SB Nation - Austin Dufault

CSU Rams Host Colorado at Moby Arena

bhsmarine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:28:31 -0000

Next Game

Thursday, Dec 10, 2009, 6:30 PM PST
Moby Arena

TV: The Mtn

The rivalry between Colorado State(5-3) and Colorado(6-3) will add another chapter Thursday night as the Buffs walk into Moby Arena in Fort Collins. The Buffs hold a three game streak in the series, the last time the Rams beat the Buffs on the hard floor was December 2006. As the football games go these are usually close, except for last year when the Buffs won 75-56. Before that the last 5 games were decided by two possessions or less with the last three being 3 points of less. A look at the teams after the jump...

The Colorado Buffalos are off to a good start at 6-3 and dropping a game to Gonzaga by only 4 and they took Arizona to overtime before losing. They are lead by guards Cory Higgins (20.6 ppg) and freshman stud Alec Burks(15.4 ppg). As a team they are shooting 50.3% from the field and 78.5% from the stripe. They lack a dominating force inside as do the Rams so it will be a key for both teams to try and establish a presence inside and dominate the paint. 6'9" Austin Dufault will attempt to be that presence for the Buffs along with Shane Harris-Tunks when he gets minutes.

The Rams will counter the guard play with freshman Dorian Green and another. The Rams have been shifting around their guards with the play of Adam Nigon, Travis Franklin, Arin Dunn. In consistent shooting and more turnovers then Tim Miles would like has left him looking for someone to stand up. Transfer forward Travis Busch is back early from knee surgery and could give the Rams a much needed boost at the 3-4 spots from the bench. His minutes will need to be limited however as they want him ready for conference play. 6'9" Andy Ogide will have to be the Rams inside presence against the Buffs. He has been inconsistent early on leading to him coming off the bench against Denver University.

The keys for both teams will be to establish inside play and have smart guard play. The crowd at Moby is usually lackluster and even a bit embarrassing at times, but you mention a CSU vs. CU game and kids will show. The Buffs will have to deal with crowd noise. If the Rams can come out firing early and keep the crowd in it all game they have a chance to win one against a good CU team. For the Buffs it will be about shooting a high percentage and keeping the crowd quiet and sending them home early to prep for finals.

If your in the Fort head over to Moby Arena, first 1000 fans get a free t-shirtt!

Wise Proves To Be Too Much for Buffs, Lose to Arizona in Maui

irish1611 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:47:02 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

Browse more photos »

For the second time in as many days, the Colorado Buffaloes were in the game against another solid basketball team but in the end, couldn't register the win. After leading for most of yesterday's game against Gonzaga, the Bulldogs two best players in Steven Gray and Matt Bouldin took over to give the team from Spokane a four point win. Tuesday, Arizona's best player, G Nic Wise, led his team to victory. He scored 30 points, including 16 of the Cats' final 19, to lead Arizona past the Buffs 91-87 in overtime in the second round consolation game at the Maui Invitational.

Wise scored the Wildcats last eight points of regulation to give Arizona a 80 - 72 lead with 52 seconds left but the Buffs fought back to tie the game forcing overtime. Once again, Cory Higgins led Colorado with 28 points going 10 - 22 from the field. True freshman Alec Burks put in another solid performance scoring 19, including 9 - 10 from the free throw line. Austin Dufault also continues to have a solid early season, efficiently scoring 14 points and grabbing a team high 11 rebounds in 29 minutes.

Arizona got in early foul trouble, totaling 29 total fouls for the game with seven of their players obtaining three or more fouls in the game but Colorado couldn't get players like Solomon Hill or Jamelle Horne on the bench with their fifth. The Buffs did take advantage from the foul line, hitting 26 of 32 free throws.

While the Buffs had the clear advantage from the charity stripe, Arizona won this game with their success from the three point line, while Colorado couldn't seem to connect from long. You don't see many teams shoot over 50% from beyond the arc but that is what the Wildcats did. Arizona hit 14 - 24 (58.3%) while Colorado connected on only 5 of 19. Both Wise and Thorn had five three pointers a piece.

The Buffs tend to play a good amount of zone defense and that can be trouble when a team gets hot from the outside. The zone defense helps the Buffs compensate for a lack of height in the middle but can lead to a string of three pointers. Yesterday, the Buffs allowed Gonzaga G Steven Gray to hit 4 - 7 from deep en route to a career high 27 points. Colorado will need to get the perimeter defense tightened up.

Buffs JUCO transfer Marcus Relphorde had a tough day, going 0 - 7 from the field with just one point.

The loss drops Colorado to 3 - 2 on the year, with both losses coming in Maui. Tomorrow (12:00 pm MT, ESPNU), the Buffs will play against tournament host Chaminade, who lost to Maryland and Vanderbilt in the first two rounds of the tournament.

Overall, though, you can see the improvement on this team and this early competition will get them better prepared for Big 12 play. Now the Buffs just need to start taking these opportunities where they play competitively for most of the game and turn them into wins.

Friday Buff Bites - Colorado Basketball Starts Tonight...Not Quite Ready For It

irish1611 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:23:04 -0000

Football stories after the jump...it's basketball's night.

Brooks: Thorne, Higgins Eager For First Act - CUBuffs.com

"We want to come out and make a statement to fans and try to get a little more support for this program . . . a statement as to how hard we're going to play and the style of play we're going to have all year," Higgins said.

CU out to win over fans - Boulder Daily Camera

First goal for Bzdelik`s Buffs: Play well at home

Marcus Relphorde a Buff in transition - The Denver Post

CU coach Bzdelik thinks forward Relphorde can be a big asset this year because of his versatility.

CU looks to be golden against Pine-Bluff | CU Independent

This Friday the CU men’s basketball team will open its season at home against the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Dufault bulks up to compete with Big 12’s best | The Dickinson Press | Dickinson, North Dakota

If Austin Dufault’s freshman season at Colorado taught him one lesson, it’s that he wasn’t prepared for the physicality of the Big 12. So, Dufault hit the weight room hard.

CU finds most recruits staying loyal - The Denver Post

"Every week I see their offense clicking a little better," Los Gatos (Calif.) High quarterback Nick Hirschman said. "Everybody's kind of meshing. I understand they got off to a slow start. That's football." Hirschman has thrown for 25 touchdowns and 2,000 yards without a single interception. He has watched Hawkins juggle quarterbacks, but after he benched his son, Cody, it made a positive impression on him and fellow quarterback recruit Munchie Legaux of New Orleans. "There's a 100 percent even playing field for everybody," Hirschman said. "Whoever's the most prepared to lead them to a win, he gets a chance to do it." Added Legaux: "If he benches his own son, that says a lot about how true he is to the game."

Cyclones’ ground game a focus for Colorado defense - TimesRepublican.com

Iowa State's bread and butter offensively this season has been the rushing game. The Cyclones have gone over 200 yards as a team six times this season. They haven't failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark in every game this season. Until last week, that is. Oklahoma State stifled the Cyclone rushing attack to the tune of 54 yards last Saturday in Jack Trice Stadium.

McKnight says now is the time to put end to continued road woes - The Denver Post

Game Preview - Iowa State vs Colorado - Football 2009 | Go Iowa State

The home team has won the last 5 games in this series.

Diminutive Buff Cha`pelle Brown delivers with big impact for CU - Boulder Daily Camera

"He`s one of the guys that will be remembered a long time around here," said CU running backs coach Darian Hagan, who recruited Cha`pelle out of La Puente, Calif. "He`s a guy that is unselfish, played his butt off and never complained about anything. He does everything right and he`s a joy to be around and a joy to talk to. He`s a guy that`s going to be missed."

Legania leaning to Colorado - ESPN

Colorado dipped into New Orleans Sunday gaining commitments from quarterback Munchie Legaux (New Orleans/Edna Karr) and receiver Keenan Canty (New Orleans/Edna Karr) after official visits over the weekend. Defensive tackle Harold Legania (New Orleans/Edna Karr) also made the official visit to Boulder with his teammates and could be next to commit to the Buffaloes. "I enjoyed the visit," said Legania. "I liked the campus and the school. With Munchie and Keenan committed, it makes a difference. Colorado is at the top and I'm not sure what I'm going to do." Legania previously visited Minnesota Sept. 11 and has trips tentatively set with Virginia and Florida International in December.

