SB Nation - Nate Tomlinson

Preview: Colorado Buffaloes Take On the Gonzaga Bulldogs In the Maui Invitational

irish1611 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:17:49 -0000

3-0, 0-0
NR (AP)
NR (Coaches Poll)

November 23rd, 2009
Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Where: Lahaina Civic Center
1:00 pm MT
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats: ESPN.com
Line: Gonzaga -10.5
Gonzaga Blog: Slipper Still Fits

2-1, 0-0
NR (AP)
NR (Coaches Poll)

The always prestigious preseason tournament, the Maui Invitational, kicks off tomorrow with the Colorado Buffaloes taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a top five program in terms of wins over the past decade. Gonzaga has won 9 consecutive regular-season conference titles and has reached the NCAA tournament in nine consecutive years as well, something only nine schools have done over that time period. Now recruiting with the best of them in college basketball, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are a true perennial power, not just a nice story.

preview after the jump...

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 2 - 1 in the early season with home wins against Mississippi Valley State and IPFW. The one loss was on the road to the #2 ranked Michigan State Spartans 75 - 71 in a game which they led until three minutes remaining. If you watched the game, you will have noticed three things. The Bulldogs are very talented, are playing a different style of basketball more conducive to the physical style of play they will see at tourney time and you may have needed a roster to see who all of the new players were. Amazingly, Gonzaga stuck with Michigan State after losing five seniors off of last year's team - F Ira Brown, F Austin Daye, G Micah Downs, F Josh Heytvelt, G Jeremy Pargo. Austin Daye was a first round draft pick in the 2009 draft while Downs, Heytvelt and Pargo were starters along with Daye for much of the year and all four were in the top five of the team in scoring. This off a team that went to the sweet sixteen a year ago. Because the Bulldogs were such an experienced team in 2009, Gonzaga has four upperclassmen and twelve underclassmen including nine freshmen. Five freshmen play and make solid contributions for this team. But don't expect much of a drop off from the Bulldogs as you can already tell, they have enough of a talented nucleus to be a contender, just ask Michigan State.

The two top returning players from a year ago is Colorado high school product, G Matt Bouldin and G Steven Gray. Matt Bouldin, a front runner for the West Coast Conference player of the year, leads the team in scoring this year with 17.3 points per game. The biggest difference between last year's team and this year's team is the early front court play from sophomore Robert Sacre (7'0"), freshman Elias Harris (6'7"), freshman Kelly Olynyk (7'0") and senior Will Foster (7'4"). Robert Sacre, hurt last year, has averaged 16.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg. His presence is a big improvement inside from a year ago when even Bulldog fans would admit that players like Heytvelt and Daye became too perimeter oriented. Sacre and Harris have truly solidified the post position on this team. If you are fortunate enough to watch the game tomorrow, you have to check out Elias Harris, a freshman from Germany who sort of flew under the radar in the recruiting circles but has Gonzaga fans salivating. A silky smooth player in the mold of Amare Stoudemire, he has come in and averaged 14.3 points per with seven rebounds.

This team might also have more depth compared to a year ago, especially with Sacre and Harris now available, which is making the Bulldogs more competitive on the defensive end, something Gonzaga fans have always wanted to see more of. If their past performances are indicative of the future, expect the Bulldogs to really get after the young Buffs on the defensive end.

As for the Colorado Buffaloes, this game will be a pretty big challenge for them. Gonzaga, although they have one loss, will probably be ranked when the polls come out tomorrow because of their impressive performance against MSU. Where the Buffs might have the most trouble is in the post where Sacre, Harris, Olynyk and Foster are all bigger and more talented than the Buffs down low. The tallest person on the Buffs top five is Austin Dufault who stands 6'9". True freshman Shane Harris-Tunks goes 6'11" but has only averaged 8.0 minutes a game. It will be interesting to see how the Buffs try and defend the Bulldogs. You will probably see a lot of zone as my guess is the biggest threat from the Zags is their penetration game and less on the perimeter as Steven Gray is their only bona fide perimeter shooter but he has struggled shooting only 40% from the field and 35% from the three point line. The biggest question for the Buffs the past three years has been its rebounding and that has come into question again this year as they were out-rebounded 31 - 23 by Texas Southern, who the next day went up and lost to University of Northern Colorado. The Buffs shot over 60% in that game to win but unless the Buffs hit the boards hard on Monday against the Zags, it could be a long day. Colorado averages 29 rebounds a game with junior college transfer Marcus Relphorde leading the Buffs with just 4.0 rebounds per game.

Tomorrow's game does have the potential for some great matchups, though. The best in my eyes is Gonzaga star Matt Bouldin against the Buffs' star Cory Higgins. Higgins is once again proving he is one of the best players in the Big 12, averaging 23.3 ppg and shooting an amazing 70%. Bouldin is a very physical guard who uses his strength to create shots. It will be a good battle of strength vs. speed. Another matchup that will be exciting is Buffs' freshman G Alec Burks against G Steven Gray. Gray is the Zags best perimeter threat. Alec Burks is averaging a strong 18.0 points per, a great number for a guy playing for the first time at the collegiate level. If the Buffs can out play the two perimeter players in Bouldin and Gray, they might be able to make things interesting tomorrow. I am very excited to see how Burks plays tomorrow in his first look at strong competition.

I am very worried about the matchups elsewhere on the court. Colorado G Nate Tomlinson will face a very tough and quick guard in sophomore Meech Goodson, who likes to push the pace and play tough defense on the perimeter. Look for more Dwight Thorne, Cory Higgins and Alec Burks to play the point tomorrow as well. One of the reasons the signing of Marcus Relphorde got Buffs' fans excited was his athleticism at 6'8" and his self acclaimed ability to guard four positions on defense. He might have to do that tomorrow and do it very well for the Buffs to have a chance when freshman Elias Harris is in the game. This will be a good barometer for Relphorde and I hope the coaching staff puts Relphorde on him as soon as he steps on the floor and tells him it is his job to make the freshman's life miserable.

As for the post position, your guess is as good as mine as to what the Buffs will plan to do but you can bet Gonzaga goes to the post often tomorrow. If Colorado can get Harris and Sacre in foul trouble, which is what Michigan State did to beat the Zags, CU will have a much better chance tomorrow, that and if they make it a goal to crash the boards.

It should be a fun watch and a great gauge for the young Buffs' team.

KNOW THY ENEMY: Colorado Buffaloes

BracketCat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:33 -0000

Okey dokey, Cats, get ready for a swift blitz of info leading into the long-anticipated start of basketball season. Each week during the month of November, you'll get two KNOW THY ENEMY previews for the price of one. And this week, there even will be a super-duper extra-special bonus preview before the Cats' exhibition opener on Sunday.

So, hit the jump for everything you need to know about the enemy Buffaloes, as I catch up on a preview that should have ran last week, and if you need to know more for some reason, you always can head to The Ralphie Report.

The Coach

Jeff Bzdelik
Third Season
21-42 (3-28) at Colorado
96-89 (26-38) overall

Although his second year at the helm was not a successful one based on victories, Bzdelik and his staff continued onward and upward in numerous and positive steps toward a successful season, despite a 9-22 campaign. With one senior and one junior, and a core of underclassmen, the Buffaloes' youth of freshmen and sophomores attributed for 72.3 percent of the team's scoring, marking the highest of any Buffs team since the Big 12 began play in 1996-97.

CU's competitive spirit on a nightly basis saw the Buffs fall short in conference play eight times by single digits (an average of 5.3 ppg) and in 11 games overall (an average of 4.6 ppg). Four of those single-digit setbacks came against 2008-09 NCAA Tournament opponents: Texas (in overtime), at Kansas, at Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

The Departures

Starter

Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (20.5 minutes per game, 5.4 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game)

Reserves

Matt Favaro (2 minutes per game, 2 points per game, 0 rebounds per game)
Ryan Kelley (5.5 minutes per game, 2.6 points per game, 0.5 rebound per game)
Toby Veal (6.9 minutes per game, 1.8 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game)
Andrew Zehnder (5.1 minutes per game, 0.8 point per game, 0.2 rebound per game)

The Veterans

		#1 Nate Tomlinson Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Sydney, Australia Tomlinson started all 28 games in which he participated. He missed three games due to injuries; averaged 7.4 points, 3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 33.6 minutes per game; finished in 16th place on CU's freshman points list with 206; became the first freshman since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in assists and finished seventh on the school's all-time freshman assists list; shared scoring honors with 18 points at Stanford on 8-of-12 shooting; and led CU in assists 14 times. Tomlinson had five games with five or more assists and 18 games with at least three; a season-best seven assists against Texas A&M; six rebounds vs. Iowa State; four steals at Texas Tech; an assist in 27 of 28 games; and nine games with 10+ points. He finished seventh overall in the Big 12 in minutes played; played 35+ minutes 13 times; grabbed four or more rebounds nine times; made two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, clinching CU's 65-62 win over Louisiana-Monroe; and was the first freshman point guard since 2002-03 to start a season opener.

		#3 Rick Higgins Senior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Danville, Calif. Higgins transferred to Colorado from Cal Poly to play with his brother, Cory. He sat out of the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules and lost a year of eligibility because he already had redshirted at Cal Poly, where he played in 43 games, with two starts in two years, and averaged 1.2 points per game.

		#11 Cory Higgins Junior Guard 6-5 \| 190 Danville, Calif. Third Team All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Player of the Week (12/08/09) Higgins was one of 13 nationally ranked players who were first or second on their team in the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) and the only sophomore nationally on that list. He was first statistically on the team in points, rebounds, steals, defensive and total rebounds, free throws and attempts, free-throw percentage, field goals made and attempted, and minutes played; second in assists and blocks; third in 3-point field goals made; and among CU players with a minimum of 200 shots taken was second on the team in shooting percentage Higgins tallied three nationally ranked categories: 64th in steals, 77th in free-throw percentage and 93rd in points per game. He scored 538 points, finishing 13th all-time at CU for most points scored in a single season. Those 538 points rank third all-time among CU sophomores and seventh all-time among CU guards for a season. Higgins led the team in scoring 18 times, steals 16 times, rebounding 15 times, assists 10 times and blocks 8 times; scored double digits in 28 of 31 games, 20+ points 12 times and 30+ twice; owned the team's top two scoring games with 34 points vs. Texas and 33 points vs. Colorado State; made 11 field goals in a single game twice, also a team best; achieved a perfect 12 of 12 at the free-throw line twice; had two double-doubles; was second both in CU seasonal minutes and conference minutes played; was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tourney team, leading the Buffs in scoring every game; scored a CU 13-year conference high with a personal-best 34 points against Texas; also performed the same feat against Texas A&M with 27 points; was the first player at CU to lead the team in rebounding and assists the first two games of any season since the 1973-74 season; played 35+ minutes 24 times; had six games over 40 minutes; posted six or more rebounds 15 times; grabbed three or more steals 13 times; dished out four or more assists eight times; had 13 games with at least six or more made field goals; and tallied five CU Athlete of the Week awards.

		#12 Dwight Thorne II Senior Guard 6-3 \| 185 Arlington, Texas Thorne was selected as one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to participate on an Athletes In Action team for a one-week, competitive international tour against teams in Poland and Berlin, Germany. He is a three-year captain who started every game; was the team leader with 45 made 3-pointers; was second in team scoring, steals, made field goals and made free throws; was third in assists with 52, minutes played and fourth in rebounds; finished the season ranked in three Big 12-only categories; played 1,035 minutes and made 128 field goals, surpassing his previous two-year total of 53; made a 3-pointer in 23 of 31 games and had 12 games with at least two treys; scored in double digits 22 times, netted 20+ three times and scored a career-best 30 points vs. Kansas State on 8-of-12 shooting, with a personal-best five 3-pointers, nine free throws made and 11 attempts; scored a trio of 20+ point efforts; led the team in scoring eight times; recorded five or more rebounds nine times; made three or more 3-pointers five times; logged 35+ minutes 16 times; and played 30+ minutes 24 times. Thorne is a cousin of Acie Law IV, the former Texas A&M star who plays for the Atlanta Hawks.

		#14 Javon Coney Junior Guard 6-3 \| 210 Chicago, Ill. Coney played in 23 games, with one start; averaged 8.8 minutes, one point and 1.3 rebounds per game; started his first career game against Oklahoma State; had a career-best six rebounds, one blocked shot and 27 minutes played against the Cowboys; played a career-best 27 minutes against Kansas State, with four points and four rebounds; grabbed five defensive rebounds at Nebraska; tallied a season-best five points with five rebounds against Missouri; recorded 20+ minutes four times and multiple rebounds eight times; and is a non-scholarship student-athlete.

		#24 Levi Knutson Junior Guard 6-4 \| 200 Littleton, Colo. Knutson played 30 games, with one start, and averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and one assist per game. His lone start came at Baylor, with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. He led the team in scoring with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and a team-high four assists and two steals, against Oklahoma State; grabbed a career-best six rebounds at home against Nebraska; shared team-high honors with six rebounds against Nebraska and Texas in Oklahoma City; went 3 of 3 from the field in a home win against Iowa State; had a career-best two steals at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State; played nine games of 20+ minutes and netted three games in scoring double digits; and has played 62 career games, with two starts.

		#33 Austin Dufault Sophomore Forward 6-9 \| 230 Killdeer, N.D. Dufault was named one of three CU Sports Performer of the Year finalists in the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year Award category; started all 31 games, averaging 30.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and one assist per game; scored 254 points, ranking 11th among CU freshmen, and his 115 rebounds ranked 12th among all CU freshmen; was third in team scoring, rebounding and defensive rebounding, and fourth overall in minutes; He was one of three on the team to have started all 31 games; was fifth among all conference freshmen in scoring and rebounding; led CU in scoring twice, with a season-best 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting vs. Louisiana-Monroe. His 15 points and five rebounds against Missouri led CU in both categories for the first time. Dufault had a season-best seven rebounds at Iowa State and at SMU, as well as a Big 12-best 13 points at Oklahoma; played a season-high 42 minutes against Texas; recorded 12 games in double digits and 12 games shooting 50 percent or better from the field; led the team in rebounding six times, had five or more rebounds 13 times and played 35+ minutes seven times; logged 30+ minutes 20 times; adds size and versatility to the roster; and brings a high basketball IQ with a great shooting touch from long range.

		#34 Casey Crawford Junior Forward 6-9 \| 245 Overland Park, Kan. Crawford played in 25 games, with four starts; averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per game; was fourth on the team in 3-pointers made, and fifth in steals and points per game. During the last five games of the season, the transfer from Wake Forest averaged 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and led CU with eight 3-pointers. He had a career-best 18 points with four treys in a win over Harvard. The 18 points were the most points off the bench to lead the team in scoring since Javon Coney scored 15 points in a reserve role at Nebraska. Crawford scored a Big 12 season-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting against Texas A&M, and also played a season-high 30 minutes; and came off the bench to score 14 points, tying a career-best four 3-pointers against Oklahoma State. Eight times he had three or more rebounds in a game, and had five games with five or more field goals made. He netted 14 points in his CU debut, tying Jermyl Jackson-Wilson’s debut of 14 back in 2006-07. The 14 points is a CU high by a transfer or freshman in a debut over the last four years. Crawford scored in double digits six times, led the team in scoring twice and played 20+ minutes six times.

		#55 Trey Eckloff Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 235 Englewood, Colo. Eckloff played in 26 games, averaging 10.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game; logged a season-high 25 minutes with six rebounds against Kansas; also had 23 minutes and four rebounds at Stanford; had a season-best two steals against the Cardinal; scored a season-best seven points on 3-of-4 shooting at Oklahoma; grabbed five rebounds at Missouri; played 15+ minutes in six games; scored four or more points seven times; recorded multiple rebounds 13 times; and was the second-youngest scholarship player in the Big 12 (teammate Ryan Kelley was the youngest).

The Redshirt

#44 Trent Beckley
Junior Forward
6-10 | 250
Vail, Colo.

Beckley missed the entire 2008-09 season with a stress fracture in his lumbar spine, but will have two more years of eligibility remaining after redshirting.

The non-scholarship student-athlete played in 10 games in the 2007-08 season, spanning 44 minutes. He logged a career-high 10 minutes at Mizzou, with three defensive rebounds; went 2 for 2 from the field, scoring four points with two rebounds and one steal at Kansas State; scored two points with one defensive rebound in four minutes at home against Missouri; and blocked one shot against Grambling State.

The Newcomers

		#2 Shannon Sharpe Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 200 Corona, Calif. Sharpe will miss the 2009-10 season after having season-ending knee surgery, Bzdelik announced Oct. 28. As a senior at Corona Centennial High School, Sharpe averaged 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game; helped the Huskies to a 27-5 record during his senior season; tallied four top-five Mountain View League finishes in points, assists, steals and rebounds; recorded five triple-doubles during his senior season; and was named Mountain View League and Triple Crown Tournament most valuable player, and also named to the Inland Empire and Corona all-tournament team. Sharpe was on the Division 2 All-California Interscholastic Federation and All-Riverside County first team his senior year, and was a member of 2007 All-California Interscholastic Federation championship team. He helped Corona to the 2007 and 2008 Mountain View League Championships. In 2008, his AAU team was ranked No. 3 nationally.

		#5 Marcus Relphorde Junior Forward 6-7 \| 220 Chicago, Ill. Relphorde averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Indian Hills Community College, helping the Warriors finish with a 30-3 record. He was an All-Region honorable mention; shot .487 from the floor and .722 from the free-throw line; averaged 14 points per game; and scored in double figures in 12 of the team's last 13 games. Relphorde originally signed with Saint Louis under then-head coach Brad Soderberg. As a freshman with the Billikens and under head coach Rick Majerus, he averaged 4.3 minutes in 21 games; scored 22 points with 10 rebounds; and made 5 of 7 shots against Houston Baptist en route to 14 points and a team-high seven boards.

		#10 Alec Burks Freshman Guard 6-6 \| 185 Grandview, Mo. Burks was the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. During his senior year at Grandview High School, he averaged 23 points per game, in addition to 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also was named The Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year during his senior year. Burks helped his team to a 29-2 record during his senior season; scored a season-high 38 points; and received first-team all-Suburban Mix Six League honors as a junior after averaging 19.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Rivals.com listed Burks the No. 31 point guard in the Class of 2009. He was the career leader, in points scored, in school history and participated on the Mo-Kan All-Star game.

		#13 Shane Harris-Tunks Freshman Forward 6-11 \| 225 Liverpool, Australia Harris-Tunks was a member of Team Australia, which placed fourth at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship; played in eight games, averaging 2.5 ppg; represented Australian U/19 at the Albert-Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and a third-place finish, and also was named captain; and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship recipient.

		#35 Keegan Hornbuckle Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 205 Westlake Village, Calif. As a senior at Campbell Hall High School, Hornbuckle averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, helping his team to 19-9 record. He was a three-time first-team All-Olympic League selection and a three-time All-California Interscholastic Federation second-team selection. Hornbuckle was rated as the No. 34 small forward/shooting guard by Scout.com; helped Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record as a junior and a No. 39 national ranking by Rivals.com in 2007-08; was a member of a pair of state championship-winning teams in his sophomore and junior years; had a four-year prep record of 101-29; and was a member of the Valley All-Star and academic all-American All-Star team.

My thanks to the Colorado sports information department for the photos and most of the information for the bios.

The Analysis

There's no sugar-coating the fact that Colorado sucked ass last season. I mean, seriously, they went 1-15 in Big 12 play.

But as crazy as it sounds, there are a few reasons for optimism in 2009-10 for a program mired in mediocrity and dragged down by an athletic department that at times seems strangely uncommitted to developing athletic programs.

Foremost among those reasons is the return of super-stud Cory Higgins. The do-everything junior is one of the better returning players in the North and is skillful enough to help propel Colorado to a few more conference wins this season.

Colorado also returns its two other guards, Nate Tomlinson and Dwight Thorne II. K-State fans might remember Thorne from the game last year when he set his career high in points against us. Tomlinson played well for a true freshman, and should continue to mature into one of the better point guards in the league.

The fourth and final returning starter is Austin Dufault. Like Tomlinson, Dufault started every game last season as a true freshman. Colorado took its lumps, but all that experience should start to pay off this season as teams such as Missouri and Nebraska enter critical rebuilding phases.

But Dufault will need to help. Colorado was notoriously weak and undersized in the post last year, and coach Jeff Bzdelik set out to address some of those crucial needs in offseason recruiting.

Enter Marcus Relphorde and Shane Harris-Tunks. Relphorde is a juco transfer who began his college career at St. Louis under Rick Majerus. I look for him to have an impact similar to Marquis Gilstrap at Iowa State.

At 6-11, Harris-Tunks is the tallest player on the Buffs' roster. Like Tomlinson, he is a native Australian, and we've all seen how good they can be in college, even as true freshmen (Patrick Mills, Aaron Bruce and Andrew Bogut all are names that come to mind). At a minimum, he should provide solid depth in the paint.

Javon Coney and Levi Knutson should provide quality depth for the guard spots. Each started a game last season and played in several. Casey Crawford, an Overland Park native who transferred to Boulder from Wake Forest by way of a juco, is another nice player who should figure into the eight-man rotation.

After that, the pickings are slimmer and the new recruiting class is harder to figure out. Alec Burks was a pretty highly touted recruit out of Missouri, but not as highly touted as some of the guys the power programs in the Big 12 are adding to their rosters. Shannon Sharpe might have made an impact, but it was announced last week that he will have to redshirt after having microfracture surgery on his knee. Keegan Hornbuckle probably will get a few minutes out of necessity, but I don't think he will contribute much more than that.

Rick Higgins transferred from Cal Poly to play with his little brother, and like Jeffrey Fitzgerald, he burned a year of eligibility to do it because he already had redshirted at his previous school. I admire his C.J. Henry-ish desire to play with bro, but nothing in Rick's background suggests he will be anything more than a bench-warmer, even at Colorado.

Trey Eckloff played a lot last year, but didn't do much statistically when he was in. Still, you can't coach 6-10, so he probably will see increased minutes. The other 6-10 guy is Trent Beckley, who is likely to be rusty after sitting out last year due to major back problems.

That's pretty much it. There's some talent and some potential on this roster, but it's still frighteningly thin on talent and size for a team that has to play Kansas, Kansas State and Craig Brackins two times each.

Projected Starting Lineup


Nate Tomlinson	Dwight Thorne II	Cory Higgins	Marcus Relphorde	Austin Dufault
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Reserves


Javon Coney	Levi Knutson	Alec Burks	Casey Crawford	Shane Harris-Tunks
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

I think Colorado will be improved because Bzdelik is a hell of a coach, but it probably won't be reflected in the record. There's just too damn many other good teams in the North and in the Big 12 as a whole for them to move up very much.

That said, even a two- or three-win season in conference play would represent massive improvement over last year's post-Richard Roby 1-15 debacle, wouldn't it?

The best news for Colorado is this: The Buffs get to play Nebraska twice. Wait'll you see my breakdown on that train wreck.

No matter how bad Colorado is, I think they finally might get out of the basement.

Predicted finish: 11th

Best-case scenario: 9th

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

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Texas A&M
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Iowa State
Texas Tech
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BtB 2009-10 Big 12 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:10:30 -0000

With six NCAA entrants, all of whom won at least a game in the Tournament, with two reaching the Elite Eight, the Big 12 had a pretty good 2008-09 season.

Thanks to some returning star power and some high-profile recruits, 2009-10 could be a banner year for the conference.

Sure the Griffin brothers left Oklahoma, but Willie Warren is ready to turn into a star. Chinemelu Elonu may have shocked everyone by going to the NBA, but Bryan Davis could be a more than capable replacement at Texas A&M. Their archrivals, Texas, lost J.J. Abrams, but Damion James is back, and he'll be joined by McDonald's All-American Avery Bradley and the highly-touted Jordan Hamilton.

And then there's Kansas, where Cole Alrdich and Sherron Collins decided to return, the Henry brothers are now on board, and a star recruit named Elijah Johnson may struggle to see the floor.

But that's just the start of what should be a very exciting year in the Big 12. This year's league should be similar to the Big Ten in that while the bottom teams--three in the case of the XII--don't stand much of a chance at all, the remainder of the squads all have somewhat legitimate NCAA hopes. More on each team's specific chances after the jump.

Let's first take a look at the 2008-09 Big 12 standings.

Big Twelve Conference Standings

(updated 4.2.2009 at 10:13 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Kansas Jayhawks	14	2	27	8
Oklahoma Sooners	13	3	30	6
Missouri Tigers	12	4	31	7
Texas A&M Aggies	9	7	24	10
Texas Longhorns	9	7	23	12
Oklahoma St. Cowboys	9	7	23	12
Kansas St. Wildcats	9	7	22	12
Nebraska Cornhuskers	8	8	18	13
Baylor Bears	5	11	24	15
Iowa St. Cyclones	4	12	15	17
Texas Tech Red Raiders	3	13	14	19
Colorado Buffaloes	1	15	9	22

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team's name appears in red, click the link to visit the school's SBN site for further analysis throughout the season. You can also visit Big 12 Hoops for more info and analysis.

Colorado (last NCAA: 2003) During the offseason, Jeff Bzdelik talked to the Minnesota Timberwolves about a coaching role but ultimately remained in Boulder, where he's won less than one-third of the games he's coached. This year may not be much better. The backcourt will be the Buffaloes strength, as Cory Higgins averaged over 17 points and nearly 3 assists a game, Dwight Thorne III was the team's only other player to average in double-digits (12 ppg), and Australian point guard Nate Tomlinson had a solid freshman campaign (7.4 ppg, 3 apg). The returning frontcourt players don't offer much in terms of anything, as last year's Big 12 rebounding and defensive statistics will tell you, but another Aussie, 6-11 C Shane Harris-Tunks, and 6-7 JC transfer Marcus Relphorde may be the prescription for those woes. The Buffs travel to Maui this year, where they seem destined for the consolation bracket, as they open with Gonzaga.

Nebraska (last NCAA: 1998) The Huskers had a respectable season last time around, finishing at .500 in the Big 12 and earning an NIT invitation. Neither of those results is likely for Doc Sadler's club this year, as he lost four key players from that team, including leading scorers Ade Dagunduro (12.8 ppg) and Steve Harley (10.8 ppg). Point guard Cookie Miller (7.3 ppg, 3.6 apg) transferred to Miami (OH), leaving another hole. Guards Sek Henry (8 ppg) and Ryan Anderson (7.1 ppg) lead the returnees, who are joined by a busload of newcomers. The theme of the class is size. 6-11 Puerto Rican C Brian Diaz will play after a redshirt year, and he'll be joined by two German big men, 6-11 Christopher Niemann and 6-8 Christian Standhardinger. Sadler even picked up 6-8 Quincy Hankins-Cole from the JC ranks. He's joined by his Polk State College (FL) teammate, G Lance Jeter, who is expected to bring a new dimension to the backcourt. NU will play Tulsa in the Las Vegas Classic in December, then either Nevada or BYU.

Texas Tech (last NCAA: 2007) The Red Raiders won only 3 Big 12 games last year, and Pat Knight will be counting on five new arrivals, including three JC transfers, to help improve that total. Leading scorer John Roberson is back to lead the offense. Roberson averaged nearly 14 points and more than 6 assists a game last year, so he's a pretty good building block. Senior Nick Okorie averaged 11.3 points a contest, so the starting backcourt is pretty well set. Knight may even go to a three-guard set, as JC transfer David Tairu, a former teammate of Okorie, is expected to boost the Double-T's defense. Frosh Nick Davis could be a bench scoring threat, especially outside, where the graduated Alan Voskuil will be missed. In the frontcourt, Mike Singletary (12.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Trevor Cook (7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), and C Robert Lewandowski (6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) are all serviceable players. Two 6-6 JC transfers, Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins, will be expected to contribute immediately; however, as they give Knight some flexibility the current forwards don't offer. The Red Raiders will host the Duel in the Desert, a four-team round-robin tournament, where Oregon State figures to be their main opposition for the crown.

Baylor (last NCAA: 2008) The Bears had high hopes last year, and a 15-3 start, featuring a run to the 76 Classic final seemed to justify them. Then, the wheels came off completely. Baylor then dropped 10 of their next 12, a run that started with a six-game Big 12 losing streak. They nearly stole the league's auto bid, but fell to Missouri in the Big 12 final. Scott Drew's team then built on that momentum and reached the NIT final, which they lost to Penn State. Now Baylor will have to attempt to be more consistent without three of last year's prominent performers. Point guard Curtis Jerrells (16.3 ppg, 4,9 apg), the team's heart and soul is gone. So are F Kevin Rogers (12.76 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and guard Henry Dugat (9.4 ppg). Drew has a strong backcourt, even without Jerrells, as LaceDarius Dunn (15.7 ppg) and Tweety Carter (10.6 ppg) can both score, and Carter can do a decent job running the point (3.2 ppg). Expect freshman A.J. Walton to see some time running the offense as well. The arrival of Mark McLaughlin and Nolan Dennis means the Bears will be set at shooting guard for the next four years. Meanwhile, the frontcourt will be bolstered by 6-10 Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh, who will be supported by returnees Quincy Acy, Josh Lomers, Anthony Jones, and Fred Ellis, none of whom averaged more than 5.4 a contest last year. Baylor plays in another tournament near a Disney park this year, featuring in the Old Spice Classic in Florida, where they'll open with Alabama.

Iowa State (last NCAA: 2005) Greg McDermott hasn't had much luck in his three seasons in Ames, but he must have felt like he found a four-leaf clover and horseshoe while a shooting star flew overhead when Craig Brackins announced he was foregoing NBA millions for at least one more season. Brackins very nearly averaged a double-double last year, scoring more than 20 a game and grabbing nearly 10 boards. While the Cyclones may not have enough besides him to challenge for a conference crown, his return makes them a serious postseason threat. ISU's biggest issue is scoring, as they ranked 10th in the league last year in offensive output, and Brackins was the only player to average in double-figures. Expect the two starting guards, Diante Garrett, who very nearly averaged 10 a game, and Lucca Staiger (8.2 ppg) to step up. 6-11 Canadian Jamie Vanderbeken (5.5 ppg) should also benefit from the attention opposition defenses will pay to Brackins. McDermott also has high hopes for his two JC transfers, 6-9 F LaRon Dendy and 6-6 Marquis Gilstrap. The Cyclones will play in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, facing St. Louis in the semifinal, then either Northwestern or Notre Dame.

Missouri (last NCAA: 2009) Considering that he was losing three starters to graduation, including his two leading scorers and rebounders, you couldn't have really blamed Mike Anderson if he left Columbia after reaching last year's West Regional final. Yet, Anderson spurned the advances of numerous suitors to stay at Mizzou. Now he has to figure out how to get more out of the many returnees on the roster, none of whom matched the contributions of the departed DeMarre Carroll (16.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg), Les Lyons (14.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), or Matt Lawrence (9.2 ppg). The Tigers two leading returning scorers and rebounders are both in the backcourt, J.T. Tiller (8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Zaire Taylor (6.7 ppg, 3 rpg). Both also averaged more than 3 assists per game, so Anderson can rest assured that his offense will be run well. Missouri's Mr. Basketball from last year, Mike Dixon, Jr., is the point guard of the future. 6-6 Kim English averaged 6.5 points in only about 14 minutes per contest, so his numbers should increase significantly with more action, especially if he continues to shoot well from the perimeter. The frontcourt is a major concern, however, as none of the returnees even cracked 4 ppg or 3 rpg last year. Junior Justin Stafford did average 3.4 points in 9-plus minutes of action, so he could turn into a consistent performer. The fact 6-10 freshman Keith Dewitt couldn't get eligible for this season was a major blow to MU. The Tigers will play in the South Padre Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, opening with CAA contender Old Dominion, then facing either Mississippi State or Richmond.

Oklahoma State (last NCAA: 2009) I saw the Cowboys drop two of three at the Old Spice Classic last year, and not look terribly good doing it. (They managed to beat Siena in the 7th/8th place game that was delayed by a leaky roof caused by a freak November thunderstorm.) In the end, Travis Ford's squad improved enough to win 9 league games, beat Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, and scare Pittsburgh in round two. This time around, Ford will have to run his four-guard offense without two key cogs, as point guard Byron Eaton (14.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, and 2.2 spg) and Terrel Harris (13.9 ppg, 1.7 spg) graduated. Swingman James Anderson (18.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg), a challenger for all-Big 12 honors, is back, as is Obi Muonelo (12.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg). Keiton Page (8.6 ppg), a sharpshooter who's 5-10 on a very good day, will see more action this time around. Eaton's spot at the point will probably be filled by a freshman--most likely Ray Penn. 6-6 Marshall Moses (7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is the only frontcourt player to see significant time last year, so Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim will be asked to contribute immediately. The Cowboys will play in the Thanksgiving Las Vegas Invitational. Bradley will be their first opponent, followed by either Illinois or Utah.

