs — North Carolina, UCLA and Ohio State — to match the current one the Wildcats are in with Duke, Kansas and Michigan State.
According to multiple sources, the four-team, doubleheader event with UK, UNC, UCLA and Ohio State would follow the same format of the current Champions Classic with a three-year rotation of matchups and sites.
The event would begin in the 2014-15 season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, then move to Indianapolis before a third year in Las Vegas. Matchups for the event are to be determined.
This is the third year of the Champions Classic, which began in 2011 in New York, went to Atlanta last season and will be at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 12. Kentucky will play Michigan State, and Duke will take on Kansas. All four teams have committed to continuing the series with a new three-year rotation in 2014.
UCLA coach Steve Alford confirmed the Bruins are in the event, but Ohio State coach Thad Matta didn’t say whether the Buckeyes had been locked in yet. However, a source said Kentucky has firm commitments from all three schools.
–
October 23rd
Tad Boyle CU Media day remarks
From CUBuffs.com …
OPENING STATEMENT – “I really like this year’s team. I think we’ve got a lot of talent, we’ve got a lot of athleticism. It’s almost like coaching two teams at this point because we’ve got four starters returning and some veterans that have played a lot of games for us, but we’ve also got six freshman, four true freshman, and those six freshman haven
Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie