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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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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.

Basketball Preview: Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal

irish1611 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:00:07 -0000

	VS.
Colorado Buffaloes		Stanford Cardinal

Who: Colorado Buffaloes at Stanford Cardinal
Where: Maples Pavilion (Stanford, CA)
When: 8:30 pm MT
Line: Stanford by 15

The young Buffs will be on the road for the first time this season after going 3 - 1 in the first four. The Buffs have been exactly what we thought they would be: young and small inside. Colorado has been out-rebounded by a lengthy margin this year, especially on the offensive side end. The Buffs have been holding the oppositions to lower shooting percentages but due to the lack of rebounding, teams have been able to get extra chances against the Buffs. With freshman Toby Veal not ready for collegiate play, according to Jeff Bzdelik, the Buffs don't have a big answer in the middle. The 6'5" guard, Cory Higgins has 6.0 rebounds a game which is tied for the lead. That is a problem especially when the Buffs start Big 12 play.

Their have been a few bright spots this year and it starts on the offensive end of the court. CU has shot 50% from the field against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Harvard and Lafayette. Buffs guard Cory Higgins leads the team in what seems like every major statistical category. Last game, Higgins had a team high and personal career high 24 points but three other players had double digits as well so there is some balance on this team. Back to Higgins, look at the improvement from his freshman year. He has definitely led this team to the record that they currently have. Higgins, the 6'5" guard from Florida, is a sophomore which is considered a veteran on this team. Look for him to continue to get better and better as the Buffs youth grows around him.

Season Averages - Cory Higgins
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	33.6	8.3	4.3	2.3	2.1	1.11	1.1	.3	2.1	.459	.680	.333	1.29
2008-2009	36.8	17.8	6.0	3.8	2.8	1.36	2.3	.0	2.0	.528	.732	.231	1.97

Another few positives to this year already in each of the four games the Buffs have played this year, they have had four players in double digits and overall, Colorado is shooting over 50% from the field on the year. For a young team, offense doesn't seem to be the problem. The fans would like to see more on the defensive end nad boards.

The Buffs will get a taste of higher level collegiate basketball tonight as the Stanford was a sweet 16 team last year. Stanford is currently on the "Colorado Tour" as they there last game was against Air Force (W - 76 - 57), Colorado Saturday night and then @ Colorado State in 15 days.

The Cardinal are 3-0 on the season with a pair of home against CSU-Northridge (103-85) and Air Force (76-57), played on Wednesday. Stanford opened the season with a 75-67 winner at Yale. The Cardinal returns seven players and three starters from last year's 28-8 Sweet 16 team. Sounds like a dangerous team right? Well, the two players who are missing are 7-foot twins, Brook and Robin Lopez, both of whom are in the NBA. That has caused first year coach, Johnny Dawkins a long time Duke assistant, to go relatively small this year. The good thing for the Cardinal is that they are led by three seniors, something the Buffs will have to wait a long time to say. Forward Lawrence Hill, who was great as a sophomore then struggled last season, will need to have a big season for the Cardinal to be successful in the PAC 10. Currently, Hill is second on the team in scoring, averaging 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game. The leading scorer is point guard Mitch Johnson, who is the team leader, is averaging an impressive 21.3 points a game. Scoring has not been a problem so far for the Cardinal, averaging 85 a game. This team wants to play on the perimeter. Against Air Force, Stanford hit on 12 of 25 shots from three-point range.

The Buffs are going to have their hands full defending the high flying offense of the Cardinal but the good news for the Buffs is the Lopez twins are gone and Stanford will not be overpowering inside. For the Buffs to be successful tonight, rebounding will be key.

Other Notes:

Colorado is an early 15 point underdog. I would expect that to possibly go up even though this Cardinal team should not be expected to make a lot of noise in the PAC 10 this year
Tonight's tip off is at 8:30 MT
The game will be on Fox Sports Network. The first televised game this year for the Buffs.
For more on tonight's game, check out the rivals yahoo preview of Stanford.