Texas A&M (last NCAA: 2009) The Aggies easily knocked BYU out of the tournament for the second year in a row, part of one of the dreariest NCAA sessions I've ever experienced. Somehow, the Aggies are one of only six schools to win an NCAA game in each of the past four seasons, but that's a streak they may have trouble extending without C Chinemelu Elonu, who decided to go to the NBA, despite only averaging 9.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg, and swingman Josh Carter (13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg). The good news for Mark Turgeon is that just about everyone else is back, led by 6-9 Bryan Davis (10.8 ppg, 6.5 apg), who should move over to the center spot., and point guard Donald Sloan (11.8 ppg, 3.2 apg). With sophomore Dash Harris averaging 2 assists per game, while seeing only 13 minutes a contest, Turgeon could even move Sloan off the point to give himself another scoring option. 6-7 freshman Khris Middleton could be a replacement for Carter. The fact that 6-9 Kourtney Roberson won't be eligible for the Aggies is a major blow to a thin frontcourt, however. A&M will have a good idea of how they'll fare nationally after their three games in Anaheim at the 76 Classic, where they open with Clemson.

Kansas State (last NCAA: 2008) The Wildcats lost four contributors after last season, most prominently F Darren Kent (9 ppg, 5.8 ppg). but hopes are high in Manhattan. The starting backcourt is highly-regarded, in a league full of highly-regarded backcourt performers. Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen are the team's two leading scorers, averaging 15 and nearly 14 points per contest respectively, but both were equally adept at dishing the ball to their teammates, combining to average nearly 7 dimes a game. But the depth of the backcourt will be tested after Buchi Awaji and Fred Brown both left the program. Incoming freshmen Martavious Irving and Nick Russell will be expected to replace them. Frank Martin also expects big things from two other newcomers in the frontcourt, 6-9 F Wally Judge, another highly-touted recruit from the DC area and 6-8 UConn transfer Curtis Kelly. They'll join a unit led by returnees Jamar Samuels (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Dominique Sutton (7.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg). Martin will hope his team will gel enough for the Puerto Rico Tip-off, where the Wildcats open with Boston University.

Oklahoma (last NCAA: 2009) Look for the Sooners to play a completely different style this year, without Blake and Taylor Griffin manning the frontcourt. The Willie Warren-led (14.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) backcourt will be the focus this time around. Warren will have to take on more of a leadership role now that Blake Griffin and point guard Austin Johnson (8.6 ppg, 3.9 apg) is gone. Expect him to not spend as much time on the perimeter this season. Tony Crocker (9.6 ppg) and Cade Davis (4.7 ppg) will be expected to take on more of the scoring load as well. In the frontcourt, Orlando Allen and Ryan Wright averaged under 2 points a contest each in very limited action, so who knows if they can adequately fill in for the Griffins. 6-9 300 pound freshman Keith "Tiny" Gallon, a big man who can shoot the ball well will see a lot of action. The Sooners head north for Thanskgiving, where Jeff Capel's men will face at least San Diego and Houston in a six-team Great Alaska Shootout field.

Texas (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Barnes has few question marks this year. Unlike the Sooners, his frontcourt is pretty well set, thanks to the return of 6-7 swingman Damion James (15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg). James will again team up with 6-6 Gary Johnson (10 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 6-10 Dexter Pittman (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) to form one of the most formidable frontcourts in the college game. While Texas has three returning guards who saw significant time last season, their roles will undoubtedly diminish because of three newcomers. 5-9 junior Jai Lucas will be eligible after sitting out last year after transferring from Florida. He'll run the offense. Lucas will be joined by two highly-regarded freshmen, 6-3 Avery Bradley and 6-7 swingman Jordan Hamilton, both of whom should challenge for more than just All-Freshman honors. The Longhorns will get to showcase their old and new talent at the CBE Classic in Kansas City, where tjhey should make the final, as they face rebuilding Iowa in the semifinals. Pittsburgh or Wichita State awaits them on night two.

Kansas (last NCAA: 2009) The Jayhawks fell five points short of a regional final appearance last year, but this time around such a result would be considered a major disappointment, when you consider all that Bill Self has coming back and coming in. Sherron Collins (18.9 ppg, 5 apg) and Cole Aldrich (14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) will obviously lead the way, but the Morris brothers, Marcus (7.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Markieff (4.6 ppg. 4.4 rpg) should be better in their second go-round, as should Tyshawn Taylor, who nearly averaged 10 points a contest. 6-6 Xavier Henry, one of the top recruits in the country, will provide even more scoring punch to the backcourt. His brother C.J, a Memphis transfer, even came along for the ride. Another transfer, Jeff Withey, got to practice against Aldrich last year, so the 7-footer who left Arizona could turn into another force inside. In the early season, the Jayhawks will be tested by games against Memphis (in St. Louis), La Salle (in Kansas City); at UCLA, Temple, and Tennessee, and in Lawrence against California and Michigan.

As the Jayhawks are virtually everyone's preseason number 1, they'll hold the Big 12 auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. The conference should have a big presence in this year's tournament, so check back in then to see how many at-large bids I'm predicting at the start of the year.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big 12 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Player of the Year: Sherron Collins, 5-11 G, Sr. (Kansas)

Remainder of the Team
Cole Aldrich, 6-11 C, Jr. (Kansas)
Craig Brackins, 6-10 C, Jr. (Iowa State)
Damion James, 6-7 F, Sr. (Texas)
Willie Warren, 6-4 G, So. (Oklahoma)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big 12 this season?

Baylor

4 votes

Colorado

1 votes

Iowa State

2 votes

Kansas

31 votes

Kansas State

2 votes

Missouri

12 votes

Nebraska

1 votes

Oklahoma

3 votes

Oklahoma State

2 votes

Texas

74 votes

Texas A&M

3 votes

Texas Tech

1 votes

136 votes | Poll has closed

Big12Hoops.com Pre-Season Preview: Colorado Buffs

big12hoops — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:11 -0000

Junior college transfer Marcus Relphorde, who played at St. Louis as a freshman, has a modest goal for his first season at Colorado -- to be the Newcomer of the Year in the Big 12.

View full size photo »

COLORADO 2009-2010 PROSPECTUS

Written by Paul Lee
Paul.Lee@big12hoops.com

IMPACT LOSSES
F-Jermyl Jackson-Wilson
F-Toby Veal
G-Ryan Kelley

IMPACT NEWCOMERS
PG-Shannon Sharpe
SG-Alec Burks
SG-Keegan Hornbuckle
PF-Shane Harris-Tunks
PF-Marcus Relphorde

PROJECTED STARTERS
PG-Dwight Thorne
SG-Cory Higgins
SF-Austin Dufault
PF-Casey Crawford
PF/C-Marcus Relphorde

THE NEWCOMERS
There's much to be excited about with CU's incoming freshmen.

Although there doesn't seem to be a national, blue-chip recruit that can revitalize a program, ala Chauncey Billups, the incoming players are a well-rounded group with a few potential stars.

The two shooting guards, Alec Burks and Keegan Hornbuckle show much promise. Burks is a dynamic scorer that is versatile enough to play at the one through three positions, and he has the swagger to match his huge upside.

Hornbuckle, who spurned Arizona amongst other schools from the power conferences, also has a great shot that can extend a defense. Along with Shannon Sharpe, who attended a prep institute for a year after high school, and Marcus Relphorde, an energetic post presence from the JUCO ranks, these two should see consistent minutes in their first year as Buffaloes.

Harris-Tunks is an Australian big-man that needs much time in the weight room before he's ready to bang around the post in the Big 12.

Aside from the Maui Invitational, the non-conference schedule is not intimidating, allowing the young squad to potentially generate momentum going into conference play. Overall, the Buffs are a promising team that could surprise many and fight their way to an NIT bid.

OUTLOOK
Last year was a struggle as the Buffs only won nine games overall with only one win in the Big 12. However, expectations were low last year, as many of their players were incoming freshmen.

This year, expectations are a little higher. Most of the Buffs' hopes rest on the steady shoulders of Cory Higgins, an All-Big 12 performer that seems to do everything for the team. He led the team in points (17.4 ppg), rebounds (5.4 rpg), and steals. Helping with the scoring load will be Austin Dufault, an emerging sophomore that showed promise last season. With a year under his belt and better conditioning, Dufault could emerge as a solid second scoring option.

The question marks with this team are at the point guard and in the post. Dwight Thorne and Nate Tomlinson shared the point duties last season, but neither really took control of the position. Tomlinson was just a freshman though, and like Dufault, has promise. Both players will be pushed hard by Sharpe, who is the most athletic of the three.

In the post, the Buffs will struggle. Last year, Trey Eckloff showed decent effort, but he clearly did not have the tools necessary to man the post as a freshman. He will be counted on though, as will Trent Beckley and Casey Crawford. Crawford was a disappointment last year, as there was hype about his ability to stretch a defense from the power spot. He struggled with his shot however, and he did not have the muscle or swagger for playing inside. The energetic Jackson-Wilson will be missed, but Relphorde should be an adequate replacement.

Overall, the Buffs are a promising team that could surprise many and fight their way to an NIT bid. They didn't lose too many players (only one that contributed significant minutes), and bring in some talented freshmen. Even though the record doesn't show it, Coach Bzdelik is a solid coach, who even garnered some NBA interest over the summer. There is a glaring lack of a true post presence, and although that might draw some concerns for a team playing in the physical Big 12, Coach Bzdelik's system does not rely on a true post presence.

Not having a physical force inside will hurt, but the Buffs should be competitive with heady play from the wings.
Higgins, Dufault, Burks and Hornbuckle all can shoot and pass, and if the incoming freshman grasp Bzdelik's basketball philosophy quickly, the Buffs may surprise some teams. Aside from the Maui Invitational, the non-conference schedule is not intimidating, allowing the young squad to potentially generate momentum going into conference play.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Projected 2009-2010 Standings
1. X
2. X
3. X
4. X
5. X
6. X
7. X
8. X
9. X
10. X
11. Colorado
12. Texas Tech

REGULAR SEASON PROJECTION
12-19 Overall. 3-13 Conference. (11th place, Big 12)

POST-SEASON PROJECTION
NCAA Tournament: 1% The only way the Buffs will receive a bid will be from winning the Big 12 Tournament.

NIT chances: 10% The Big 12 is strong and could send as many as 11 or even 12, in the age of FOUR post-season conference tournaments. However, CU has the odds set against them more than any other team, including Tech, who we have ranked a spot below the Buffs this season at No. 12.

