CU Above the Rim – Summer, 2013

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CU Above the Rim – Summer, 2013

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September 4th

Buffs’ Pac-12 conference schedule released

While the CU’s men’s non-conference schedule has been out for about a month now, the conference schedule wasn’t released until this week.

The Buffs, while playing a difficult schedule, won’t actually have a true road game outside of the state of Colorado until they make a road trip to the state of Washington in January. In non-conference play, the Buffs play two neutral site games (Baylor in Dallas; Oklahoma State in Las Vegas), and only play in-state rivals Colorado State and Air Force on the road.

Six of CU’s non-conference opponents finished in the top three of their conference standings. The 13 non-conference foes produced a combined record of 248-176 (.585 winning percentage).

“It is the next step (for the program),” Boyle said. “It’s the next step if we can handle it. We want to put ourselves in a position where we’re fighting for NCAA Tournament bids. That’s the step we’ve made so far in going to back-to-back tournaments. I don’t think anybody is interested in that streak being broken, but it’s not going to be given to you or handed to you.”

CU does get to open conference play at home, taking on the Oregon schools in early January. The Buffs might want to have their Pac-12 conference seeding and NCAA berth well in hand by the end of the campaign, though, as, after playing Arizona on February 22nd, the Buffs will be done in the Coors Events Center, playing the last three Pac-12 games of the season on the road.

DATE OPPONENT, TV, Time

Nov. 8 #vs. Baylor, TBA,TBA

Nov. 10 TENNESSEE-MARTIN, P12N,4 p.m.

Nov. 13 WYOMING, P12N, 7 p.m.

Nov. 16 JACKSON STATE, P12N, 10 a.m.

Nov. 18 ARKANSAS STATE, P12N, 7p.m.

Nov. 21 SANTA BARBARA, P12N, 8 p.m.

Nov. 24 HARVARD, ESPNU, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 30 at Air Force, TBA, TBA

Dec. 3 at Colorado State, TBA, TBA

Dec. 7 KANSAS, ESPN2, 1:15 p.m.

Dec. 13 ELON, P12N, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 vs. Oklahoma State, ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.

Dec. 28 GEORGIA, P12N, 8 p.m.

Jan. 2 *OREGON STATE, ESPNU, 8 p.m.

Jan. 5 *OREGON, FS1, 3 p.m.

Jan. 8 *at Washington State, P12N, 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 *at Washington, FS1, 1 p.m.

Jan. 16 *UCLA, P12N, 6 p.m.

Jan. 18, *USC, FS1, 4 p.m.

Jan. 23 *at Arizona, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Jan. 25 *at Arizona State, P12N, 5 p.m.

Feb. 1 *UTAH, P12N, Noon

Feb. 5 *WASHINGTON STATE, P12N, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 *WASHINGTON, ESPNU, 6 p.m.

Feb. 13 *at UCLA, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Feb. 16 *at USC, ESPNU, 6 p.m.

Feb. 19 *ARIZONA STATE, ESPNU, 9 p.m.

Feb. 22 *ARIZONA, ESPN2 4 or 7 p.m.

March 1 *at Utah, P12N, Noon

March 5 *at Stanford, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Mach 8 *at California, P12N, 4:30 p.m.

March 12-15 **Pac-12 Tourney, P12N, TBA

HOME GAMES ALL CAPS

# — at Dallas; * — Pac-12 Conference game

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August 14th

ESPN College GameDay may be coming to Boulder

No, it’s not the college football version of ESPN Gameday (it may be a few years before CU alumnus Chris Fowler is back on campus with his cohorts. In case you are wondering, The ESPN College GameDay show has been to Boulder three times previously for football, the last time coming in 1996), but the basketball version of ESPN Gameday may be Boulder for the Arizona game in February.

ESPN will be in Pac-12 country on February 22nd, covering either the Arizona at Colorado game, or the UCLA at Stanford game.

We’ll just have to wait – along with the network – to see how the season unfolds.

Here is the list of known ESPN College GameDay sites for the upcoming basketball season:

2014 ESPN College GameDay Covered by State Farm & Saturday Primetime Schedule (Schedule subject to change)

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August 12th

Colorado non-conference slate set

From CUBuffs.com … The CU non-conference slate is perhaps the most competitive seen where nine of the 13 opponents won 18 or more games a year ago, and eight of them making one of the four post-season tournaments, including four to the NCAA Tournament. Overall, CU’s opponent’s record a year ago achieved a 248-176 mark (.585).