Brown makes Buffs look lucky - The Longmont Times-Call

Not bad for a guy hardly anyone wanted. Such sentiment applies to Jalil Brown, a junior cornerback in the Colorado secondary who made 15 tackles and broke up three passes in last Saturday’s win over Texas A&M. Greg Brown, the program’s secondary coach, uses words like "classy" and "smart" when he describes Jalil Brown. Greg Brown and head coach Dan Hawkins both say Jalil Brown has a chance to play in the NFL when he leaves CU after the 2010 season.

Cyclones, Buffs both embattled

Simas sparks CU's offensive renaissance - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

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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2009-10 Team Previews: Colorado Buffaloes

Zach B — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:46:38 -0000

Cory Higgins has flown under the radar thus far in Boulder but don't expect him to be overlooked this season.

View full size photo »

Early season tournaments are a great way for teams to simulate the pressure of playing in late March. Last season, Gonzaga was playing some of their best basketball when they traveled to Orlando for the Old Spice Classic. They won the tournament that featured teams such as Michigan State, Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma State, and Georgetown. This season, the Zags will be headed to Maui instead of Orlando and instead of facing one of the deepest early season tournament fields in recent history like last season, they'll take on teams similar to them, young, inexperienced, and dangerous. It's not a weak field by any means. It features some of the best coaches in the nation in Mark Few, Sean Miller, Bo Ryan, and Gary Williams and plenty of outstanding youth.

Gonzaga's first opponent in the 2009 Maui Invitational will be last season's worst team in the Big 12 Conference, the Colorado Buffaloes. CU won 9 ballgames last season, only one of those being in the Big 12. They have, for all intents and purposes, have nowhere else to go but up from last season. Jeff Bzdelik, most known for his head coaching stint with the Denver Nuggets, enters his third season as the Buffs head coach and while his seat isn't as hot as the Buffs' football coach, it's obvious that another nine win season won't be tolerated in Boulder. Looking ahead to this season, Colorado has been slated by the Big 12 coaches to finish last in the conference...by a pretty wide margin. The good news is that Jeff Bzdelik is now working with mainly kids that he recruited for his system. Much like Gonzaga, Colorado brought in a large 2009 recruiting class, five in all and it seems that Bzdelik will be giving each of them a fair shot to make an immediate impact. While this class is very promising, I don't think any Colorado fan would tell you that this season will be a huge breakout year for this team. Their matchup with Gonzaga comes at a favorable time. Both teams will be attempting to find their identity as a basketball team and Colorado might have the most talented player on the floor in junior guard Cory Higgins.

Last Season: Jeff Bzdelik's second season in Boulder was extremely difficult. There's no real way to sugar coat a nine win season when you are a Big 12 team but looking at last season's results, it is clear that the missing component was experience. It's difficult to even dissect last season's schedule for Colorado because of it's inconsistencies. They lost to both Kansas and Oklahoma by five points in very tight games and that was kind of the way the rest of the Big 12 slate went. They were constantly overmatched by teams in their conferences late in games and really lacked that killer instinct from veteran players. They lost nine close games of less than 10 points and didn't defeat any team with an RPI of less than 150. A major reason for there inability to close games is because of the style of basketball the Jeff Bzdelik plays. If you watched any CU basketball last season, which I doubt many of you did, you would notice that when CU is playing well, there isn't a whole lot of scoring. The Buffs mostly lingered around the high 50's to low 60's in Big 12 play and when you don't have much talent, opposing teams are able to get back into games no matter how bad they play. The one bright spot on Colorado's team last season was Cory Higgins. Higgins was third team all Big 12 a year ago and averaged 17 points per game for CU. A 6'5'' guard, Higgins also led the team in rebounds and steals.