Other: 25% CU could get an offer to the CBI, assuming the invitational is still around come post-season, although 3 Big 12 wins won't do it.

COACH JEFF BZDELIK
• 1978: Davidson, Assistant Coach
• 1980: Northwestern, Assistant Coach
• 1986: UMBC, Head Coach
• 1988: Washington Bullets, Assistant Coach
• 1994: New York Knicks, Assistant Coach
• 1995: Miami Heat, Assistant Coach
• 2001: Denver Nuggets, Scout
• 2002: Denver Nuggets, Head Coach
• 2005: Air Force, Head Coach
• 2007: Colorado, Head Coach

09-10 SCHEDULE/PROJECTED RESULTS
W-Nov 13-ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
W-Nov 16-COPPIN STATE
W-Nov 18-TEXAS SOUTH- ERN
L-Nov 23-Gonzaga (@Maui)
L-Nov 24-Arizona/Wisconsin (@Maui)
L-Nov 25-TBA (@Maui)
W-Dec 01-SAN FRANCISCO
L-Dec 04-@Oregon State
W-Dec 07-COLORADO CH- RISTIAN
W-Dec 10-@Colorado State
W-Dec 22-CAL STATE NORTH- RIDGE
W-Dec 29-YALE
L-Jan 02-@Tulsa
W-Jan 05-MIAMI (OHIO)
L-Jan 09-@Texas
L-Jan 12-BAYLOR
L-Jan 16-KANSAS STATE
L-Jan 20-@OklaHoma State
L-Jan 23-@Texas A&M
W-Jan 27-NEBRASKA
L-Jan 30-@Iowa State
L-Feb 03-KANSAS
L-Feb 06-MISSOURI
L-Feb 13-@Kansas State
L-Feb 17-OKLAHOMA
L-Feb 20-@Kansas
L-Feb 24-@Missouri
W-Feb 27-IOWA STATE
L-Mar 02-@Nebraska
W-Mar 06-TEXAS TECH
L--Big 12 Tournament (Game 1)

(Win-Loss projections by Mark Peterson, Editor Big12Hoops)

Poll

Where will the Buffs finish this year in the Big 12 standings?

1-4

2 votes

5-8

9 votes

9

8 votes

10

2 votes

11

5 votes

12

8 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

Colorado: Know Your Rival

Bill C. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:00:09 -0000

Hopefully Mizzou's not as rusty tomorrow as I was...one bye, and I'm already out of the habit to do a stat preview!

As always, these numbers are based off of conference play only.

vs Big 12
Colrorado: 1-10

	CU	Opp
Points Per Minute	1.44	1.73
Points Per Possession (PPP)	0.94	1.12
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.25	1.39
2-PT FG%	46.4%	55.6%
3-PT FG%	34.3%	39.3%
FT%	76.5%	65.0%
True Shooting %	53.6%	59.3%

	CU	Opp
Assists	101	176
Steals	80	72
Turnovers	163	152
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.11	1.63

	CU	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds	113	110
Offensive Rebounds	89	109
Difference	-24	-1

Where Colorado is decent: Steals, Defensive Rebounds, 3-point shooting.
Where Colorado is...less than decent: 2-point shooting, offensive rebounds, defense, passing, ball control of any kind. (I figured listing them out was less rude than saying "everything else.")
Despite the fact that their stats are not so hot (they're 1-10, so uhh...yeah, few 1-10 teams have good stat lines), there's absolutely no question that they've been playing better recently. Four of their last five games have been very respectable--55-53 loss to Nebraska, 77-72 loss at Oklahoma, 70-42 loss at Iowa State (ahem), OT loss to Texas, 46-41 loss at Nebraska. I'm not going to try to convince you that this is a good team, but they're certainly getting better. They only have one senior in the rotation (19th-year senior Jermyl Jackson-Wilson), and he doesn't contribute much. I'm not sure if they have the talent or athleticism to move too far up the ladder in coming years, but they're only going to get more experienced, and Jeff Bzdelik is at least a competent coach.

Stats by StatSheet.com

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
Cory Higgins (So)	20.28	0.54	17.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG
Dwight Thorne II (Jr)	15.22	0.42	14.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.5 APG
Ryan Kelley (Fr)	11.63	0.80	Two games, then injured
Austin Dufault (Fr)	7.48	0.23	8.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (Sr)	6.46	0.28	5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.2 APG
Nate Tomlinson (Fr)	3.33	0.10	5.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.8 APG
Levi Knutson (So)	1.80	0.13	2.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Javon Coney (So)	0.27	0.03	1.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Toby Veal (Fr)	0.00	0.00	0.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Trey Eckloff (Fr)	-0.12	-0.01	2.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Casey Crawford (So)	-1.40	-0.18	0.7 PPG

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It does the same thing my previous measure of choice did (it takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game), only the formula is more used and accepted. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

Cory Higgins is an emerging stud, though he had an...interesting game the first time around against Mizzou. He scored 12 points on 3-for-9 shooting and had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals...and 4 turnovers. He's scored in double digits all but once this season, and he ripped off 34 points against Texas Tech last weekend. He's more of a slasher than a bomber, and he's outstanding from the FT line.
Fortunately, after Higgins and (maybe) Dwight Thorne, CU still doesn't have a lot to offer. Austin Dufault is the closest thing to an inside threat for the Buffs, but at 6'8, 210, the freshman needs a little more beef if he's going to contain either Leo Lyons or DeMarre Carroll.
Ryan Kelley's got a super-strange stat line. He was CU's leader the first time around against Missouri, scoring 19 points in 19 junk minutes off the bench, but he tweaked his knee in practice and hasn't played since January 17. He was supposedly cleared to practice a week or two ago, but I don't know what his status is.
We'll find out how much experience is truly a benefit because freshman Nate Tomlinson has gotten a ton of minutes this season...and done almost nothing with them. Will his development be helped by this? Hurt? Either way, when a starter on your team is averaging 0.10 GS/min, you're probably not that great.

Keys to the Game

Rust. Self-explanatory. Mizzou's had a week to pat themselves on the back for winning a bunch of games and finding themselves in the Top 10. I figure Mike Anderson has tried to run the satisfaction out of them in practice this week, but there's always the potential for rust or hangover here. If Mizzou shows up and plays decent, they probably win...but they need to show up and play decent because CU will be playing hungry.
Turnovers. Turnovers important in a Missouri game? Wha?? Last time around, Colorado had 26 turnovers and a 0.65 BCI. Not good. Even if they had shot well (and they didn't), they'd have still lost by 25 with those ball control numbers. But they shot horribly and lost by 45 instead. They've been shooting better recently, but it won't matter unless they keep their turnovers under at least 20. It's been pretty hard to do that against Mizzou lately.
3-pointers. CU likely won't be able to do much to stop Mizzou inside--without Leo Lyons last time around (that's right, remember that Mizzou won by 45 without Leo??), Mizzou's frontcourt scored 47 points (DeMarre 13, Laurence Bowers 16, Justin Safford 13, Keith Ramsey 5), and Colorado just doesn't have the beef to make Carroll, Lyons, etc., uncomfortable up front. But if a home team starts making 3's, look out.

Nate Tomlinson has hit 15-for-31 from long-range in conference play (it's the one thing he does well), while Dwight Thorne has hit 21-of-46, Cory Higgins 11-of-32. Chances are, they'll be taking a ton of 3's tomorrow. If they're making them, it's a ballgame.

Prediction

PAIN!!!!

Okay, kidding. There's no question that Colorado has been playing better, and it's enough to make me slightly paranoid about tomorrow. But I have to lean back on the fact that the teams that have beaten Missouri have managed two things--limited turnovers and great defense. Colorado might be able to limit the turnovers (doubtful), but they have not proven themselves capable of slowing down Missouri's athletes. I'm still a hair paranoid, because that's just who I am, but Mizzou should be able to overwhelm Colorado with athleticism even if CU's making some shots. CU will be all sorts of motivated here, and I say it stays pretty close for a while. But until a team can weather the mid-second half storm that Mizzou inflicts, I'm sticking with the Tigers. Mizzou 74, Colorado 59.

A KenPom Preview: Colorado #1

rockchalk — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:35:50 -0000

Here we go again with the KenPom previews. Basically, all it is is a semi-regurgitation of each team's KenPom page (Colorado page). If you don't want to read all of these words, just check out the page and glance over the numbers for yourself.

Opening Thoughts

This one shouldn't be a close one. I understand that it is dangerous to ever proclaim such a thing about a road conference game, but this one's different. Were you to look under godawful in the dictionary, there would be a picture of a buffalo with a basketball. Because, in power conference college basketball, Colorado is as bad as they get. Last season, Oregon State went 0-18 in the Pac 10. And, despite statistics that more-heavily weight contests against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Prarie View A&M, Louisiana-Monroe and Coppin State, their stats aren't too much hotter. So, yeah, basically this year's Colorado is last year's Oregon State. Of course, this year's Big 12 is significantly worse than last year's Pac 10, and I bet that the Buffs figure out a way to win a game-or-two this conference season. But those wins will, almost assuredly, be more because of the other team having a poor night than simply the Buffs outplaying an opponent.

So, yeah, if we lose. I'll be pissed. Although, pissed is probably way too much of an understatement.

Continues after the jump...

The Background

This Colorado Buffaloes team has beat, let's check...one team in the Top 200 of KenPom's rankings. Colorado State, generally considered to be the second worst team in the Mountain West, would be the Buffaloes' feather-in-the-cap. Their next-most-impressive victory would, probably, be against Harvard. At home. Yowza. Last season, the Buffs were merely a severely sub-par Big 12 team, but had some legitimate Big 12-level talent in Richard Roby and Marcus Hall. This year, with those two leaving, they've been left with a hodgepodge of mid-level players. And I'm talking mid-level of the MWC, not the Big 12. However, I do believe that Jeff Bzdilek has the program going in the right direction, it's just going to take awhile to completely U-turn away from the garbage heap-of-a-mess that Ricardo Patton left in Boulder. Yowza times two.

The Offense

OK, I feel better already. Our biggest weakness on the defensive side of the ball all year long, without question, has been our inability to box people out and pick up defensive boards. We've been giving up offensive rebounds and free second-chance points left-and-right all year long. Thankfully, though, the Buffs aren't a good offensive rebounding team. Scratch that. They aren't a bad offensive rebounding team. They are an absolutely dreadful offensive rebounding team. They rank 342nd in the country at picking up offensive boards. However, beyond that, they actually aren't a bad offensive team. Even with their sixth-grade-level offensive rebounding, they rank in about the middle of the pack in the NCAAs offensively. How? Easy. They make their shots. They rank 27th in all of Division 1 in making the shots they are presented with, 21st in the country on all two-pointers. So, yeah, they pretty much shoot themselves into kinda-sorta being in games. This utter dependence on making shots leaves you quite, well, screwed when you aren't making the shots; and that is precisely what happened Wednesday night against Mizzou. It happens again Saturday, it could get even ugler than Missouri's 45-point victory. Assuming it doesn't, though, as long as we box out we should be good. It's weakness versus weakness, although I'll take our defensive rebounding over their offensive rebounding. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The Defense

While Colorado's offense is quite subpar, with its shooting ability keeping it afloat, the Buffs' D has little to keep it above water. It isn't significantly worse, overall, than the O, it's just that they really don't do anything well. They'll let you take plenty of good shots, and make them, they don't turn you over all that often, they don't do a great job of preventing offensive rebounds and they aren't completely immune from fouling. Worst of all, in terms of their sucktitude, is their complete lack of an interior presence. They are one of the country's worst teams in the country at blocking shots, which, combined with the fairly poor rebounding, makes perfect sense. They essentially have no size down low, making it hard for them to perform too well around the glass.