Quick Stat Comparison
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
COLO	3-1	75.3	64.3	3-1	0-0	W2
STAN	3-0	84.7	69.7	2-0	1-0	W3
Team Stat Leaders
	COLORADO			STANFORD
Points	C. Higgins 17.8			A. Goods 21.3
Rebounds	C. Higgins 6.0			L. Hill 7.0
Assists	C. Higgins 3.8			M. Johnson 6.0
Steals	C. Higgins 2.3			A. Goods 2.0
Blocks	J. Jackson-Wilson 1.3			L. Fields 1.0

Harvard Crimson at Colorado Buffaloes Preview

irish1611 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:51:03 -0000

	VS.
Colorado Buffaloes		Harvard Crimson

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Harvard Crimson
Where: Coors Event Center (Boulder, CO)
When: 2:00 pm MT
Line: Buffs Favored by 10.5

The University of Colorado welcomes another non BCS school into the Coors Event Center tonight, this time it is the Harvard Crimson (just sounds prestigious) from the Ivy League. Harvard has a little more luster to their basketball squad as former Seton Hall and Michigan coach Tommy Amaker now patrols the sideline. Amaker, who struggled at Michigan to say the least, has already shook up the Harvard program, getting called out for trying to lower the standards to admit stronger basketball players and bringing a huge recruiting class to replace members of the team he dismissed. Coach Tommy Amaker booted five players off the roster this September, after the semester had already started, to clear the spots needed for his incoming freshmen. To say Amaker wants to make an early splash and get out of the recruiting hell hole that is the Ivy League. Amaker has already ruffled the feathers of other coaches in the Ivy League:

Fellow coaches and perhaps university insiders are whispering that Harvard has lowered its academic standards to allow these players to be enrolled at the college on the banks of the Cambridge River. These same people are whispering that Amaker has broken or at least circumvented NCAA rules to recruit some of these players. Even a recruit’s father - a player not attending Harvard - is telling a story of a chance meeting that, according to the father, was not chance at all.

Enough about the mediocre coach who is Tommy Amaker, the Crimson come into tonight's game 1 - 0 after beating New Hampshire on the road. The Crimson at one time had a 16 point lead. Just looking at the box score from the game, Harvard shot an unbelievable % from the floor. Like most smaller schools, Harvard can shoot the three well. Against UNH, the Crimson went 8 - 12 or 67%. From the field as a whole, Harvard shot 61.4% and 81% from the free throw line. The good thing for the Buffs is that it looks like Harvard isn't stellar on the offensive boards, which is the major problem for this Buffs team so far. Harvard is a relatively deep team as compared to other Ivy League teams and that showed in the first game as they got double digit scoring from three players and nine players played substantial minutes.

The incoming freshman class of G Max Kenyi and G Oliver McNally are excellent talents for playing in the Ivy League. Kenyi was recruited by Marquette, Virginia, Virginia Tech and George Mason while McNally wasn't extend a ton of offers but teams like Gonzaga and Stanford. Kenyi, the 6'3" shooting guard came out in his first collegiate game and led the team with 17 points and 3 - 3 from deep. Here is a box score from the game against New Hampshire.

As for the Buffs, they will face a team that will probably start a team that's tallest player will be 6'7". This is good news for a Buffs team who's biggest weakness right now is rebounding. As the Longmont Times stated, the Buffs are dead last in rebounding margin in the Big 12 even with teams like Montana State and Arkansas Pine Bluff on the schedule. Many believe it is a problem because of the lack of height on the squad. Members like freshman Toby Veal were supposed to aid in the rebounding problem but he, according to Jeff Bzdelik, is not quite ready for big time college basketball. But Bzdelik says that rebounding is not necessarily about height or size but the desire to rebound. Bzdelik threw out an interesting stat after watching films that confirms his team is not boxing out.

What bugs him most is what he found studying tape from Tuesday's loss, in which CU was out-rebounded, 37-30. He counted 88 chances his players had to block opponents off. They did so only 46 times.

The seemingly larger issue is the fact that the Buffs are getting dominated even more on the offensive end, only getting 11 offensive rebounds compared to 24 for the opposition. Rebounding is about effort and will, the Buffs need to make it an importance tonight against a smaller Harvard team.

Another surprise this year, especially from a Jeff Bzdelik coached team, is the points scored by the opposition. Last game, Montana State scored 72 points in regulation and 85 points total with Bobby Howard leading the way with 24 points. The Buffs didn't guard the perimeter at all, letting the Bobcats shoot over 50% from the outside. Tonight, I believe it is simple, if the Buffs want to win, they need to guard the perimeter and have a positive turnover margin.

Colorado is currently 10.5 point favorites. Against Montana State, they were 14 point favorites.

TEAM COMPARISON
HARV	1-0	80	69	0-0	1-0	W1
COLO	1-1	79	70.5	1-1	0-0	L1

TEAM LEADERS

Points		C. Higgins 16.5			M. Kenyi 17.0
Rebounds		C. Higgins 6.5			J. Lin 8.0
Assists		C. Higgins 5.5			J. Lin 6.0
Steals		C. Higgins 2.5			J. Lin 2.0
Blocks		J. Jackson-Wilson 1.0			P. Swiatek 1.0

For more stats, click here			Colorado		Harvard

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.