Colorado

State of '08: Colorado

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:25:41 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Colorado. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

COLORADO

AIR FORCE - Throughout the 80's and 90's, Air Force was simply a very bad program. But something changed in 03-04, and since then the Falcons have made two NCAA Tournament trips and the semifinals of the NIT. Jeff Reynolds took over last year and finished a mediocre season with a .500 record and an RPI of 173. Its hard to tell what the future holds for Air Force basketball.

COLORADO - During the same period that Air Force struggled, Colorado was also bad, missing out on the postseason every season from 1969 to 1995. Although Ricardo Patton's tenure ended on a down note, he still led the program to 6 postseason trips in 11 seasons. Despite that improvement, Air Force has clearly outperformed Colorado in the last five years, averaging 87.6 in the RPI compared to 122.6 for CU. With Jeff Bzdelik on board, I like Colorado's future better though.

COLORADO STATE - Tim Miles had a rough go in his first season at CSU, winning just 5 D1 games and losing to DII Panhandle State along the way. But this was a bit of an aberration for a program that has some solid runs over the years, including a tourney bid in 2003 and three NIT trips between 1996 and 1999.

DENVER - The Pioneers rebounded from an embarrassing 2007 campaign (335th in the RPI, edging out UNC by 1 spot) with improved play in 2008. At one point, Denver was 7-5 in the Sun Belt before fading late. From 2004 to 2006, Denver wasn't half bad, making a legit run at the NCAA Tourney in 2005 when they won 12 SB games before losing to ULL in the conference title game.

NORTHERN COLORADO - The Bears haven't experienced much success since joining D1 a handful of years ago. But there definitely have been signs of progress. Finally becoming affiliated with a conference, the Big Sky, was a huge step in the program's future. Last year, UNC (the other one) won 6 league games, and had perhaps their biggest win ever.. knocking off Top 100 San Diego State in San Diego.

Last: California (24 teams) - Next: Connecticut

State of '08: The Introduction

2008-09 Colorado Basketball Preview: #144

Joel Welser — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:47:15 -0700

Colorado Buffaloes

Overall Rank: #144

Conference Rank: #11 Big 12

2007-08: 12-20, 3-13, 12th

2007-08 postseason: none

Colorado may have struggled last year, finishing dead last in the conference with a 3-13 record, and the top three scorers are gone, but Coach Jeff Bzdelik has higher expectations in year two of his reign. Their youth and inexperience will keep the Buffaloes towards the bottom of the conference, since there is only one senior and two juniors on the roster, but the players coming in are talented and fit well in the system.

Who’s Out:

The biggest loss is Richard Roby who led the team with 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The do-it-all wing was the heart and soul of the Buffaloes and will surely be missed. The absence of point guard Marcus Hall gives Colorado no returning threats from long range. Hall also added 14.0 points per game and a team high 4.0 assists. Fellow guard Xavier Silas was a relatively effective slasher when he was on the floor. Marcus King-Stockton was not an effective scorer during his last year with the team, but he was one of the few big men on the roster and was a decent rebounder and a solid defender. Fellow big man Caleb Patterson has also wrapped up his collegiate career with the Buffaloes after seeing limited action last season.

Who’s In:

And that was the biggest problem last year…the lack of big men. The recruiting class fixes that little issue. Toby Veal, a 6-8 power forward, is the best of the bunch. His offense may be limited to easy putbacks around the basket for now, but he will make a huge impact on the glass and on the defensive end right away. Fellow incoming freshmen Trey Eckloff and Austin Dufault are versatile players who have the size and the shooting range to be successful in Coach Bzdelik’s version of the Princeton offense. Casey Crawford did not spend too much time on the floor two years ago when he played at Wake Forest, but as a sophomore and spending a year on the bench in Boulder, he has more experience than most of the big guys on the team. The frontcourt might have the most talented newcomers, but the backcourt needs some players too. Point guard Nate Tomlinson has the tools to play a big role right away. The 6-2 Australian is a very smart leader and a great passer. He will not blow by anybody with his speed, but he does have a nice outside shot to at least keep the defense honest. Shooting guard Ryan Kelley and Stony Brook transfer Kyle Wright will add depth on the wings.

Who to Watch:

Sophomore Cory Higgns and junior Dwight Thorne II will be the new leaders on the perimeter. Higgins had a great freshman campaign and even started all 32 games despite all the more experienced options in the backcourt. As the team’s leading returning scorer, Higgins will have to prove that he can step up and be the team’s new go-to-guy. Levi Knutson also has some experience and should find himself playing more minutes. With a little more consistency from beyond the arc, Knutson would be a solid shooter off the bench.

