Colorado Buffs Embarrass Themselves at the Big Dance in Orlando

Although it is only halftime as this is written, it is perfectly safe to say that the CU Buffs are "one and done" at this year's Big Dance. Now, getting to March Madness for the third year in a row is something for the Buffs to celebrate. More importantly, right now, the Buffs should be celebrating that most fans back home in Colorado DID NOT see their atrocious performance against Pittsburgh because the game was started at 11:40 in the morning Colorado time.

HALFTIME SCORE: PITT 46, COLORADO 18

No, that is not a typo. The Buffs were behind by 28 points in the first 20 minutes of the game to a team seeded lower than Colorado. Boyle should send 5 guys (or maybe 4 guys and a girl) from the C-Unit out to finish the game in the second half, because they couldn't do any worse than his scholarship players.

I don't know if Colorado planned any extra-curricular activities in Orlando, but if they did they should cancel them. Or, at the very least, make sure that none of the players wears CU apparel out in public. That way they might be able to avoid the finger pointing and laughter that might be hurled their way. No worries, though, since they would not be able to catch anything hurled their way anyway... not if their play today was any indication.

For those of us fans who were unfortunate enough to be able to watch the first half, it was like going  back in time to watching the 2012 CU football team. The game against Fresno State springs to mind.

Thank goodness we can now focus our attention on the Spring practices of Mike MacIntyre's Buff football team. After winning four games last year, hopes are high that the Buffs will win at least six games this year and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. In any case, after today, CU football and men's basketball fans can't face another defeat until at least September.

And, hopefully, it will be much longer before either team gets destroyed as badly as the Buff got today.

Happy Vernal Equinox! It's a beautiful time of year to be doing something besides watching sports on TV.

Video: Colorado Buffaloes Win 9th Straight, Defeat Kansas Jayhawks 75-72

Things are starting to look pretty damn good for Tad Boyle's Colorado basketball team. The only team they have lost to this year, Baylor, took down #3 Kentucky last night. And today, the Buffaloes showed why they deserve to be well into the Top 20 in the country with a 75-72 win over #6 Kansas as the Coors Events Center in Boulder. The win was the 9th straight for the Buffs.

On a bitter cold day in Boulder, with outside temperatures hovering just a bit over zero, Buff fans and the famed C-Unit made the interior of the Foam Dome a pressure cooker at just the right temperature for roasting Jayhawks. With the game tied at 72 and three seconds on the clock, Colorado inbounded the ball to Askia Booker. 'Ski took the ball across midcourt and launched a long three point shot with half a second to go... and the three-point shot was all net as time expired. Colorado students and fans flooded the court after the shot and the victory.

Check out the video of Booker's incredible shot to win the game.

The win ended a 19-game losing streak to Kansas that went back to January 22, 2003. Like that game, Kansas entered the game as the #6 team in the country. And like that game as well, Kansas heads back home to the land that denies evolution with a loss.

Considering that Colorado was a mediocre basketball team for most of the years that they played in the same conference as Kansas, the KU fans and players must be awful happy now that Colorado has moved on to the Pac-12. Indeed, Kansas fans used to refer to the Coors Events Center as "Allen Fieldhouse West" because their games against CU in Boulder usually featured at least half the arena filled with Jayhawk fans.

That is no longer the case as head coach Tad Boyle has turned Boulder into a basketball hotbed. The Foam Dome has an official seating capacity of 11,064, but several hundred more were in attendance today. Truly, the crowd was "standing room only." According CU records, the record attendance at the Events Center was 11,363 in 2001 (also against Kansas). Today's final tally may surpass that.

Colorado was led in scoring by Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker, each with 15 points. Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott added 14 apiece for the Buffs. Kansas was led by Super-Frosh Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 points. Many analysts predict that Wiggins will be the NBA's #1 draft pick next April.

The Buffs do not play again until next Friday, when they host Elon. On December 21st, they will play #9 Oklahoma State in Las Vegas.

Colorado Wins 8th Straight Against CSU, Braces for Kansas

Following a season opening loss in Texas to #20 Baylor, Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes have reeled off eight straight wins. Six of those wins came within the cozy confines of CU's Coors Events Center, but the last two have come on the road. As road warriors, first they took down Air Force in Colorado Springs, and last night they came back in Fort Collins behind 28 points from Spencer Dinwiddie to defeat Colorado State at Moby Arena 67-62.

The Buffs hope to invoke memories of the Wizard of Oz this weekend by chanting to themselves "there's no place like home." And when the Jayhawks of #6 Kansas come calling in their next game, the Buffs hope they have KU fans muttering "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Of course, the next line is "We must be over the rainbow!" Indeed, to the fanatics from Kansas, where evil lies in evolution and science, the bright world of tolerance and education that epitomizes Boulder must seem as foreign and odd as Oz.

Last year, the Jayhawks smoked the Buffs by the nasty score of 90-54 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Kansas is a perennial top 10 team, and has been a long-time foe of the Buffaloes. They were in the same conference until Colorado moved to the Pac-12 several years ago. That means the Buffs had to face them twice a year, every year.