The 2013-2014 schedule begins on a neutral court for the first time in 17 years (1996-97).  CU will take on Baylor (Friday, Nov. 8) at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The former Big 12 Conference opponents will be playing each other for the third straight year on a neutral court.

Last year, CU defeated Baylor in the semifinals at the Charleston Classic, 60-58 en route the tournament title. In 2011-12, the Bears upended the Buffs in the NCAA Tournament third round (80-63) in Albuquerque.

The three other games away from Boulder will see CU taking on another former Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma State (Saturday, Dec. 21) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on ESPN2 (9:30 p.m. MT).

Road games are schools from the Front Range at Air Force (Sat., Nov. 30) and Colorado State (Tue., Dec. 3).

Nine home games will be featured at the Coors Events Center during the November and December months, the most home games to open the non-conference season since 2008-09 when the Buffs also played nine home games.

DATE    OPPONENT

Fri. Nov. 8 – v. Baylor (at American Airlines Arena, Dallas)

Sun. Nov. 10 – TENNESSEE MARTIN

Wed. Nov. 13 – WYOMING

Sat. Nov. 16 – JACKSON STATE

Mon. Nov. 18 – ARKANSAS STATE

Thu. Nov. 21 – SANTA BARBARA

Sun. Nov. 24 – HARVARD

Sat. Nov. 30 – at Air Force

Tue. Dec. 3 – at Colorado State

Sat. Dec. 7 KANSAS

Fri. Dec. 13 ELON

Sat. Dec. 21 – v. Oklahoma State ESPN2 9:30 p.m. (MGM Grand, Las Vegas)

Sat. Dec. 28 GEORGIA

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July 24th

Colorado v. Oklahoma State game to be shown on ESPN2

From cubuffs.com … Four Top 25 college basketball programs will be on display at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013 in an inaugural nationally televised doubleheader benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer, an initiative spearheaded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society.

The MGM Grand Showcase tips with reigning Mountain West champion New Mexico taking on Marquette at 7:00 p.m. (MT) in the opener, televised live on ESPNU. The University of Colorado Buffaloes will face former Big 12 Conference foe the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the nightcap on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. (MT).

The two games will be played at the 16,800-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena, home of the biggest names in sports and entertainment including many of boxing’s premier championship bouts over the past two decades. The CU/OSU game will be broadcast to more than 100 million homes on ESPN2.

bd Global, LLC, a Lexington, Ky.-based sports marketing firm, has signed an exclusive three-year contract with MGM Grand to provide college basketball content. The Showcase is the first of several new regular season college basketball events at MGM Grand over the next few seasons. In 2012, the resort played host to the Holiday Hoops Classic and this past March partnered with the Pac-12 Conference to become its new home for the annual Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Colorado went 21-12 during the 2012-13 campaign advanced to its second straight NCAA Tournament (second round) and finished 10-8 in the Pac-12 at the fifth place slot. The Buffs feature 2013 World University Games and first team selection Spencer Dinwiddie. CU also plays its Pac-12 Conference tournament at the MGM Grand.

“We’re excited to play against a storied program, and certainly a Top 25 team like Oklahoma State,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said.  “It’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”

The Cowboys were 24-9 last season and finished tied for third in the Big 12 Conference with a 13-5 record. OSU also made the NCAA Tournament last March (second round) and feature All-American Marcus Smart.

CU/OSU played one another on a regular basis from 1948-2011 when both were members of the Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences. The Cowboys lead the all-time series, 60-48, however are 6-6 on neutral courts. The Buffs won the last game between the two programs on Jan. 15, 2011 in Boulder (75-71).

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July 22nd

CU non-conference schedule taking shape

From the Daily Camera … CU recently added the final nonconference game it needed to complete the schedule by agreeing to a home-and-home series with Georgia. The Buffs will host this season’s game on a date to be determined.

In addition to hosting the Bulldogs, CU will also welcome preseason Final Four favorite Kansas to town, and the Buffs host Harvard, UC-Santa Barbara and Wyoming in other tough nonconference home games.

