Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

The Buffaloes put together a great season last year going 18-10 before ending with a first round NIT loss to Oregon. The top four scorers have moved on, but there is plenty of talent and experience poised to put their stamp on Colorado basketball. Ricardo Patton’s squad is full of upperclassmen. There are 11 juniors, three freshman and just one sophomore. The group of juniors should have two years to get things where they want to be.

Who’s Out: David Harrison led the team with 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds as a junior. He opted to skip his senior season and try out the NBA. Michel Morandais was a great sidekick to Harrison. The guard was second on the team in scoring, third in rebounds and first in assists with 3.1 per game. Blair Wilson averaged double digit scoring and Lamar Harris was a monster on the boards. Also leaving is little used Amadou Doumbouya and Trennis Jones.

Who’s In: The list of who’s in is not as dominating as who is leaving Boulder, at least not yet. Lamont Arrington and Julius Ashby are a couple of junior college big guys who should make an immediate impact. Arrington is a 7-0, 215 pound forward/center who averaged 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at Schoolcraft College last year. Ashby, a Trinidad & Tobago native, averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks at Marshalltown Community College his last two seasons. Martane Freeman comes to join the Buffaloes from Penn Valley. The 6-6 forward has two years of eligibility remaining. Small forward Richard Roby is probably the best incoming freshman this year. He still may not see too much playing time early on. Fellow incoming freshman forward Marcus King-Stockton will most likely see a few minutes off the bench. Transfers Andy Osborn (Loyola Marymount) and Michel Lasme (Massachusetts) are eligible this year.

Who to Watch: Junior Antoine McGee is the definition of a pure point guard. The problem is his offensive skills, or lack there of, are a major liability. Last year as a sophomore he only played 13.3 minutes per game in 29 outings. He averaged less then two points per game and only 1.7 assists. With Michel Morandais gone, McGee could be asked to hold together a team full of newcomers. The 5-11 California native has to work on his shooting in order to stay on the floor. If more scorers are needed, Ricardo Patton won’t hesitate to bench McGee in favor of a point guard that can score.

Projected Conference Rank: Fourth place in the Big 12 won’t happen again for the Buffs. Baylor and Texas A&M should have a tight hold on the bottom two spots but the next bunch of teams should be up for grabs. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, they very well could be the worst of that bunch and finish in 10th place.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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