SB Nation - Jeremy Adams

Colorado Basketball: Looking Ahead after A Great 2011-2012 Season Part II

DavidAGerhardt — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:00:13 -0000

Unlike last offseason where we were looking at replacing 78% of our scoring, this year we lose only 45% of our total points in 2011-2012. That means we know a little bit more about who we have coming back. Yes, we will be relying on an exciting class of freshmen coming in, but first we're focusing on the guys that are returning.

Who we've got coming back:

It all starts with Andre "Animal Style" Roberson. Mr. Double-Double himself. He finshed 2011-2012 with 20 double-doubles, led the team and the Pac 12 Conference in rebounding and blocked shots. He's a beast of a help defender and he's improving as an on-the-ball defender. His offensive game is developing, which is only good for the Buffaloes. He actually ended the year second on the team in 3 point percentage. He is our best all around player but isn't always that aggressive on offense. With the Buffs losing some 'creators', that may be something we need to see out of him at some point. He's a fantastic athlete and really, the sky is the limit for him. He has seen time at the 4- & 5-spots here, but the team looks best with him playing the 4. He will be a junior and there's a good chance we lose him to the NBA after next season, but hopefully he decides to stay all 4 years.

As a true freshman, Spencer Dinwiddie started all 36 games and averaged ten points, 3.6 rebounds and nearly two assists per contest. He saw most of his time at the 1- and 2-spots, as well as some time at the 3. Dinwiddie looks like he can develop into a pretty good point guard for us, but he isn't there yet. He's got a sweet shot and we'll need him to be more aggressive with it and driving to the basket going forward. He is long, but besides that, his defensive effort was inconsistent this year. He showed us at times that he can be a lock-down defender, but he needs to continue to work on moving his feet and on improving his body position. He can be a star, and a full season of starts should give him and the coaching staff a good idea of what he needs to work on this offseason. I fully expect him to develop into a team leader this summer, and that is exactly what we'll need from him. I could see him leading the Buffs in scoring next season. He showed better awareness and patience as the season wore on, and that will be huge as we try to replace Tomlinson's experience in running the offense. And if he could bulk up just a little bit, that'll help him body up on defense and stay strong deeper into games.

Askia Booker was a guy that improved dramatically throughout the season and was at his best during the two NCAA Tournament games. He was a great 6th man, giving the team a boost just about every time he came off the bench. He has confidence in his shot, but he also knew how to impact a game when it wasn't falling. He got better at moving his feet while playing defense, though he still has a lot to learn about how to use his excellent quickness on the defensive side of the ball. He's great at driving the ball to the basket for his size, only getting stuffed occasionally. He still has some progress to make as a ball handler, something that will benefit both him and the team quite a bit. He also could use some good time this offseason in the weight room. He got knocked around a bit by guys despite his aggressiveness.

After those three, things get hazy and it's a little tougher to predict how guys' contributions will change.

For me, the next guy on this list is Shane Harris-Tunks. He started the year off slowly, still not 100% recovered from his ACL injury that knocked him out before 2010-2011. But he had more and more quality minutes as the season went on, and I expect him to be a solid contributor next year. He is still gaining confidence in his legs, which was obvious by how inconsistently aggressive he was on offense. He has some moves down low and at times can get great position on defense. I like him and I think he will end up starting at the beginning of the year. Whether that continues all season depends on the incoming freshmen, but he is going to be a key piece to next years team. He's not a bad passer and he has a solid handle for a guy who is purely a post player. If he can keep putting in time working on those little hook shots and back-to-the-basket moves, he could be putting in 7 & 7 next year. It's no coincidence that all of his numbers increased in neutral site games (most of which were the Pac 12 and NCAA Tournament Games).

Jeremy Adams frustrated us all season, giving us minutes inconsistently after the promise of a player that was supposed to be pretty good. We all found out recently about everything he's had to overcome since discovering he has diabetes. He is a powerful, big-bodied guard who was able to attack the rim at times and rebound with bigger players. He also wasn't afraid to body up on defense and shoot the ball when he got open looks. I don't think he'll be a star, but he should be a guy who can give us quality minutes here and there off the bench at the 2 and sometimes at the 3 when guys get in foul trouble. I think if he can work on his mid-range game just a little bit, he could be an effective part of the bench on a more regular basis.

Sabatino Chen will be the lone senior on the roster in 2012-2013. He saw action in all but one game, but the number of minutes he got was very inconsistent and he only scored more than 6 points once, in the first game of the season against Fort Lewis College. He's got a lot of energy, but had a limited repertoire of moves on offense and his height (6'4") limited him on defense since he was asked to play the 3 and 4 spots quite a bit. His role may lessen when we get some of the new kids on campus, but he got some good experience this season and at least early in 2012, he will probably be relied upon off the bench.

After that things get fuzzy:

There are rumors about both Shannon Sharpe and Ben Mills transferring out of the program. I don't know if I believe those rumors, but neither guy has gotten much playing time recently. Ben Mills is still pencil-thin at 7'-plus and really awkward out there, and Sharpe hasn't been able to adjust to Boyle's system. Sharpe did contribute here and there and Mills still has the opportunity to add some bulk and maybe start to grab some minutes here and there, but he has some of the least broad shoulders I've ever seen and I don't know how much muscle he can put on. We can always hope that they both find their roles on this team, but with a big and talented freshman class coming in, their opportunities are dwindling as we speak.

We also have walkon guards Beau Webb and Beau Gamble on the roster, and Webb got some minutes in garbage time this season.

After the top three guys, at least two of whom will definitely be starting in 2012-2013 (Booker is great in his role off the bench, but I would also love to see him starting), I think SH-T has a good chance to start or at least see a bump in minutes played off the bench, along with Adams possibly seeing some more time. After that, we're going to be relying on a number of the freshmen that I'll discuss in the 3rd part of this look at Colorado basketball going forward

Pac-12 Tournament Men's Basketball Championship Open Thread

TwistNHook — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:00:24 -0000

Well, that sucked. Cal fell to Colorado in the semi-finals of the Pac-12 Tournament last night. Now, the championship is between Arizona and Colorado, ensuring that the Pac-12 will have at least two bids to the NCAA Tournament (unless we horrifically don't get in). Here is the schedule for the game:

MEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 10
GAME 11: (4) Arizona vs. (6) Colorado	03:00 p.m.	STAPLES	CBS	Live Stats
After the jump, more info on the game. Remember, if you wanna join the CGB NCAA Tournament Pick Em, click here for more information. GO BEARS!

AZ DesertSwarm had this to say:

Multiple characters stepped up on Friday, when the Wildcats' best player, Solomon Hill, sat on the pine after fouling out following a technical foul.

Without their starting point guard, Josiah Turner, it was just another challenge in this topsy-turvy season that was toppled. Fellow freshman Nick Johnson has come into his own after sliding over from the two-guard slot, and it couldn't have come at a better time for Arizona.

On Friday, his development in a short period of time -- two days -- coupled with freshman big manAngelo Chol'sinterior presence made Hill's absence less deadly to Arizona's chances of making the NCAA tournament.

Johnson had five assists and didn't record a turnover until less than a minute remained in the game. Meanwhile, Chol saw 17 minutes of playing time and had four points, four blocks and three blocked shots.

Of course, seniors Kyle Fogg and Jesse Perry did their part in stepping up in the times of need. Fogg finished with 22 points and eight boards -- many of those points came on one-on-one isolation plays with the shot clock winding down.

Perry added 16 points and 11 boards, his second double-double in a row.

Thought it looked like the Beavers' best scorer would break out of a two-game funk, Fogg also held OSU guard Jared Cunningham to 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting.

Ralphie Report had this to say:

Things the Buffaloes did well: Colorado was impressive on defense to say the least. Boyle keeps preaching it and the Buffaloes keep doing it. Offensively, the Buffaloes were as efficient as they can be. They shot 50% from the field. Andre Roberson was phenomenal like he has been all tournament. This guy has so much potential and he already is an amazing player. His leaping and timing never fail to impress. Austin Dufault had big plays down the stretch as well. He struggled in the first, but found his groove and showed his superior athleticism towards the Cal interior big men adding 15 points.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: The play in the last minutes of the first half was a little suspect, but Boyle decided the lineup at that time. Jeremy Adams and Sabatino Chen can play at certain times, but I don't like the idea of them playing at the same time. Bottom line, Colorado is doing as much as they can with the talent they have and that's all you can ask for from a team at this point of the season.

Leave your thoughts on this Golden Bear-less final (yet another one) here. GO BEARS!

Previewing Colorado + Saturday Basketball Open Thread

norcalnick — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:12 -0000

As you likely already know, Washington visits Washington State tonight at 5:00. Use this post as an open thread for that game and any other Saturday basketball action. At the bottom of this article is a listing of rooting interests around the nation for fans looking to maximize Cal's NCAA seed.

I had this preview all but written in my mind. Colorado fans foaming at the mouth on senior night, their players ready to put their all into a game that would place them in the thick of the title chase and complete a perfect home conference record. And then the Buffs got comprehensively taken apart by Stanford.

That defeat is generally good news for the Bears. It all but clinches a top 2 seed in the conference tournament and hopefully dampens much of the excitement that Colorado would carry into Sunday’s game. But I can’t help but feeling a little disappointed, because the stakes and story lines if the Buffs had beaten Stanford were so exciting. In the end, not much has changed for Cal – they still need to win to earn a conference title and to move as close to a lock as possible for the NCAA tournament.

The stats say that Colorado has been one of the luckier teams in the Pac-12, with an efficiency profile closer to

Oregon St.

Washington St.

than Arizona or Oregon. Four of Colorado’s conference losses have come by 14 points or more, and their best road win is over ArizonaState. But that ‘luck’ might just be home field advantage.

The Buffs have just two home defeats on the season, to Wyoming and Stanford. The common thread in both games were poor offensive nights from the home team. But Colorado’s worst offensive performances of the season actually came against Cal in Berkeley, when their only viable offensive strategy was drawing free throw attempts.

In fact, that game was an ugly, disjointed defensive struggled throughout and it’s probably smart to expect a similar low-scoring affair on Sunday. Colorado doesn’t have a guard that can consistently get past Cal’s perimeter defense and Andre Roberson isn’t quite to the point where he can be expected to go off against quality interior defenders like Harper Kamp. Only Austin Dufault represented a match-up problem, but it’s unlikely he’ll go off from three again. But Colorado did a great job of disrupting Cal’s passing game last time, pressuring passing lanes, staying disciplined and preventing penetration. Points may be in short supply again.

Colorado Rotation

(listed in order of usage percentage)
Carlon Brown, 6’5’’ senior guard
Askia Booker, 6’1’’ freshman guard
Andre Roberson, 6’7’’ sophomore forward
Austin Dufault, 6’9’’ senior forward
Spencer Dinwiddie, 6’5’’ freshman guard
Shane Harris-Tunks, 6’1’’ sophomore center
Jeremy Adams, 6’5’’ sophomore guard
Nate Tomlinson, 6’3’’ senior guard
Sabatino Chen, 6’3’’ junior guard

The offense runs through the high-low tandem of Brown and Roberson. Tomlinson is nominally the point guard, but his usage percentage is very low for a starter that plays nearly 30 minutes a night, and his main role in the offense seems to be sniping three point shots.

You’ll all remember Dufault as one of those annoying big men that likes to hang out further away from the basket so that he can take jump shots when his defender doesn’t want to leave the key to pick him up. I advise the Bears to pick him up this time.

Last time around Cal did a great job on Brown, Dinwiddie, Tomlinson and Booker. Colorado’s four main guards shot a combined 5-21 and had nearly as many turnovers (12) as points (15). It’s probably not realistic to expect that type of futility again but clearly Cobbs, Crabbe and Gutierrez were on the top of their game.

Harris-Tunks, Adams and Chen are all very turnover-prone, limited offensive players that are unlikely to get more than a few minutes here or there.

Tempo-Free Preview

Kenpom sez: Cal68, Colorado 63, 69% confidence

Saturday Rooting Interests

If you're an obsessive like me, you glance at scores across the nation, hoping to see teams with similar at-large profiles to Cal lose games, thus allowing the Bears to potentially move up the NCAA pecking order. With that in mind, here are some games to track. FYI - I used the NCAA bracket project matrix, an amazing resource, to determine which teams are worth rooting against.