“Our preseason schedule is as strong as it’s ever been,” Boyle said. “There are not a lot of patsies on our nonconference schedule. Every game is a losable game if we don’t bring it.

“So that should excite our fans. It should excite our players. It better excite our players. I know as a coach it gets me thinking a little bit more in the offseason about what’s ahead of us.”

So, the very tough non-conference slate is looking like this –

At home: UC- Santa Barbara Kansas Wyoming (plus three other opponents – Tennessee-Martin, Jacksonville State, and Arkansas State – as part of a round robin) Georgia Harvard

On the road: Air Force CSU

Neutral: Baylor Oklahoma St

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July 17th

Dick Vitale in Boulder

ESPN’s Dick Vitale was in Boulder Wednesday. I’d like to think that he was doing prep work for his Top 25 show, which will include CU this fall.

Alas, according to his Twitter feed, he was down at the Broadmoor to give a speech at a Merrill Lynch conference. He spent Tuesday in Denver and went to the John Mayer show at Red Rocks Tuesday night.

Nevertheless, he was in Boulder, baby!

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July 16th

Dinwiddie stats for the World University Games … In the eight-game tournament, Dinwiddie led Team USA in assists (44, 5.5 apg.) and steals (12, 1.5 spg.). He started all eight games averaging 7.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and made 50 percent of shots (25-of-50).

USA sweeps its way through lower bracket, finishes 9th after rout of Finland

From USA Basketball … A 27-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter, including 12-straight points from Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.) – who finished with a game-high 20 points, helped the 2013 USA Men’s World University Games Team (6-2) take control on its way to a 97-70 win against Finland (5-3) on Tuesday afternoon at Basket Hall 2 in Kazan Russia. The win was the third-straight for the USA, which finished in ninth place overall at the 2013 World University Games after missing out on the medal round as the No. 3 seed out of Group C.

Five U.S.  players finished in double-figure scoring, as the Americans forced 18 Finish turnovers while compiling a 44-32 rebounding advantage.

“In order to play defense, you need energy, number one, and number two, you need teamwork,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “Being in this situation, our guys responded by giving terrific energy and superb teamwork. To see our guys develop as a team as we have progressed through this experience here has been very delightful for the coaching staff. These are terrific young men, and they’re going to have wonderful careers this year. They represented the United States with superb character and their effort as a team got better and better.”

In addition to Sheehy, Adreian Payne (Michigan State/Dayton, Ohio) contributed 13 points; Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio) had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds; Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.) shot 3-of-4 from 3-point on his way to 11 points; and Tyler Haws (BYU/Alpine, Utah) finished with 10 points.

“I just think we did what we’ve been doing the past couple of games, which is getting ball pressure early and forcing them to take turnovers and tough shots, and then get easy baskets on offense,” Sheehey said.

“We fell short of our goal, so that’s a little bit disappointing, but other than that it was a great learning experience,” said Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.). “You get to go across the world, learn how other people live and you also get to learn about other elite players and how they function and their programs. It was a great learning experience.”

Dinwiddie, the lone Pac-12 Conference player on the roster played 18 minutes and scored six points. He added two blocked shots, two assists and one steal against Finland.

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July 15th

Dinwiddie continues consistent play in USA victory over Germay

From USA Basketball … Including four players in double-figure scoring and 30 points off the bench, the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (5-2) defeated Germany (4-3) 92-70 in the 2013 World University Games on Monday morning at Miras Sports Complex in Kazan, Russia.

The win puts the USA in tomorrow’s game for ninth place, which is the best-possible finish for the USA after missing the medal round as a No. 3 seed out of Group C. The USA will take on Finland (5-2) at 3 p.m. (times listed are local; Kazan, Russia is +8 hours from EDT) on July 16.

“The bench has been superb, today and against Norway (yesterday),” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “They were active on the bench, and then as soon as they came into the game, they uplifted our spirits and gave us great energy. So, being able to use the full roster has been very advantageous for us. “It’s so easy to hang your head and not fight back when you have the disappointment of being knocked out of the medal round,” McKillop continued. “These guys showed outstanding teamwork and toughness in responding to that adversity. I wish we could start today, because I think we are coming together as a team. We are starting to make the extra pass, get the long rebound, defend as a team and, and we’d love to have the opportunity to play some teams again.”

Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa) paced the USA with 18 points and four rebounds; Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.) added 16 points and seven boards; Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) was 5-of-7 from the field on his way to 11 points and seven rebounds; and Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.) finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four steals. Additionally, Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.) dished out a game-high seven assists to go with his seven points and five rebounds.

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July 14th

Dinwiddie posts eight assists in win over Norway

From USA Basketball … Dishing out 29 assists on 34 made baskets, the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (4-2) raced past Norway (2-4) for a 91-51 in the 2013 World University Games on Sunday morning at Miras Sports Complex in Kazan, Russia.

Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.) led the USA with 16 points; while Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) and Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio) both finished with 11 points and seven rebounds; and Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa) also reached double-figures with 10 points.

Helping the USA to score 38 fast-break points, compared to Norway’s 10, and 23 points off of 19 Norwegian turnovers were Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.) with eight assists and nine points, Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.) with seven assists and eight points and Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.) with six assists.

“When you lose two in a row and are knocked out of the medal round, it’s tough to get off the mat, and these guys showed that they were capable of that today,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “They showed it by their unselfishness and their team defense.”

The USA next faces Germany at 10 a.m. (times listed are local; Kazan, Russia is +8 hours from EDT) on July 15, with the winner of that game moving on to play for ninth place at 3 p.m. on July 16, which is the best-possible finish for the USA after missing the medal round, Germany improved to 4-2 after topping Mongolia 101-48 in today’s 10:30 a.m. contest.

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July 11th

Team USA falls to Canada, can finish no better than 9th place

From USA Basketball … Despite 27 points from Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.), the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (3-2) fell to Canada (5-0) 94-85 in its final preliminary-round game on Friday afternoon at Basket Hall 1 in Kazan, Russia. The loss dropped the USA to No. 3 in Group C, meaning the USA will not advance to the medal quarterfinals and will now compete for ninth place.

“Canada certainly is a very good team,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “They look like a team, they played like a team. Our guys emptied their gas tanks. They gave a great effort, but we fell short.”

Fairly even in most statistical categories, the biggest differences were Canada’s 52 points in the paint, compared to the USA’s 22 scored from the key, and 17 U.S. turnovers as opposed to Canada’s 12.

In addition to Hancock’s 27 points, Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa) added 17 points and nine rebounds, Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) finished with 17 points and seven boards and Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.) dished out a game-high eight assists.

… Spencer Dinwiddie’s line … 29 minutes … five points … eight assists … four rebounds … two steals.

The USA, 3rd in Pool C, will play the 4th place team from Pool D (Finland, Brazil, or Norway) on Sunday, July 14th …

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July 10th

USA falls, at risk of missing the medal round

From USA Basketball … In a game that featured 11 lead changes and 10 tied scores, the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (3-1) lost to Australia (3-1) 93-84 on Thursday night at Basket Hall 1 in Kazan, Russia.

Facing an Australian roster that included five players with senior national team experience, the USA led by five points, 64-59, heading into the final quarter, but it could not shut down Australia’s Jason Cadee, who scored 16 of his 23 points in the final 10 minutes to help spur his side to the win.

“We had the five-point lead as we entered the fourth quarter, and then I think we just struggled defensively,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “We struggled to defend screens, we struggled to limit them to one shot, we struggled to contain penetration, and the struggle on the defensive end carried forward on the offensive end where we rushed things too much because we became in a hurry to score rather than stay within the framework of the system.”

The USA will wrap up preliminary round play against Canada (4-0) at 1 p.m. (times listed are local; Kazan, Russia, is +8 hours from EDT) on July 12. Should the USA win against Canada, a three-way tie for first would result between the USA, Australia and Canada, meaning the two medal quarterfinal spots out of Group C would come down to a points ratio. The USA needs to win by 10-or-more points to finish ahead of at least Australia in the standings and reach the medal round.

“We just have to revitalize our spirit,” McKillop said. “It was shaken by this, it was shaken by the exhibition loss. It’s a very uncommon situation for USA Basketball. Leadership from the coaching staff and leadership from the team is going to be vital right now.”

For the first time in the USA’s four games it lost the rebounding battle, albeit by a slim margin of 42-41.

Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa) finished with 22 points, Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/ Woodland Hills, Calif.) had 14 and Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.) and Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati/Yonkers, N.Y.) had 10 points apiece. Additionally, Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) grabbed 11 boards.