Final Projection:

Colorado fans have good reason to be excited about the future after too many years at the bottom of the conference. The Buffs will not get too far away from the cellar this season, but signs of improvement will be on the way. The frontcourt, led by senior Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, will be decent and the backcourt has some potential. Coach Bzdelik is getting his players into the system and that will start to pay benefits in 2008-2009.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Nate Tomlinson, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Dwight Thorne II, Junior, Guard, 3.3 points per game

Cory Higgins, Sophomore, Guard, 8.3 points per game

Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, Senior, Forward, 4.7 points per game

Toby Veal, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Picture of the Day: Jeff Bzdelik Celebrates Colorado's Win

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:48:29 -0700

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Jeff Bzdelik Celebrates

Jeff Bzdelik celebrates (at least that's what I think he's doing) as Colorado takes an insurmountable 5 point lead in the waning seconds of their upset win over Baylor. Colorado hasn't had too many big moments this year.. so you can't blame Bzdelik if he's forgotten how to get excited.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

A stunner in Ann Arbor, and other happenings on the season's first Saturday

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:44:29 -0700

Well, by now you know that two-time Championship Subdivision champ Appalachian State went into Michigan and left with a 34-32 win, closing it out with a blocked field goal with six seconds remaining. How does this happen? For one, the Mountaineers didn't go into the Big House with their collective tail between their legs. Secondly, the Michigan defense continued its sieve-like performance for the third straight game. To be honest, the offense minus Mike Hart didn't show too much either. Without Hart's 188 yards and three scores, this one could have been worse than it actually was. Lastly, the Michigan players may have focused more on the "1-AA" part of the opponent rather than the fact that the Mountaineers can play some football. So where do the Wolverines go from here? Oregon comes to town next week in a game that has all the looks of an 0-2 start when you compare the offensive styles of Oregon and Appalachian State. Both teams like to spread out defenses and use their speed on the perimeter. If Michigan and defensive coordinator Ron English can't take care of their issues in the coming week of practice and film study, things could go from bad to worse for Lloyd Carr as far as job security is concerned. Two other games that caught my eye were a pair of wins for Mountain West schools at home. Naturally, the two games were part of a doubleheader on Versus, making the wins by Wyoming and BYU all the more important for the conference. Wyoming held Virginia to three points in a 23-3 win that in all honesty wasn't that close. The Cavs, who some liked to make a move in the ACC Coastal, did very little on offense, and Jameel Sewell didn't look 100% recovered from off-season left wrist surgery. And BYU handled Arizona in Provo, 20-7. Two players making their first appearance on the college stage, QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga played extremely well, and a defense that made huge strides a year ago in winning the MWC held Arizona scoreless until the game's final minute. For fans of the Cats who were hoping that the hiring of Sonny Dykes to run the offense would mean an explosive attack, slow down the thinking. When your playmakers don't have a history of consistently making plays (that's a big difference from simply having talent), a new system doesn't turn an average attack into the Indianapolis Colts. Have patience, there's still a long way to go. A great scene in Blacksburg this afternoon as well, but I wouldn't read too much into the final score (17-7) too much for two reasons. One, the emotion of the day was something that no other football team has had to deal with. Secondly, ECU is pegged as one of the better teams in CUSA this season, meaning that they're no slouch. Of course, there were some turnovers that could be deadly in Baton Rouge next weekend, but the Hokies will work out those kinks throughout the week. With all the attention being paid to "Bowden Bowl IX" on Monday, people had better pay more attention to Boston College, who beat Wake Forest 38-28 in Chestnut Hill. Matt Ryan threw for 408 yards and five scores, and corner DeJuan Tribble had three picks on the afternoon. The most important development in this one could actually be the separated throwing shoulder of Wake QB Riley Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Brett Hodges played well in Skinner's stead, but you know that the Deacs will need Skinner if they want to repeat as ACC champs. Right up there with the Michigan game in terms of excitement was Colorado's comeback win over CSU in overtime. Cody Hawkins performed well in his first start for the Buffs, taking some pressure off of the head coach had things not gone so well. Oh, the head coach is his father, which could make for an interesting dynamic in terms of fan opinion if Cody struggles. But with Cody at the helm, the future looks bright in Boulder. Lastly, not to take anything away from Auburn and their comeback win over Kansas State, but the Tigers had no business winning that game. But thanks to 18 penalties and a seeming unwillingness to give left tackle Alesana Alesana consistent help with All-American defensive end Quentin Groves in his first college start. Groves wreaked havoc on the KSU offense in the fourth quarter, pressuring Josh Freeman countless times and forcing the fumble that was returned for the game-clinching touchdown. Auburn is a young team overall, so they should be able to work out the kinks as the season progresses. Almost forgot, don't ever...ever kick the ball to Cal's DeSean Jackson. If you decide to out of bravado and end up getting burned as Tennessee's Britton Colquitt did tonight, you essentially dug your own grave. Not too smart.