Teams to root against in the quest for not and 8/9 seed:

Washington (at Washington St.) - Duh. Above all else I want a Pac-12 title, preferably outright.
Vanderbilt (at #1 Kentucky)
Gonzaga (at San Diego)
Creighton (at Indiana St.)
#23 St. Mary's (at USF)
Kansas St. (vs. Iowa St.), Iowa St. (at Kansas St.). OK, both are in our seed range. At least somebody will lose.
Virginia (vs. #7 North Carolina)
St. Louis (at Rhode Island)
Southern Miss (vs. the Fightin' Ben Brauns)
Memphis (at Marshall)
Harvard (vs. Penn)
UConn (vs. #2 Syracuse)
Purdue (at #13 Michigan)

Looks good - lots of teams playing either on the road or against ranked teams or both.

Poll

How nervous are you?

Not at all nervous, because Jorge + Harper = road win

13 votes

A little nervous, because so much is at stake

86 votes

Very nervous, because this is such a tough road venue

81 votes

Incredibly nervous, because this is why we can't have nice things

40 votes

220 votes | Poll has closed

Colorado Pulls Away Late, Beats Utah 55-48

Parker Baruh — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:02:20 -0000

Just like the Arizona State game, Colorado came out rather sluggish and made the game more difficult than it should have been, however, they held on and won 55-48. The Buffaloes played awful for most of the game and barely pulled out a victory. Andre Roberson was the lone bright spot again adding 12 points and 15 rebounds. Ultimately, the Buffaloes were able to hang on, but their performance today was not at all indicative of their true ability.

Things the Buffaloes did well: The Buffaloes didn't do too many things well in today's game. Spencer Dinwiddie helped the Buffaloes out when they needed some offense in the second half by pushing the ball and getting some easy buckets in transition. He only had 9 points, but they were an efficient 9 points as he went 2-4 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line. Additionally, Andre Roberson was crucial down the stretch in the second half. He showed off his mini fadeaway post shot and Utah couldn't stop it. Although the Buffaloes shot terribly from the field, they were 15-19 from the free throw line, which was much needed for the victory.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: The defense in the second half was very inconsistent. They were late getting back and gave up way too many open looks. Austin Dufault couldn't stop Jason Washburn's jump hook at all. He struggled fronting Washburn in the post and continued to allow easy looks. In the first half, Colorado took a lot of ill-advised shots. They came out acting like they thought they already had the game won before it started. Also, the bench had a sloppy game. Askia Booker and Jeremy Adams were a combined 2-9 and had 5 turnovers together. Overall, it was a very ugly game for the Buffaloes and they most likely wouldn't have beat another team in the Pac-12 with this performance.

Up Next: Colorado will take on Stanford this Thursday and California on Sunday. These are two must win games for the Buffaloes. If they play like they did against Arizona State or how they played today, they won't come close to winning. The Buffaloes need to up their intensity and play like they have been all season at home.

Colorado Dominates USC, Wins 74-50

Parker Baruh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:32:42 -0000

Colorado got their first road win tonight and controlled the entire game winning, 74-50. USC is a very weak team, but Colorado knew they had to win this game and they did easily. They held USC to inefficient shooting and although they were playing in an easy environment, they still were able to get the win. Colorado continues to beat the teams they should and have moved to 6-2 in the Pac-12. Andre Roberson, Carlon Brown, and Askia Booker all led the way with 13 points each. Additionally, the rebounding was exceptional with Roberson tallying 10 rebounds and Booker, Dinwiddie, and Carlon Brown all adding 9 rebounds. Overall, it was a good performance by the Buffaloes and they were able to maintain their standing in the conference.

Things the Buffaloes did well: The Buffaloes' defense helped them put away their opponent once again. They held USC to 32% shooting and the Buffaloes owned the Trojans on the boards by a margin of 49-23. Bench scoring helped the Buffaloes as well with 13 from Booker and 10 points from Jeremy Adams. A major strength of this team is how evenly distributed the scoring output is from the starting five and it showed again tonight. Ultimately, although the Pac-12 is weak, Colorado is at least taking advantage of it. They are beating the inferior teams and doing the little things they were unable to do earlier in the year.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: The main thing the Buffaloes struggled with tonight was the turnovers. Against USC, a very weak team, 12 turnovers is too many. Additionally, the Buffaloes sometimes struggle with shot selection when they have a large lead. If the Buffaloes can limit turnovers and keep improving their shot selection, they will continue to remain high in the Pac-12 standings.