Tad Boyle receives $700k raise

From the Daily Camera … The University of Colorado has rewarded men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle for historic success during the first three seasons of his tenure with a pay raise of more than $700,000 annually, according to a contract released this week.

The CU Board of Regents approved contract extensions through April 30, 2018 for both Boyle and women’s basketball coach Linda Lappe this spring. The details of those contracts were only recently finalized and signed.

Boyle’s new deal

Here are some key changes in supplemental and incentive salary in CU men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle’s latest contract:

Supplemental salary

Radio and TV supplemental salary

Was — $180,000

Now — $568,305

Increase — $388,305

Promotion and fundraising

Was — $96,000

Now — $302,305

Increase — $206,305

Sponsorship support Nike

Was — $108,000

Now — $338,605

Increase — $230,605

Total increase — $825,215

Incentive salary

Academic progress toward graduation

Was — $68,000 for 2013

Now — $25,000

Decrease — $43,000

Welfare and development of student athletes

Was — $66,000 for 2013

Now — $25,000

Decrease — $41,000

Development of outreach of program

Was — $66,000 for 2013

Now — $25,000

Decrease — $41,000

Total decrease — $125,000

Net increase — $700,215

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USA runs record to 3-0 with 83-65 victory over Australia

From USA Basketball … After a first-half fight, the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (3-0) outscored Sweden (0-3) 27-17 in the third quarter to improve a 10-point halftime lead to a comfortable 20-point margin on its way to an eventual 83-65 win on Thursday night at Basket Hall 1 in Kazan, Russia.

Trailing 27-26 at 4:24 in the second period, the USA strung together 11 unanswered points to lead 37-27 at the midway point, and that momentum carried into the second half, which saw the USA improve its shooting from 39.4 percent (13-33 FGs) from the field to 56.3 percent (9-16 FGs) in the third quarter to pull away from Sweden.

Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.) led the Americans with 20 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point, while Treveon Graham (VCU/Temple Hills, Md.) added 14 points and seven boards. Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with his eight points, and Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.) dished out a game-high six assists (Dinwiddie also scored six points on 3-of-8 shooting, and grabbed four rebounds)

“First of all, Frank Martin (USA assistant coach) did an outstanding job in terms of preparing our team,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “We knew they were going to hold the ball. We knew they were going to work the clock. We knew they were going to tempt us to get a little too aggressive offensively and then become almost a half-court team, allowing them to run their sets. In the second half, we became a little bit more aggressive in terms of forcing them to run their sets a certain way. We got some stops, and some guys made terrific plays in the open court, but Frank gave us a great scouting report.”

Spencer Dinwiddie quotes:

On the second half: We picked up our defensive pressure; we were kind of off and on and not pressing all the time in the first half. When you do that and your offense is clicking, we started making more shots and got the ball inside and shot fewer threes, it’s a recipe for success.

On the advantages of the team’s depth: The depth of the team is monumental because it allows for everyone not to be tired. When your second and third guy are just as good as your first guy, then you can keep throwing bodies at people, and it wears a team down because, generally, these teams are seven, maybe eight, deep. They don’t have a chance to go a truly 12-deep.

On what was learned from being tested by Sweden: It’s helpful to do both (win by a large margin and be tested). Before you play the best of the best, which is probably Serbia, Russia and Canada, you do want to have some close games against a little higher competition so you don’t have a false sense of security. At the same time, we’ve been trying to just improve every game and even when you when by 40 or 90, it’s a learning experience because you still didn’t play perfect even when you win by those large numbers.

Up next … Australia on Thursday. The Aussies are 2-1 in pool play, having fallen 92-83 to Canada on Wednesday. The Canadians, like Team USA, are 3-0 in pool play. The two top teams in Pool C will face off on Friday. The top two teams from each pool will advance to medal play after the conclusion of the preliminary rounds on Friday.

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July 9th

University Games played with a 24-second shot clock – Boyle: “The beauty of the game will be taken away”

From Sports Illustrated … One of the side benefits of watching a group of U.S. college stars prepare for an international tournament is it provides an interesting test case for whether a change in shot-clock length would benefit college hoops. The World University Games — currently underway in Russia, with the United States having routed the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic to open group play — is being contested with a 24-second shot clock rather than the college game’s current 35-second length.