Richard Roby: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

NBA Draft: Richard Roby

College: Colorado

Class: Junior

Stats: ESPN.com

News: Richard Roby News Feed

Position: SG

Height: 6”6”

Weight: 205 lbs

Accolades: Gatorade (Mass.) Player of the Year (high school) (04), All-New England (high school) (04), Big 12 All-Freshman Team (05), Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (05), First Team All-Big 12 (06).

Scouting Report: A big time scoring two guard who is the Nugget’s Kenyan Martin’s half-brother.

Strengths: Very good scorer and shooter – good mechanics. Good rebounding numbers for an off guard. Long arms gets him lots of steals. Can get real hot from behind the arc – he has had two games where he has knocked down 7 threes and 2 where he has knocked down 6.

Weaknesses: Very thin – needs to add weight and strength to be an effective pro. May only really be 6’5” – will be undersized to play the wing in the NBA. Not an off the chart athlete. Turns the ball over too much. Inconsistent shooter – shoots for a low percentage that has gotten worse each year in college. His three-point percentage has also gotten worse each year to a currently unacceptable level for a 2-guard (under 30%). Also is a very high “volume” shooter – not uncommon for him to throw up 20 plus shots a game – and not all of them will be good ones.

Projected 2006 Draft Range: Mid second round pick - 2008.

Consensus: Considering Roby’s draft stock seems to be going down each year he stays in college, it might be dangerous for him to stay around for his senior year as expected. While he is an accomplished scorer, he needs to work on taking care of the ball, taking wiser shots and improving his shooting percentages.

More 2007 NBA Draft Profiles

Current NBA Mock Draft Position

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential

= Potential NBA All-Star

= Consistent NBA Starter

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter

= Career Reserve

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues

Daily Dribble: 11/27

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:39:09 -0800

Should be interesting to see who is #1 when the polls come out later today. My choice is UCLA. Though Florida is still probably the best team in the country and there's no shame in losing to Kansas.. UCLA should be #1 because they are undefeated. Pittsburgh and Ohio State are also undefeated.. but UCLA went to Maui and beat Kentucky and Georgia Tech. The Panthers and Buckeyes are a combined 13-0 by beating garbage on their home floor. I have no respect for teams until they leave their buildings to play top teams. The Buckeyes can earn respect with a big game against UNC next weekend, while Pitt still plays nobody for almost 3 more weeks. Remember when Richard Roby was a possible first round pick. After going 5 for 16 yesterday afternoon, the Colorado wing is now shooting 32% from the floor, and under 20% from three. It also doesn't help he has almost twice as many to's (15) than assists (9). There's a decent chance he wont even get drafted if this continues. Nice start for Arkansas who is now 5-0 after beating West Virginia. Arkansas is led by two necomers (Beverley and Weems) and should get better as the season goes on. Still, before we hand them a place in the top 25, lets realize they only have one good win (against SIU in OT). West Virginia has an entirely new roster and will only be mediocre, while Marist, though the MAAC favorite, will probably end up with an RPI in the 60-80. Like West Virginia, the UW Milwaukee Panthers are basically starting fresh after losing their starting five. The Panthers lost a home game to Tennessee Tech yesterday and dropped to 2-5. They didn't lose 5 games until February 2nd last year.. Gavin Edwards had 16 points and 5 board in UCONN's blowout win over Albany. I bring this up simply to ask this question: Who in the world is Gavin Edwards? Gonzaga cruised to an easy 76-51 win over Idaho up in Spokane. The good news is that Derek Raivio continues to show signs of life after being MIA for most of last year. He scored 24 points and hit 4 threes.. the 5th time already he's broken the 20 point mark. Last season.. he only did that 4 times in 31 games. Where has Matt Shaw been hiding his offensive game? The SIU power forward had 22 points in SIU's first three games. Since losing to Arkansas, the junior exploded for a career high 26 points in a win over Minnesota and added 17 in yesterday's win against Virginia Tech. Yesterday I ripped on Northwestern for bringing the whole Big Ten down.. but I forgot how bad Minnesota is as well. Last year the Gophers started 9-2 before struggling to a 5-11 conference record. This year they've decided to simply start down the losing track (2-4) to avoid teasing their fans.

2006-07 Preview: Team's #121-130

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:53:09 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 121st to 130th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days Preview.