Up Next: The Buffaloes take on UCLA on Saturday in a crucial game. Tonight, the Buffaloes proved they could win on the road. On Saturday, they are going to have to prove they can beat a good team on the road. The Buffaloes have already assured a split on this road trip, but a sweep would be great for Colorado. The Buffaloes will have to limit the outside game of Tyler Lamb and stop the interior presence of the Wear twins. If the Buffaloes can contain the Bruins' inside game, they should be able to pull out a win.

Washington Basketball Hopeless On Road, Blasted By Impressive Colorado

Avinash Kunnath — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:30:26 -0000

There are two Washington Huskies basketball teams. There's the one that looks like it has the potential to break out and become a top 25 team with their talented backcourt. Then there's the one that has to board airplanes.

Washington has played three road games and two neutral site games in New York City (which were pretty much road contests). The Huskies have played alright in the neutral games against top teams like Marquette and Duke, but have been outright awful in hostile environments. They were doubled up by St. Louis at halftime (one of the worst results of the year for the Pac-12, regardless of how good Rick Majerus's boys end up looking) and lost in overtime to an inferior bunch in Reno.

Their latest blundering comes in-conference, where the Colorado Buffaloes bulldozed them. Parker_Baruh of Ralphie Report discusses how well his team played.

Things the Buffaloes did well: Offensively and defensively, Colorado played its most complete game. The Buffaloes were helping on defense, taking charges, and doing the little things they don't always do. The bench filled in greatly with the help of 12 points from Askia Booker. Booker had some crucial threes when Colorado looked lost against Washington's zone defense. Jeremy Adams and Sabatino Chen stepped up big each adding 6 points as well. Spencer Dinwiddie also did a great job of beating Washington's zone defense by pushing the ball in transition so Washington could not set up its zone. Overall, Colorado played mistake free basketball, never looking back once they got the lead, and earned their most impressive win of the year.

The first thing that should look out of place is Washington playing zone defense. When does that happen?

The second thing is how complete Colorado was, and thus proved how deficient Washington can be. The Huskies had seven assists to 15 turnovers, a ghastly number. Tony Wroten continued his freshman struggles; despite shooting well, he had five turnovers and three assists (although he did have an incredible seven steals). Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox struggled a little.

But the Washington defense was the one doing the hemhorraging. 57% on three pointers. 28 free throws shot, 25 made. Washington had 20 offensive rebounds and 17 more shots and it hardly made a difference because of the incredible Colorado shooting and overall efficiency.

Colorado has only played two home contests insofar, but they've been impressive in both of them. Tad Boyle has his boys balling, and it's clear transitioning from the Big 12 (clearly a superior basketball conference) to the Pac-12 has its perks. Perhaps it isn't too early to count out Colorado as being one of those teams in the mix--although we'll probably have to see them travel before making such judgments.

Colorado Buffaloes Beat Washington Huskies 87-69

Parker Baruh — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:15:14 -0000

Colorado came out sluggish, but turned it around quickly with a 35-16 run to end the first half as they surprisingly beat the Washington Huskies 87-69 for their best win of the year. Carlon Brown led the way with 19 points and shot efficiently to go 7-11 from the field. Andre Roberson posted his usual rebounding numbers, tallying 12, maintaining his position as a top rebounder in the country. What stood out the most had to be Colorado's defense. They limited Washington inside and forced them to take ineffective outside shots while forcing 14 turnovers. If the Buffaloes can continue this play throughout the season, they will be better than expected. More importantly, with this victory, Colorado has improved its record to 2-0 in Pac-12 play.