New Faces: Five new players will suit up for Jeff Bzdelik this season. There are three names that we'll probably hear a lot about come Maui. The first one is Marcus Relphorde. Relphorde has arrived in Boulder via Indian Hills Community College via Saint Louis University. Like most junior college players that make it to division one basketball, Relphorde is a versatile 6'7'' forward with great size that can play four positions on the court, even point guard. Bzdelik has raved about Marcus thus far and all indications point to him starting the season at forward for the Buffs. The second newcomer to watch is 6'0'' guard Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe is a YouTube legend that averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds in his senior season in Corona, California. Sharpe kinda fell off the recruiting landscape when he went to prep school in North Carolina to help him qualify for college. He'll make an immediate impact at the point guard position for Jeff Bzdelik and will provide a great defensive presence off the bench. The last name to remember is Alec Burks. Burks is a lengthy 6'6'' shooting guard that had scholarship offers from Kansas State, Drake, Santa Clara, as well as Colorado. The other two new faces for Colorado are Shane Harris-Tunks, an Aussie that received some interest from Gonzaga and Keegan Hornbuckle. Both players may see the court this season but they will need to physically mature before making a significant impact on this team.

Players to Watch: Colorado returns their top four scorers from a season ago. Leading the charge for the Buffs this season will be Cory Higgins. Higgins was only a sophomore last season but played 37 minutes a game and this season it will be even harder to get him off the court. He is probably the most underrated player in the conference and has a nose for the ball. He led the conference in steals last year but towards the end of the season he really wore down and his efficiency began to decrease. Coach Bzdelik maintains that won't happen this season as freshman Alec Burks should be a steady back up but it remains to be seen if this team can compete without Higgins on the floor. Nearly matching Higgins in minutes played last season was Dwight Thorne II. Thorne started all 31 games last year and averaged 12 points a game. He was basically second on the team in every statistical category behind Higgins. He shot 42% from beyond the arc for the Buffs and that was good enough for fifth in the conference. Thorne will be entering his second season as team captain and this will be his last hurrah in Boulder. He'll be the main source of leadership for the Buffs this season as the other senior this season is Rick Higgins, brother of Cory and a transfer. Sophomore Austin Dufault will be the key in the middle for the Buffs this season. Dufault is only a sophomore but he made a huge impact as a freshman a year ago. He started every game for CU and averaged eight points a game. He'll probably be joined by Relphorde in the paint for the Buffs where they will really need to step up their rebounding performance from last year which was historically bad.

Concerns: This will be a game that is mostly contested on the perimeter. If Colorado is going to have any chance, Higgins and Thorne have to play outstanding all game long. My major concern with this game has to do with the pace that Bzdelik will try and play and how this young Gonzaga team will respond. If Colorado can slow this game down and force their will on Gonzaga, it will be close the entire way and I feel like Higgins now has the experience to deliver a knockout blow. Gonzaga will need Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray to outshine Higgins and Thorne and play a very good defensive game. I would imagine that Matt Bouldin will want to come out and make a statement against the Buffaloes; after all, he was one of the best players to ever come out of the state of Colorado and I'm sure he'd love to show them what they are missing, even though Bzdelik wasn't there during his recruitment.

What we are watching for: The Higgins/Bouldin match up should be worth the price of admission. Even though they might not guard one another, they are the centerpieces of these young teams. This match up will be great for basketball fans, but as a Gonzaga fans, I am looking towards the front court to really establish themselves. Rob Sacre, Elias Harris, and Andy Poling are all young and inexperienced in their own ways but their talent level should exceed whatever combination of bigs Colorado puts out there. Austin Dufault, while very skilled offensively, is not a good rebounder and Marcus Relphorde will be an outstanding match up for Elias Harris. Both are a similar size and have outstanding versatility. If Elias can dominate this game at the power forward spot, Gonzaga fans will have much to look forward to in 2009. This should really be a field day for Robert Sacre. The 6'11'' Canadian will benefit from playing against a Colorado team that was abused on the boards last season. He should be the key to this game and it could be his breakout game as a full-service big man that can not only rebound and provide energy, but score at will.

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.

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.

		#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.