This doesn't fit into the defense category, per se, but it is important to mention tempo. Last season, when we paid a visit to Boulder, Colorado coach Bzdilek utilized just about every second of the shot clock, trying to slog it down and drone out possessions. After all, when there is such a talent disparity, the less possesions, the better for the underdog. So far this season, Colorado is in the bottom third of the country in tempo, choosing to suck the life out of the clock. And while we aren't the same, superstar-infused team we were last year, I fully expect the Buffs to try and drone out possessions.

The Players

Here's who to watch out for, and why.

Cory Higgins - Soph. G -- The star of the team. One of the few players on the team who can legititemately claim that he is a Big 12-caliber basketball player. He's good, too. Should get the Brady assignment, so he will likely struggle. Love how that always works. Anyways, dude plays a shitload; has played 91% of Colorado's minutes this year. His big thing is to drive and get fouled, and once there make his free throws. He's already shot 100 free throws this season; making 84 of 'em. He is also likely their best shooter, and clearly the guy to watch out for.
Austun Dufault - Fresh. F -- Sadly, this is about as big as they get at Colorado; 6'8". Austin is a pretty solid player, though, and plays plenty. He, literally, isn't terribly good at anything, though. A subpar rebounder, an average shooter withot too much range, an OK defensive player. A ho-hum player, the type you'd love to have coming off the end of your bench if you're Colorado. Not, exactly, the type you want second on your team in minutes. Yowza.
Casey Crawford - Soph. F -- Another tall one, although Casey is just 6'8" as well. He's not any better of a rebounder than Dufault (actually, Higgins is, statistically, a better rebounder than both), and while he is an all right three-point shooter (40%), he has just shot 30 times all year from back there. So, who knows how much of that is true ability, and how much is simply a small sample size.
Dwight Thorne - Jr. G -- One of the veteran leaders of the bunch, he's only a junior. He is, probably, the second-best shooter on the team, and you could argue he is a better pure shooter than Higgins. He is their primary three-point shooter, albeit not by a huge amount, and a decent rebounder.
Nate Tomlinson - Fresh. G -- Tomlinson, based off of his assist rates, I would surmise is the point guard of the Buffs. As a true freshman, that is pretty interesting, although certainly not unexpected given the massive underhaul the program is going under. He's another good shooter, although not in the same league as Thorne or Higgins.
Jermyl Jackson-Wilson - Sr. G/F -- The only senior who sees much of any playing time, Jermyl isn't a tremendous player by any stretch. Still, he serves his role, as he is probably the best rebounder on the team (despite being only 6'6") and being the primary shot-blocker on the Buffs. Yes, he is still only 6'6". He didn't grow. He, on the other hand, isn't the best shooter in the world, but he tends to stick close to the hoop, anyways.

The Keys

Treat Them Like a Real Team - This is ridiculous. This shouldn't have to be a key in a conference road game, particularly for a team who has yet to win a road game, but hey, that's the deal. In all seriousness, we need to be focused on simply winning a road game. Not only because we can't afford to have a loss to Colorado, but because it'd be nice as hell to actually win a game away from Allen.
Guard the Perimeter Shooters - Basically, Colorado's offense is the shooting game of Higgins, Thorne and Tomlinson, in descending order. They have some other contributors on the team, but those are the central three. If we can shut them down, we are in tremendous shape. 99.99% chance of winning kind of shape. I'd imagine that Brady will draw Higgins, TyTay will be assigned Thorne and Sherron on the freshman, Tomlinson. All three have to play lockdown D. If they get hot, and get enough confidence, we could lose. That's pretty much the only way I can think of that could end up in a Kansas L. So, yeah, let's not let that happen.
Cole, Cole, Cole - I'm going to keep saying this until we bump it up the priority list. I understand that we shouldn't simply run every play through Cole, but he needs a bigger role in our offense. I promise.

Concluding Thoughts

Pretty much, the game comes down to the Buffs' trio of guards. They all get hot, or even just two of the three, and Colorado drowns out enough possessions, and this could be a game late. If not, and assuming we don't entirely implode, it's game over.

More concluding thoughts in tomorrow's Open Game Thread, which will occur again. I'll be there, and would love to see anyone come over and drop by.

"Excuses are for Losers"

irish1611 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:30:30 -0000

Who would have thought that freshman guard Nate Tomlinson would be so important to the Buffs? That is the "excuse" the media is giving for the poor effort last night. I didn't believe it until I saw this statistic from Neil Woelk's article in the Daily Camera this morning:

In the first half, Colorado turned the ball over 13 times and had zero assists. By game's end, those numbers had jumped to 20 turnovers and only five assists.

The Buffs had only 14 points in the first half last night against a TCU team that was picked to finish dead last in the Mountain West Conference. Ouch.

The bad news is the Buffs may have to get used to missing their point guard for as long as six weeks. Tomlinson will undergo an MRI today, and if the tests show a stress fracture -- as feared -- he'll be out for as long as six weeks, leaving him on the sidelines until the beginning of the Big 12 season.

This Nate Tomlinson seems like a very mature guy, here he is talking about the fans last night at the Coors Event Center:

“I feel their pain,” Tomlinson said. “I was cringing just like they were.

“But I hope they realize that’s not us. That’s not Buffalo basketball. I hope they stick with us and give us another chance. Every team has a bad game, and they’re not going to see another effort like that. I know these guys, and they’ll bounce back.”

But the best thing about the young Buffs and coach Jeff Bzdelik is this quote:

"Excuses are for losers," Bzdelik said. "Nate's such a competitor, he wanted to play. But he has to be smart and he has to get healthy.”

How can you get on this team when the coach says something like this? It is so polar opposite of what Coach Hawkins does. You ask me, it is quite refreshing. And you know Bzdelik believes it. Bzdelik has much more reliance on freshmen than Hawkins does plus the worst facilities. Like I said in the live game thread, maybe Bzdelik should take over for Hawkins this year on the gridiron and Hawkins should coddle the freshmen and say "well, we're young and injured." The quote: "Excuses are for Losers" is our new mantra!

For now, everyone hope that Tomlinson only has a bruise and he can return to the court sooner than later.

Game Preview: Lafayette Leopards @ Colorado Buffaloes

irish1611 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:15:31 -0000

	VS.
Colorado Buffaloes		Lafayette Leopards

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Lafayette Leopards
Where: Coors Event Center (Boulder, CO)
When: 7:00 pm MT
Line: None Available

As we are fresh in the middle of Nebraska week and with the Buffs welcoming another "who" school in town tonight (would be funny if the Buffs hadn't lost to a "who" school and survived against another), forgive me if this preview is a liittle light. Straight to the point with this one.

The Buffs come off a come from behind victory against the Harvard Crimson last Saturday as CU picked up the tempo and were able to claw out a 70 - 57 victory. The score doesn't reflect how close the game was. The Buffs found success by picking up the pace and playing pressure defense, something I expect Colorado to do frequently the rest of the season. A young team plays better when they are not thinking but playing aggressive. Right now the Buffs best player has been 6'5" Sophomore G Cory Higgins who is leading the Buffs in points, rebounds and assists. Higgins has shot a solid 48% from the field on his way to averaging 16 points per game. Higgins is considered a veteran on this team of youth and should continue to be the Buffs meal tickets as Bzdelik's pups continue to develop.

The Lafayette Leopards from the Patriot League come into tonight's game at the Coors Event Center (7:00 pm MT) 2 - 2, beating Wagner and Stony Brook to start the year but losing their last two against Temple and Rider. Lafayette was up by as much as 15 in the second half against Rider before giving up the lead late in the second half. The Leopards don't boast a powerful inside presence, something that should be music to the ears of Colorado fans. But the Buffs will need to defend the perimeter as close to half of Lafayette's 215 field goal attempts are from the three point line (103). That is unbelievable. I guess when you don't have much of an inside game, that is where you go. Last year, Lafayette was able to get hot early in the season and really surprised some teams with their outside shooting ability. Colorado doesn't have the the offensive fire power to match these guys if the Leopards start going off so playing tough on the perimeter will be important for this team. The two leading scores for Lafayette, 6'2" G Jeff Kari and 5'11' G Andre Brown, both have attempted more three point field goals than two point field goals in the first four games. Kari averages 17 points per game and has shot 42.9% from behind the arc this season. The 6'2" guard led the Leopards in all four major statistical categories against Rider so he will be the guy the Buffs must keep an eye on. Brown, who most predicted would be the best player on the team before the season, averages 15.3 points per game and 28% from three point range. Last year, Brown made 40% of his 3-pointers last year and made 99 treys (third most in the league). Brown is from the state of Colorado.

With the heavy reliance on outside shooting and smaller players, the Buffs will need to dominant the boards. Temple outrebounded the Leopards by 9 and they went on to cruise. The problem is the Buffs are just as bad on the boards as the Leopards. On the offensive end, keep feeding Higgins. Cory has had the hot hand this year so look for the Buffs to try and establish him early and often. Also, Colorado needs to make the effort against a smaller team to win the offensive rebound game. If the Buffs do that and shut down the perimeter play of the Leopards, CU should roll.

Gameday Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
LAF	2-2	71.3	73.3	1-2	1-0	L2
COLO	2-1	76	66	2-1	0-0	W1
Team Stat Leaders
	LAFAYETTE			COLORADO
Points	J. Kari 17.0			C. Higgins 15.7
Rebounds	R. Willen 6.3			C. Higgins 7.3
Assists	J. Kari 3.5			C. Higgins 4.7
Steals	J. Kari 2.3			C. Higgins 2.0
Blocks	M. Koltun 1.5			J. Jackson-Wilson 1.0
Projected Starting Lineups
	LAFAYETTE			COLORADO
1	Darion Benbow, F			Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, F
2	Marek Koltun, C			Austin Dufault, F
3	Andrew Brown, G			Nate Tomlinson, G
4	Ben Wheeler, G			Cory Higgins, G
5	Jeff Kari, G			Dwight Thorne II, G

Buffs Basketball: Previewing the Montana State Bobcats

irish1611 — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:51:00 -0000

	VS.
Colorado Buffaloes		Montana State Bobcats
(1 - 0, 0 - 0) NR		(0 - 1, 0 - 0) NR

No, we are not flashing back to 2006. Rest assured Buffs fans, we aren't going back there. Montana State scares us all, don't worry. No football talk. It's basketball time. The Buffs take on Montana State tomorrow night at the Coors Event center in their second game of the young season. Montana State is in the Big Sky conference and is currently 0 - 1 on the year losing to a pretty strong team in Nevada. Before diving into the Bobcats, let's look at Colorado's first victorious contest of the season.