Things the Buffaloes did well: Offensively and defensively, Colorado played its most complete game. The Buffaloes were helping on defense, taking charges, and doing the little things they don't always do. The bench filled in greatly with the help of 12 points from Askia Booker. Booker had some crucial threes when Colorado looked lost against Washington's zone defense. Jeremy Adams and Sabatino Chen stepped up big each adding 6 points as well. Spencer Dinwiddie also did a great job of beating Washington's zone defense by pushing the ball in transition so Washington could not set up its zone. Overall, Colorado played mistake free basketball, never looking back once they got the lead, and earned their most impressive win of the year.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: Early in the game, Colorado committed some sloppy turnovers and it looked like Washington was going to run away with the game as the Huskies went up 14-5. But after that, it was a flawless performance from the Buffaloes.

Up Next: The Buffaloes welcome the Washington State Cougars on Saturday. This could be a trap game for the Buffs. If the Buffaloes come out with the intensity they brought to their game tonight, they should be able to take care of Washington State and start off conference play 3-0.

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Colorado Buffaloes Lose To Maryland Terrapins, 78-71

Parker Baruh — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:55:16 -0000

The Colorado Buffaloes lost to the Maryland Terrapins 78-71 tonight and it was a game they should have won. The Buffaloes have potential to be good; but, they are not going to be good if they cannot stop making careless mistakes. Unnecessary fouls, bad shot selection, and not boxing out kill the Buffaloes every game. Colorado really does not have a true big man and hopefully when Cain comes back he can provide that. Andre Roberson led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Carlon Brown added 16 points. The Buffaloes need a lot more production out of Dinwiddie; I really was expecting him to contribute more and he has failed to do that.

Things the Buffaloes did well: Carlon Brown had another great game with 16 points. Askia Booker, who has been an impact newcomer just like Brown, had a great first half and had 8 points; but, he committed some bad fouls, which led to Colorado's second half breakdown. Overall, in the first half, Colorado played very well and looked like it had control of the game. Unfortunately, Brown will be gone next year; but, Booker is going to be fun to watch for the next couple years. If the Buffaloes can get solid play out of Brown, Roberson, and Booker throughout the entire game, they will win a lot more games.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: They continually were abused by Terrell Stoglin in the latter part of the second half as he had a career high 32 points on the night. The Terrapins would run a high pick and roll and Stoglin would come off and just nail an open shot. Colorado does not seem like they have a consistent way to defend pick and rolls. I'm sure Boyle has a set way, but the players don't always follow it. Sometimes they hedge, sometimes they switch. Not executing a definite way to defend the pick and roll kills teams defensive efficiency. Nate Tomlinson again had some questionable shots and so did Spencer Dinwiddie. Tomlinson went 2-9 and Dinwiddie went 1-5. Another thing with the Buffaloes defense is that they come out way past the three point line when defending. I didn't see it so much against Wichita State, but they did it a lot tonight. When defenders come out so far past the three point line, it kills a team's help defense, which leads to a lot of one on one. One on one is a lot easier than one on 5. There are still a lot of holes on the team, but they have shown flashes of good play. I think the team cannot fully be judged until Jeremy Adams and Damiene Cain get into the rotation.

Up Next: The Buffaloes play Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The game will be online on ESPN3. If they don't win Sunday, this is going to be a long season. Boyle will have them ready to play and should get some momentum with a win. A big game from Roberson or Booker and Brown's usual scoring should get the Buffaloes the win.

Colorado Vs. Fort Lewis Post-Game Thread

Parker Baruh — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:33:45 -0000

Overall, the Buffs played a decent game and won 85-57. The starting five played very well and Austin Dufault led the way with 18 rebounds and 10 points. Carlon Brown played well and looks like a focal point of this offense. The defense looked very shaky at times, players were out of position at certain times and didn't always have one eye on their man and one eye on the ball. Hopefully Jeremy Adams comes back as soon as possible because Sabatino Chen will appear outmatched against stronger defenses. A little more analysis after the jump...

Things CU did well: The offense played very well and ran most of Boyle's sets like he wanted to. Carlon Brown had a strong game and can get to the hoop easily when he goes to the right. Askia Booker looks like a great scorer off the bench and Roberson played like his usual self, great presence on the boards and a highlight dunk. If Roberson can become a better shooter, he is going to be an elite player. Austin Dufault played a great game; but, I think he will struggle more with harder opposition.