The last time that Colorado defeated Kansas was January 22, 2003, when the #6 ranked Jayhawks visited Oz/Boulder and left with a 60-59 defeat. Boyle's Buffs hope to put 10 years of frustration behind them with a win in front of the loud and crazy C-Unit at the "Foam Dome" this weekend.

The Buffs have sold out all season tickets this year for the first time ever, and that should provide a great environment for the Buffaloes. Until Tad Boyle arrived on the scene, the Buffs were not consistently good in basketball for a LONG time. And when KU came to town, the Events Center was usually filled with Jayhawk fans who flocked to Boulder to experience life in Kodachrome.

Win or lose, however, Buff fans have a long history of sending Kansas and their fans packing with the derisive chant "We don't live in Kansas!" Thank God! Or just to upset them even more, Thank Goddess!

Andre Roberson's Next Challenge the NBA

Colorado basketball star Andre Roberson has decided to forego his senior season in Boulder for the challenge of the NBA. He notified coach Tad Boyle of his decision on Sunday. The 2013 NBA draft is comprised of two rounds and will be held on Thursday, June 27th.

Roberson is generally regarded as a mid 2nd round pick, but that may change as teams get the opportunity to work him out in person over the next two months. Roberson has been one of the top rebounders in the country each of the last two years, and was also named the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Year this past season. In addition to taking the ball off the glass, steals and blocked shots have also been mainstays of Roberson's game.

He is known as a fierce competitor, and that mindset will make him a valuable addition to most NBA rosters. While his offensive skill set is still developing, his intense defense and nose for the ball will keep Andre in the mix come draft time. On top of that, Andre has shown himself to be a TEAM player who is dedicated to the success of the team much more than personal glory or statistics.

The NBA will offer a great challenge to Roberson, but as the first notable recruit for head coach Tad Boyle, Roberson knows all about challenges. Prior to his arrival in Boulder, Colorado had only been to the NCAA Tournament two times in over 40 years. Since Andre took the court for the Buffs, Colorado has been to March Madness twice and made it to the NIT championship game in the other year. To put it bluntly, Roberson has helped head coach Tad Boyle turn Colorado into a basketball school with some of the most vocal fans in the Pac-12. Indeed, every team in the league knows about the C-Unit.

Colorado is considered to be loaded with talent going into next season, with some prognosticators having the Buffs penciled in as a top 15 team. The loss of Roberson may temper expectations a bit, but he has blazed a trail that other recruits are following to Boulder. I want to join all Colorado fans in thanking Andre for his time and dedication to the university. Although CU has had other players over the last 20 years that moved on to NBA careers, Roberson has arguably done the most to lift his team into the realm of teams that need to be reckoned with on an annual basis when it comes time for the Big Dance.

Thanks for the memories and good luck Andre!

CU Buff Hoopsters Fight Back, Demolish Oregon Ducks

Deep inside, Tad Boyle must be smiling this morning. Following the 16 point loss to Cal this past weekend, and the news that Andre Roberson (the number one rebounder in the NCAA) would not be able to play, CU found itself facing the daunting task of hosting the the Pac-12's first place team, the Oregon Ducks. In danger of slipping onto the dreaded "Bubble" of teams hoping to get into the NCAA's postseason showcase, how did Boyle's Buffs respond to the challenge? They handed the Ducks their tail feathers with a 76-53 drubbing at the Coors Events Center.

The win was important for several reasons as they get ready to end the regular season by hosting Oregon State this weekend. It puts the Buffs in the position to be on a roll when the Pac-12 tournament gets started in Las Vegas next week. Boyle's team swept through the tournament last year with four wins in four days to earn the conference's automatic tourney berth. The Buffs would love nothing more than to stretch that streak to eight games and secure the best possible seeding to the Big Dance.

The big win also allowed the Buffs to avoid the prolonged malaise that engulfed the team following the overtime loss at Arizona to begin the year. That game was notable for having a game winning three-pointer by Sabatino Chen waived off by officials despite video showing time on the clock when the ball left his hands. Arizona went on to win the game in overtime. The emotional loss put the Buffs into a tailspin which saw them lose four of five games to dig themselves into a big hole at the beginning of conference play.

The Buffs have fought back to now hold the number five position in the conference heading into the final game of the regular season. Following the blowout of the Ducks, CU has to hold serve against Oregon State, who is tied for last place in the Pac-12 with Washington State. A win against the Beavers and a couple of wins in Vegas will give the Buffs the chance to continue their string of 24 win seasons under coach Boyle. March Madness indeed!

The good news for the Buffs heading to Las Vegas is that they hold a 4-3 record against the top four teams in the conference, and they also tend to play very well at neutral venues. Another positive for the Buffs is that their fans, led by the famed C-Unit, travel very well and have the reputation as the loudest and rowdiest fans in the conference. As the saying goes, "VEGAS BABY!"