The Buffs are coming off a relatively strong performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Friday. CU jumped out to a 20 point lead at halftime that stemmed from a strong defensive effort toward the end of the first half and sharp shooting. The Buffs never looked back after they gained a big lead and ended up winning the game 76 - 56. Bzdelik's team seemed to play rather well together from all the accounts I have read, especially when you take into account that most of the team is underclassmen. Colorado shot 52% from the field, 43% from the three point line and held their opponent to 23.5% from the beyond the arc. Two things the Buffs will have to work on is rebounding and free throw shooting. Rebounding may be an issue all year as the Buffs are not huge inside. Colorado was edged on the glass 29 - 36 as Lebraon Weathers seemed like the dominant force mustering 10 rebounds and 22 points for the Golden Lions.

CU freshman F Austin Dufault, sophomore F Cory Higgins, freshman G Nate Tomlinson and sophomore G Casey Crawford all were in double digits and provide the early spark in the game. Nate Tomlinson showed why many are very high on him. He saw the floor well and was accurate from downtown, going 4 for 5. Freshman Toby Veal did not see any meaningful playing time as Bzdelik said he just isn't ready yet. He is a big body guy at 6'8" and was seen as the most college ready of all the new faces. I still expect him to be a big player this year for the Buffs, especially on the boards, something Colorado desperately needs. Another stat that jumps out is the Buffs had double the assists the Lions did. Jeff Bzdelik's offense needs good passing and strong guard play. Assists are a good sign that the players are becoming familiar with his style. The Golden Lions are not going to confuse anyone as being a strong opponent but the Buffs are trying to build a program themselves and many onlookers at the Event Center saw things to get excited about.

Now, on to Montana State. Last year, MSU was 15 - 15, 7 - 9 in conference. This has been a .500 team for the past couple of years and that is where most peg them at this year, if not worse. They lost their best player and three other starters due to graduation off last years team that finished 6th in the Big Sky. This year is supposed to be a struggle with new faces and a lack of strong guard play. Against Nevada, though, the Bobcats got down early to a strong basketball program in the Wolfpack but fought back to close the gap to 57 - 60 with under five minutes to play. They ended up losing the game by nine but if your a Montana State fan, you have to like the effort especially from a lot of new faces. MSU has five transfers/JUCOs on its roster. Recently, Montana State has been known as a better defensive team than an offensive team and that showed against Nevada. The Cats held Nevada to less than 35% shooting and 22% from behind the arc. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they only shot 32% when they had the ball. The MSU guards had eight turnovers which is there true weakness. The Buffs would be well advised to put a lot of pressure early on these ball handlers and try to get them rattled. Make them start the offense well off the perimeter and take the flow out of their offense.

The Bobcat player to watch for is center Divaldo Mbunga who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. With the Buffs weakness being inside the paint, centers like Mbunga will look to have big games. MSU also got a strong performance against Nevada from G Will Bynum and F Bobby Howard, who had 19 points and 9 rebounds.

Hopefully the Buffs can make it 2 - 0 and get some revenge for the football team against the Bobcats.

Here is our initial Buffs preview in case you are still a little fuzzy about the Buffs. If you are craving more MSU Bobcat information, here is one preview from yahoo rivals.

Breaking Down the Home Team: Buffs Basketball

Zach B — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:40:33 -0000

Tomorrow Night's game against Arkansas Pine-Bluff will only cost $1 to attend...not to mention they are giving out some sweet t-shirts. There should be no excuse not to support this very very young team!

I never thought I would say this but it appears that CU football and basketball are in very similar positions at the present point in time. The Big 12 has been a force in football and basketball for years but Colorado has largely been MIA recently. The future seems bright for both programs however because of the recent coaching changes. Dan Hawkins brought a breath of fresh air to the football program and Jeff Bzdelik is doing the same to the basketball team. It is going to take some time to see consistent results but optimism is abound for the Buffs.

Last year was hopefully the last season where the team looked like it was being coached by Ricardo Patton. CU went 12-20 on the season which included a 3-13 record in the Big 12 conference. Season highlights were few and far between. CU played some good competition outside the Big 12 but the games were never that competitive. Wisconsin and Stanford were the headliners of their non-conference slate last year but both of those games resulted in 20+ point losses. Year two of the Bzdelik reign should produce better results...it can't get much worse.

Bzdelik will have to replace some departed productivity from a season ago. Looking back on it, I wish Richard Roby would have left a year or two sooner. Roby was on plenty of draft boards after his sophomore and junior season but elected to stay in school and finish out his career as a Buff. Roby was one of the better players to ever play basketball at CU. The athletic wing scored 17 points a game last year and added 7 rebounds. He's going to be greatly missed and was a joy to watch, hopefully we see him again in the NBA. Marcus Hall is another departure that will hurt CU. Hall put in 14 points a game last year and was a huge factor in the Buffs' outside shooting ability. Xavier Silas, Marcus King-Stockton, and Caleb Patterson have all finished out their careers at Colorado last season as well. These three were relatively effective when they were on the court. Silas was a exciting guard to watch but never saw the floor much. King-Stockton was your typical "eat up minutes" big man and Patterson rarely saw the court. The absence of Hall and Roby is also going to hurt this team's chemistry and leadership. They were the two go to players on the floor and it will be interesting to see who steps up in their place.

The 2008 recruiting class was a very good one for Jeff Bzdelik and is major reason why people are so optimistic about this program's future. The one guy to watch for to make an immediate impact is Toby Veal. CU has not had a good interior game in recent years and Veal should be a solid buidling block in the low post. At 6'8'', Veal is the most college ready out of the recruits. Don't expect a ton of results out of him on the offensive end right away but he was an excellent defender in high school and has a nose for grabbing rebounds. Fellow incoming bigs Trey Eckloff and Austin Dufault will provide some nice size in the paint for CU and also have pretty good games around the perimeter. An intriguing player for the Buffs this year is point guard Nate Tomlinson. Australian players have become pretty popular in college basketball and Bzedelik seems to be building a recruiting pipeline in Oceania. Tomlinson is a pure point guard in that he is an excellent passer and does all the fundamental things right. By the end of his career at Colorado, he should be an excellent player and floor general. Another young guard that the staff is excited about is Ryan Kelley. Kelly is a talented scorer, averaging 17 points a game in his senior season. After transferring from Wake Forest, Casey Crawford will make his debut for the Buffs this season. At 6'9'', 230 pounds, Crawford is going to be relied on to produce for this extremely young team. Even though he has three years of eligibility left, Crawford will be looked on as a veteran. Like the other CU bigs, he is very versatile and should be a good inside out player. The coaching staff has done an outstanding job with this class in molding them to fit Bzdelik's Princeton style offense.

continue reading after the jump to see the CU season outlook...

This season is going to rely heavily on the few returning players that CU actually has. This team is freakishly young. They have 10 players on the roster that are freshmen or sophomores. The guys that everyone is going to be looking up to is sophomore Cory Higgins, junior Dwight Thorne II, and lone senior Jermyl Jackson-Wilson. These three will probably be joined by two freshman (Veal and Tomlinson) in the starting lineup. Higgins and Thorne are both guards who will have to replace the scoring of Marcus Hall. Jackson-Wilson is a steady but small forward at 6'6''. Higgins has to be the guy this year. As a freshman last year he had some flashes of excellence. He started all 32 games for Bzdelik and was the fourth leading scorer on the team with nine points a game.

Looking at the Buffs' schedule, they really face no team that is light years better than them. The staff realized that they have one of the youngest teams in the nation and they'll need to get their feet wet before you throw them in the deep end of the Big 12. They play Stanford but this is a very, very winnable game and should be a game that dictates the rest of the season for CU. If they win that game, the rest of the non-conference sets up that they could have an excellent record heading into conference play. Like we have seen with CU this year, they tend to toil in mediocrity so if they lose to Stanford don't be surprised if they have some losses to teams like Harvard and Prarie View A&M. Luckily the Buffs play in the Big 12 north which is noticeably easier than the Big 12 south...sounds like football. Kansas should win the North this year but they are a team that many don't even have in their top 25's (myself included). The South has three very solid teams that I like a lot. Oklahoma is the class of the conference this season with Griffin and Warren. Texas is always solid under the direction of Rick Barnes and Damion James may be my favorite player not in a Gonzaga uniform. I also love Curtis Jerrells and Baylor, they are a major sleeper this season. The schedule sets up for the Buffs to go over .500 but it remains to be seen what kind of team will show up on the floor.

Look for the starting lineup to go something like this: It's probably going to have to be a three guard lineup so I give the nod to Tomlinson at the point, with Higgins and Thorne at the other two guard/wing spots. Down low you will probably see another freshman starting in Toby Veal. He'll be joined by Jermyl Jackson-Wilson.

It's hard to project any type of season results for this team because of the youth that is present. They have the talent to be a mid-level Big 12 team but this season is going to have some ups and downs. I don't think they will be at the bottom of the Big 12, hopefully that team is Iowa State or Texas Tech. They should be a very fun and fresh team to watch this season. Bzdelik finally has some guys that he recruited and will be able to fit them into his system very easily. The young core of Higgins, Veal, and Tomlinson should be very fun to watch for the next three years.

		#1 Nate Tomlinson Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Sydney, Australia Tomlinson started all 28 games in which he participated. He missed three games due to injuries; averaged 7.4 points, 3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 33.6 minutes per game; finished in 16th place on CU's freshman points list with 206; became the first freshman since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in assists and finished seventh on the school's all-time freshman assists list; shared scoring honors with 18 points at Stanford on 8-of-12 shooting; and led CU in assists 14 times. Tomlinson had five games with five or more assists and 18 games with at least three; a season-best seven assists against Texas A&M; six rebounds vs. Iowa State; four steals at Texas Tech; an assist in 27 of 28 games; and nine games with 10+ points. He finished seventh overall in the Big 12 in minutes played; played 35+ minutes 13 times; grabbed four or more rebounds nine times; made two free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining, clinching CU's 65-62 win over Louisiana-Monroe; and was the first freshman point guard since 2002-03 to start a season opener.

		#3 Rick Higgins Senior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Danville, Calif. Higgins transferred to Colorado from Cal Poly to play with his brother, Cory. He sat out of the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules and lost a year of eligibility because he already had redshirted at Cal Poly, where he played in 43 games, with two starts in two years, and averaged 1.2 points per game.