… It’s a big factor. It’s a totally different game,” said Colorado head coach Tad Boyle, who was a bench coach at the trials and whose point guard, Spencer Dinwiddie, is on the World University Games team. “I’m a big fan, I like the shot clock at 35 seconds. I think 35 is fine. It allows people who want to slow the game down and run some offense to be able to do that.”

… “24 is a totally different game, especially with pressing,” Boyle said. “If [the defense goes] 2-2-1 back to a zone or a soft man, you’ll spend so much time [even getting into your offense]. You’ll have 13, 14 seconds and you’re going to see a lot more stuff off the dribble.”

That may be the largest concern of so-called short-clock detractors. Yes, the game would adjust over time. Players would develop new era-specific skills and coaches would change their approaches to fit the faster version of the sport, but the game itself likely would become a lot more homogeneous. Sans surpassing roster talent, offenses need to be able to look for second and third options to get better shots. Absent of that ability in a short-clock world, college basketball would take on a lot more NBA-style isolation as the shot clock runs down.

“The beauty of the game will be taken away,” Boyle said, “and a premium will be put on athleticism.”

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July 8th

Team USA cruises to 2-0 record with 96-53 win over Czech Republic

From usabasketball.com … Limiting its opponent to just 31.3 percent shooting from the field, the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (2-0) easily defeated Czech Republic (0-2) 96-53 in preliminary round action of the 2013 World University Games on Monday afternoon at Basket Hall 1 in Kazan, Russia.

Twenty-three points from Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa), who also grabbed 10 rebounds and shot 5-of-5 from the free throw line, led the USA, while Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.) scored 15 points in 17 minutes, including shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point.

“I’m very pleased,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “ I see the development of the players trusting the system, the coaches understanding the talents of the players and the evolving teamwork that is a result of that. They’re talking more. There are great opportunities for leadership out there for individuals; I think this is a very profitable experience every time they step on the floor with us.”

Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) added 10 points and 15 rebounds, and Will Sheehey (Indiana/ Stuart, Fla.) tallied 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/ Indianapolis, Ind.) also dished out four assists.

The USA shot 42.7 percent from the field (35-82 FGs) and 82.4 percent from the line (14-17 FTs) while it compiled an impressive 62-29 rebounding advantage on the glass.

“I think we did improve,” McDermott said. “We’re all starting to trust each other and we’re hearing each other’s voices a lot better out there, and that’s big on defense to communicate.”

After an off day on July 9, the USA will continue preliminary round play against Sweden (0-2) at 9 p.m. (times listed are local; Kazan, Russia, is +8 hours from EDT) on July 10; before playing Australia (2-0) at 6:30 p.m. on July 11; and Canada (1-0) at 1 p.m. on July 12.

… CU’s Spencer Dinwiddie started and played 22 minutes. Dinwiddie had five points on 2-of-6 shooting. Dinwiddie also had three assists and a steal.

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July 7th

Spencer Dinwiddie and Team USA open with a laugher against United Arab Emirates

From cubuffs.com … The 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team (1-0) opened its play in the 2013 World University Games with a record-setting 140-46 win over United Arab Emirates (0-1) that saw three players record double-doubles and a total of nine U.S. players reach double-digit scoring on Sunday evening at Basket Hall 1 in Kazan, Russia.

Led by a USA Men’s World University Games single-game record 13 assists from Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.), who also finished with 15 points and four steals, the Americans established three U.S. single-game team records in the lopsided win, including 36 assists, 70 rebounds and 39 attempted 3-pointers.

Jumping to a 14-3 lead in the first 3:37, the USA forced 22 turnovers overall and had control throughout the game.

“One of the great joys of coaching is playing 40 minutes, and these guys gave us that joy tonight because we played consistently from start to finish,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop (Davidson College). “We started fast, we finished strong.”

CU’s Spencer Dinwiddie (Woodland Hills, Calif.) added 11 points to go with his eight assists and two steals. Dinwiddie also started, played 16 minutes on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

“Spencer has emerged as a valuable point guard for us,” McKillop said before the tournament began. “He can play three different spots and is able to get his shot. He could be the catalyst for setting the tone for our defense.”

