LAST WEEK
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
First off, let me just say for the ten millionth time that The Mtn is not a real TV network. CSU fans deserve that network. Unfortunately we're stuck with that joke of a network if you're not traveling up to the Fort for the game this week, so we're not out of the woods just yet. But I did thoroughly enjoy the first ten minutes of the game which consisted of either no audio, no video, no score/time or any combination of the previous three that they could come up with. The solid green screen was my favorite.
I salute you for your incompetence The Mtn.
As for the game, overall you have to be thrilled. CU came out flat, looking horrible, and somehow stole a road victory from a tough in-state opponent. Had you told me that the Buffs would win with Andre Roberson basically disappearing for the first 35 minutes of the game and Nate Tomlinson would arguably be our best player, I would have taken it without a second thought. That said, I am concerned about the team. I keep telling myself that they're young and that it's early, but I'm starting to get the feeling that this is going to be a pretty up & down season. I'm still holding out hopes for a lesser version of last year in which we started slow but gained steam throughout the year. I'm not certain that's going to happen now. I still hold out hope though.
Oh, and the team WILL put me in the hospital at some point this year if they continue to shoot free throws this way.
Now with all of that negativity out of the way, I do have to say that there were two players who stood out to me in a good way during the game -- Austin Dufault and Askia Booker. I can't praise Buffnik enough for this one because he called it from day one, and he's 100% right -- Ski is going to be a damn star. Seriously, the kid still has his idiot moments, but he's been great. As for Austin, he's been exactly what we've been hoping for for years now. Hopefully it stays. We're going to need him.
THIS WEEK
This week is huge. Quite simply, if the Buffs can go 2-0 this week and put themselves at 5-2, they will be in a great position to finish the non-conference schedule 10-2. According to KenPom's rankings, after this week the hardest non-conference opponent CU will face will be Fresno State -- the #190 team in the nation. For comparison's sake, Georgia is ranked #77, the Rams are ranked #157 and the Buffs are #122 (to play Devil's Advocate, I will point out that it's early so there's a small sample size. Because of that you see things like UCLA at #120).
Georgia lost three quality players from last year's team, so this isn't the same group of Dawgs that beat the Buffs last season. They did land top 25 recruit Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who should help quite a bit, but it's still a rebuilding year. Right now, Georgia is a horrid offensive team. That said, they're playing solid D with a win over Notre Dame already this season. The offense is going to have to step up in a big way for the Buffs to win this one, but it's not unrealistic. Right now Ken Pom has us winning 52% of the time.
As for the Rams (and their horrible TV network), they're pretty much the polar opposite of the Dawgs. They're lighting up the nets, but can't stop anyone. They don't force turnovers, they allow their opponents to shoot a ridiculous percentage and they send them to the line a lot. That said, for as bad as they are on D, they're that good on offense. They get to the line at a rate that would make last year's Buffs blush and are making 76% of their FT's. The Buffs are going to have to play solid D this game and hang on. The Rams don't have an impressive resume so far as their most impressive win is over Montana and they needed overtime to beat Manhattan, but this is a rivalry game and it is in their house, so it won't be easy.
SEASON NUMBERS TO FOLLOW
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
| 76 | 
| 73 |
First off, let me just say for the ten millionth time that The Mtn is not a real TV network. CSU fans deserve that network. Unfortunately we're stuck with that joke of a network if you're not traveling up to the Fort for the game this week, so we're not out of the woods just yet. But I did thoroughly enjoy the first ten minutes of the game which consisted of either no audio, no video, no score/time or any combination of the previous three that they could come up with. The solid green screen was my favorite.
I salute you for your incompetence The Mtn.
As for the game, overall you have to be thrilled. CU came out flat, looking horrible, and somehow stole a road victory from a tough in-state opponent. Had you told me that the Buffs would win with Andre Roberson basically disappearing for the first 35 minutes of the game and Nate Tomlinson would arguably be our best player, I would have taken it without a second thought. That said, I am concerned about the team. I keep telling myself that they're young and that it's early, but I'm starting to get the feeling that this is going to be a pretty up & down season. I'm still holding out hopes for a lesser version of last year in which we started slow but gained steam throughout the year. I'm not certain that's going to happen now. I still hold out hope though.
Oh, and the team WILL put me in the hospital at some point this year if they continue to shoot free throws this way.
Now with all of that negativity out of the way, I do have to say that there were two players who stood out to me in a good way during the game -- Austin Dufault and Askia Booker. I can't praise Buffnik enough for this one because he called it from day one, and he's 100% right -- Ski is going to be a damn star. Seriously, the kid still has his idiot moments, but he's been great. As for Austin, he's been exactly what we've been hoping for for years now. Hopefully it stays. We're going to need him.
THIS WEEK
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| Monday, November 28th 6:30 PM ROOT Sports Coors Event Center Boulder, CO |
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| Wednesday, November 30th 6:00 PM The Mtn Moby Arena Ft. Collins, CO |
Georgia lost three quality players from last year's team, so this isn't the same group of Dawgs that beat the Buffs last season. They did land top 25 recruit Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who should help quite a bit, but it's still a rebuilding year. Right now, Georgia is a horrid offensive team. That said, they're playing solid D with a win over Notre Dame already this season. The offense is going to have to step up in a big way for the Buffs to win this one, but it's not unrealistic. Right now Ken Pom has us winning 52% of the time.
As for the Rams (and their horrible TV network), they're pretty much the polar opposite of the Dawgs. They're lighting up the nets, but can't stop anyone. They don't force turnovers, they allow their opponents to shoot a ridiculous percentage and they send them to the line a lot. That said, for as bad as they are on D, they're that good on offense. They get to the line at a rate that would make last year's Buffs blush and are making 76% of their FT's. The Buffs are going to have to play solid D this game and hang on. The Rams don't have an impressive resume so far as their most impressive win is over Montana and they needed overtime to beat Manhattan, but this is a rivalry game and it is in their house, so it won't be easy.
| Colorado Offense | Colorado Defense | Georgia Offense | Georgia Defense | D1 Average | |
| eFG% | 53.0% | 51.3% | 43.6% | 44.3% | 48.4% |
| Turnover % | 19.6% | 15.6% | 20.0% | 20.5% | 21.7% |
| Off. Reb % | 32.5% | 30.6% | 31.4% | 32.4% | 32.5% |
| FTA/FGA | 37.7 | 37.1 | 28.1 | 40.6 | 38.2 |
| Colorado Offense | Colorado Defense | Colorado St Offense | Colorado St Defense | D1 Average | |
| eFG% | 53.0% | 51.3% | 51.7% | 53.0% | 48.4% |
| Turnover % | 19.6% | 15.6% | 18.9% | 18.2% | 21.7% |
| Off. Reb % | 32.5% | 30.6% | 30.0% | 29.2% | 32.5% |
| FTA/FGA | 37.7 | 37.1 | 56.6 | 43.8 | 38.2 |
SEASON NUMBERS TO FOLLOW
| Offensive Efficiency | Defensive Efficiency | Pace | |
| Colorado | 107.4 | 103.0 | 67.3 |
| D1 Average | 100.0 | 100.0 | 67.5 |