		#11 Cory Higgins Junior Guard 6-5 \| 190 Danville, Calif. Third Team All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Player of the Week (12/08/09) Higgins was one of 13 nationally ranked players who were first or second on their team in the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) and the only sophomore nationally on that list. He was first statistically on the team in points, rebounds, steals, defensive and total rebounds, free throws and attempts, free-throw percentage, field goals made and attempted, and minutes played; second in assists and blocks; third in 3-point field goals made; and among CU players with a minimum of 200 shots taken was second on the team in shooting percentage Higgins tallied three nationally ranked categories: 64th in steals, 77th in free-throw percentage and 93rd in points per game. He scored 538 points, finishing 13th all-time at CU for most points scored in a single season. Those 538 points rank third all-time among CU sophomores and seventh all-time among CU guards for a season. Higgins led the team in scoring 18 times, steals 16 times, rebounding 15 times, assists 10 times and blocks 8 times; scored double digits in 28 of 31 games, 20+ points 12 times and 30+ twice; owned the team's top two scoring games with 34 points vs. Texas and 33 points vs. Colorado State; made 11 field goals in a single game twice, also a team best; achieved a perfect 12 of 12 at the free-throw line twice; had two double-doubles; was second both in CU seasonal minutes and conference minutes played; was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tourney team, leading the Buffs in scoring every game; scored a CU 13-year conference high with a personal-best 34 points against Texas; also performed the same feat against Texas A&M with 27 points; was the first player at CU to lead the team in rebounding and assists the first two games of any season since the 1973-74 season; played 35+ minutes 24 times; had six games over 40 minutes; posted six or more rebounds 15 times; grabbed three or more steals 13 times; dished out four or more assists eight times; had 13 games with at least six or more made field goals; and tallied five CU Athlete of the Week awards.

		#12 Dwight Thorne II Senior Guard 6-3 \| 185 Arlington, Texas Thorne was selected as one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to participate on an Athletes In Action team for a one-week, competitive international tour against teams in Poland and Berlin, Germany. He is a three-year captain who started every game; was the team leader with 45 made 3-pointers; was second in team scoring, steals, made field goals and made free throws; was third in assists with 52, minutes played and fourth in rebounds; finished the season ranked in three Big 12-only categories; played 1,035 minutes and made 128 field goals, surpassing his previous two-year total of 53; made a 3-pointer in 23 of 31 games and had 12 games with at least two treys; scored in double digits 22 times, netted 20+ three times and scored a career-best 30 points vs. Kansas State on 8-of-12 shooting, with a personal-best five 3-pointers, nine free throws made and 11 attempts; scored a trio of 20+ point efforts; led the team in scoring eight times; recorded five or more rebounds nine times; made three or more 3-pointers five times; logged 35+ minutes 16 times; and played 30+ minutes 24 times. Thorne is a cousin of Acie Law IV, the former Texas A&M star who plays for the Atlanta Hawks.

		#14 Javon Coney Junior Guard 6-3 \| 210 Chicago, Ill. Coney played in 23 games, with one start; averaged 8.8 minutes, one point and 1.3 rebounds per game; started his first career game against Oklahoma State; had a career-best six rebounds, one blocked shot and 27 minutes played against the Cowboys; played a career-best 27 minutes against Kansas State, with four points and four rebounds; grabbed five defensive rebounds at Nebraska; tallied a season-best five points with five rebounds against Missouri; recorded 20+ minutes four times and multiple rebounds eight times; and is a non-scholarship student-athlete.

		#24 Levi Knutson Junior Guard 6-4 \| 200 Littleton, Colo. Knutson played 30 games, with one start, and averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and one assist per game. His lone start came at Baylor, with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. He led the team in scoring with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and a team-high four assists and two steals, against Oklahoma State; grabbed a career-best six rebounds at home against Nebraska; shared team-high honors with six rebounds against Nebraska and Texas in Oklahoma City; went 3 of 3 from the field in a home win against Iowa State; had a career-best two steals at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State; played nine games of 20+ minutes and netted three games in scoring double digits; and has played 62 career games, with two starts.

		#33 Austin Dufault Sophomore Forward 6-9 \| 230 Killdeer, N.D. Dufault was named one of three CU Sports Performer of the Year finalists in the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year Award category; started all 31 games, averaging 30.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and one assist per game; scored 254 points, ranking 11th among CU freshmen, and his 115 rebounds ranked 12th among all CU freshmen; was third in team scoring, rebounding and defensive rebounding, and fourth overall in minutes; He was one of three on the team to have started all 31 games; was fifth among all conference freshmen in scoring and rebounding; led CU in scoring twice, with a season-best 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting vs. Louisiana-Monroe. His 15 points and five rebounds against Missouri led CU in both categories for the first time. Dufault had a season-best seven rebounds at Iowa State and at SMU, as well as a Big 12-best 13 points at Oklahoma; played a season-high 42 minutes against Texas; recorded 12 games in double digits and 12 games shooting 50 percent or better from the field; led the team in rebounding six times, had five or more rebounds 13 times and played 35+ minutes seven times; logged 30+ minutes 20 times; adds size and versatility to the roster; and brings a high basketball IQ with a great shooting touch from long range.

		#34 Casey Crawford Junior Forward 6-9 \| 245 Overland Park, Kan. Crawford played in 25 games, with four starts; averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per game; was fourth on the team in 3-pointers made, and fifth in steals and points per game. During the last five games of the season, the transfer from Wake Forest averaged 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and led CU with eight 3-pointers. He had a career-best 18 points with four treys in a win over Harvard. The 18 points were the most points off the bench to lead the team in scoring since Javon Coney scored 15 points in a reserve role at Nebraska. Crawford scored a Big 12 season-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting against Texas A&M, and also played a season-high 30 minutes; and came off the bench to score 14 points, tying a career-best four 3-pointers against Oklahoma State. Eight times he had three or more rebounds in a game, and had five games with five or more field goals made. He netted 14 points in his CU debut, tying Jermyl Jackson-Wilson’s debut of 14 back in 2006-07. The 14 points is a CU high by a transfer or freshman in a debut over the last four years. Crawford scored in double digits six times, led the team in scoring twice and played 20+ minutes six times.

		#55 Trey Eckloff Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 235 Englewood, Colo. Eckloff played in 26 games, averaging 10.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game; logged a season-high 25 minutes with six rebounds against Kansas; also had 23 minutes and four rebounds at Stanford; had a season-best two steals against the Cardinal; scored a season-best seven points on 3-of-4 shooting at Oklahoma; grabbed five rebounds at Missouri; played 15+ minutes in six games; scored four or more points seven times; recorded multiple rebounds 13 times; and was the second-youngest scholarship player in the Big 12 (teammate Ryan Kelley was the youngest).

		#2 Shannon Sharpe Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 200 Corona, Calif. Sharpe will miss the 2009-10 season after having season-ending knee surgery, Bzdelik announced Oct. 28. As a senior at Corona Centennial High School, Sharpe averaged 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game; helped the Huskies to a 27-5 record during his senior season; tallied four top-five Mountain View League finishes in points, assists, steals and rebounds; recorded five triple-doubles during his senior season; and was named Mountain View League and Triple Crown Tournament most valuable player, and also named to the Inland Empire and Corona all-tournament team. Sharpe was on the Division 2 All-California Interscholastic Federation and All-Riverside County first team his senior year, and was a member of 2007 All-California Interscholastic Federation championship team. He helped Corona to the 2007 and 2008 Mountain View League Championships. In 2008, his AAU team was ranked No. 3 nationally.

		#5 Marcus Relphorde Junior Forward 6-7 \| 220 Chicago, Ill. Relphorde averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Indian Hills Community College, helping the Warriors finish with a 30-3 record. He was an All-Region honorable mention; shot .487 from the floor and .722 from the free-throw line; averaged 14 points per game; and scored in double figures in 12 of the team's last 13 games. Relphorde originally signed with Saint Louis under then-head coach Brad Soderberg. As a freshman with the Billikens and under head coach Rick Majerus, he averaged 4.3 minutes in 21 games; scored 22 points with 10 rebounds; and made 5 of 7 shots against Houston Baptist en route to 14 points and a team-high seven boards.

		#10 Alec Burks Freshman Guard 6-6 \| 185 Grandview, Mo. Burks was the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. During his senior year at Grandview High School, he averaged 23 points per game, in addition to 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also was named The Kansas City Star and Metro Sports Player of the Year during his senior year. Burks helped his team to a 29-2 record during his senior season; scored a season-high 38 points; and received first-team all-Suburban Mix Six League honors as a junior after averaging 19.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Rivals.com listed Burks the No. 31 point guard in the Class of 2009. He was the career leader, in points scored, in school history and participated on the Mo-Kan All-Star game.

		#13 Shane Harris-Tunks Freshman Forward 6-11 \| 225 Liverpool, Australia Harris-Tunks was a member of Team Australia, which placed fourth at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship; played in eight games, averaging 2.5 ppg; represented Australian U/19 at the Albert-Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and a third-place finish, and also was named captain; and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship recipient.

		#35 Keegan Hornbuckle Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 205 Westlake Village, Calif. As a senior at Campbell Hall High School, Hornbuckle averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, helping his team to 19-9 record. He was a three-time first-team All-Olympic League selection and a three-time All-California Interscholastic Federation second-team selection. Hornbuckle was rated as the No. 34 small forward/shooting guard by Scout.com; helped Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record as a junior and a No. 39 national ranking by Rivals.com in 2007-08; was a member of a pair of state championship-winning teams in his sophomore and junior years; had a four-year prep record of 101-29; and was a member of the Valley All-Star and academic all-American All-Star team.

SB Nation - Nate Tomlinson

Preview: Colorado Buffaloes Take On the Gonzaga Bulldogs In the Maui Invitational

KNOW THY ENEMY: Colorado Buffaloes

The Coach

The Departures

The Veterans

The Redshirt

The Newcomers

The Analysis

Projected Starting Lineup

Projected Top Reserves

The Final Verdict

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

BtB 2009-10 Big 12 Preview

Big Twelve Conference Standings

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Who is your pick to win the Big 12 this season?

Baylor

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

Big12Hoops.com Pre-Season Preview: Colorado Buffs

Where will the Buffs finish this year in the Big 12 standings?

1-4

5-8

9

10

11

12

Colorado: Know Your Rival

vs Big 12Colrorado: 1-10

Keys to the Game

Prediction

A KenPom Preview: Colorado #1

Opening Thoughts

The Background

The Offense

The Defense

The Players

The Keys

Concluding Thoughts

"Excuses are for Losers"

Game Preview: Lafayette Leopards @ Colorado Buffaloes

VS.

Colorado Buffaloes

Lafayette Leopards

Buffs Basketball: Previewing the Montana State Bobcats

VS.

Colorado Buffaloes

Montana State Bobcats

(1 - 0, 0 - 0) NR

(0 - 1, 0 - 0) NR

Breaking Down the Home Team: Buffs Basketball

vs Big 12
Colrorado: 1-10