Things CU struggled with: The defense needs work; I'm not sure why Booker and Sharpe go so far out on defense. When they pick up at half court, they do apply pressure; but, they make it harder for their teammates to play great help defense. Dinwiddie looked careless at times and had some undisciplined fouls. Offensively, he was good and looks like he has a lot of potential. The rebounding was decent overall; but, there were too many loose boards. The team needs to box out much better if they want to win against Wichita State.

Up Next: Colorado plays Wichita State in the Puerto Rico Tip Off next Thursday, the 17th, at 7:30. This will give fans a much better idea of how the Buffs will play this year. The defense needs to improve, but the game should be close. When Damiene Cain and Jeremy Adams come back this team will have much more depth, so look for the Buffs to get better as the season goes on.

Buffaloes Basketball Season Preview: The Newcomers

Parker Baruh — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:00:21 -0000

As part of our preview coverage of the Buffs basketball program Parker, the newest addition to the Ralphie Report contributing team will be posting a story each day this week leading up to Friday's game. Today, we look at who is new to the program. - Jon

University of Colorado Men's Basketball Preview 2011-2012

This Colorado Buffaloes team is much different from years past. Unlike last year, where Higgins and Burks were returning impact players, there is a good chance that more impact will come from the newcomers on the Buffs than the returning players. Carlon Brown, the leading scorer from the University of Utah two years ago, Jeremy Adams, a three star transfer originally from Texas A&M, and Spencer Dinwiddie, a three star recruit from Woodland Hills, California, are all incoming players that should produce and impact the team. Askia Booker is another player to watch; he is a combo guard who can shoot and pass well. If these players have little to no impact, the Buffaloes will be near the bottom of the conference where they are projected to be. More analysis after the jump...

Carlon Brown from the University of Utah, is extremely athletic, and led the Utes in scoring with 12.6 points per game in the 2009-2010 season. He can bring the ball up the court, shoot efficiently, and bring out a high-flying dunk at times. He will be a very good replacement for Cory Higgins and can pick up the scoring load for the Buffaloes. He should start at the season at the 2 or 3 and be a main facilitator or scorer. Brown should have the most impact out of all the newcomers. He has been practicing with the team for more than a year and will be ready to get out on the floor and compete.

Spencer Dinwiddie is a freshman with plenty of potential from Taft High School, the same high school that produced Jordan Farmar, current backup point guard for the New Jersey Nets. Dinwiddie is a good passer and shooter and is a vocal leader on the court. His defense is a little suspect; however, his offense makes up for it. He is a traditional point guard and uses his size as a strength. He is a true leader on the floor and makes everyone around him better. He only averaged 11.2 points in high school; but he averaged 7.7 assists, an outstanding number for a high-school player. He was a three-star recruit and impressively, made the Rivals 150 top recruits for his graduating class. Although Boyle likes Tomlinson, DinWiddie has too much talent to not surpass him on the depth chart eventually.

Jeremy Adams is an interesting newcomer to say the least. He was a three star commit to Texas A&M, but never was a factor on their team. He was a nominated McDonald's All-American and was recruited by Virginia, Arkansas, and other notable schools coming out of high school. Production is expected from Brown; however, if Adams, a scoring wing, can produce the Buffs will have no problem replacing Higgins and Burks. More importantly, he has still three years of college eligibility. Furthermore, Adams is a scorer and that is something the Buffs are desperate for this year.

Askia Booker should contribute right away this year as well. His bio page on CUbuffs.com reported that he was ranked 30th nationally at his position by ESPN and was rated as a three star prospect by Rivals. Additionally, he played for two outstanding AAU teams, the Compton Magic and Belmont Shores. He is a good shooter, is extremely athletic, and can dunk easily at the listed height of 6' 1" He doesn't have an exact position, so I see him coming off the bench and producing from both guard spots.

Brown, Dinwiddie, Booker, and Adams all are impact newcomers and will help CU surprise the Pac-12 this year. Brown will be a contributing starter, whereas Dinwiddie and Booker will contribute right away off the bench. Boyle really has not said any definitive starters besides Roberson, Dufault, Tomlinson and Brown, so Adams or Tunks-Harris might get the call, obviously we will find out soon. With all these new additions, the Buffs will certainly be an entertaining team to watch.