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## Player Name                Total FG-FGA 3PT FG-FGA FT-FTA Reb OF DE TOT   PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN 08 DINWIDDIE, Spencer.. *  3-5                        1-1              4-4             2     2     4     1   11  8    2      0    2  16

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Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati/Yonkers, N.Y.) led the USA with 18 points; Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio) had 16 points; while Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa) and Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.) added 15 apiece; and Treveon Graham (VCU/Temple Hills, Md.) scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Tallying double-doubles along with Ferrell were Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas) with 14 points and 11 boards and Alex Kirk (New Mexico/Los Alamos, N.M.) with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

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Spencer Dinwiddie and teammates (from left) Yogi Ferrell, Cory Jefferson, and Doug McDermott are all decked out for the Opening Ceremonies of the World University Games, which took place today:

The USA will take on United Arab Emirates in their first game, with the contest to be aired on ESPNU at 5:00 p.m. MT, Sunday afternoon.

Other preliminary round games for Team USA (will all be shown on tape delay by ESPNU. Times listed are air times):

Monday, July 8th … USA v. Czech Republic (3:00 a.m., MT – replay at 5:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, July 10th – USA v. Sweden (5:00 p.m., MT)

Thursday, July 11th – USA v. Australia (5:00 p.m., MT)

Friday, July 12th – USA v. Canada (3:00 a.m., MT – replay at 5:00 p.m.)

Following the preliminary round, the first and second placed teams in each of the four pools will advance to the medal quarterfinals to compete for 1st-8th places, while the remaining teams will compete for 9th-24th.

—

July 5th

Dinwiddie celebrates 4th of July with exhibition victory over Russian club team

From the Colorado Springs Gazette … While his friends and Colorado teammates celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, cookouts and the like, junior guard Spencer Dinwiddie found a different way to honor his country.

The Buffaloes’ leading scorer from last season donned a USA basketball jersey in a 94-60 exhibition victory over Russian club UNICS nearly 6,000 miles away from Colorado Springs before Sunday’s opening round of the World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

“Representing your country is the biggest honor you can have,” Dinwiddie said. “So to be able to do that on a stage like this, the second-largest worldwide competition besides the actual Olympics, it’s just an honor and a blessing.”

… “I’m not a geography major, so I don’t know if this is the farthest I’ve traveled, ” he said. “I’ve been to Belgium, France and Amsterdam to play basketball, so if you have a map for me, I can tell you if it is or not.”

Dinwiddie and the rest of USA’s team arrived in Russia last Sunday, a week before their first international competition. The team is settling into the time change and different rules emphasized, but the ultimate goal remains the same.

“Hopefully the best part about this experience will be winning a gold medal,” Dinwiddie said of the team’s primary focus.

—

July 4th

Sports Illustrated: “This team has a chance to be very good”

In a piece on Spencer Dinwiddie and the maturity of the CU lineup (not present last season, more this upcoming season), Sports Illustrated writer Andy Glockner has posted a flattering, if cautionary, story about the Buffs in 2013.

Here is a link to the full story, which is worth your time to check out.

Some highlights:

Maturity was the buzzword for Colorado basketball last season, and not just because the Buffaloes had two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior making up their top five scorers and minutes played. Sure, there was an expected learning curve for Tad Boyle’s crew with so many inexperienced parts coming together in an improved Pac-12, but the maturity question kept popping up later in the season. Well into league play, it became code for a team that couldn’t consistently handle expectations or play the way it needed to play to be most effective.

With many key guys returning and another excellent freshmen class coming in, the Buffaloes are a trendy pick for a preseason national ranking and a challenger role behind presumed favorite Arizona in the league. The ceiling for their success this season, though, will depend heavily on the maturity of their starting backcourt, with juniors Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker charged with finding the right balance where they both provide more of what they do best.

… Dinwiddie is a smooth operator on the floor, taking what’s there far more often than forcing himself into the action. At the World University Games tryouts, he stood out while not even trying to stand out, facilitating and making the right play in an environment where there was high-level talent all over the floor. Back home in Boulder, better hierarchy is needed and that starts with Dinwiddie growing more assertive in his position as the team’s most talented player as well as its leader.

“We need to set the tone now. I’ll put out there for everybody,” Dinwiddie said. “Do I think I’m their best player? Of course, that’s no secret, but we plan on playing inside-out, which means Josh Scott first. Then we want Askia to be very efficient. We have shooters coming in — Dustin Thomas is gonna be great, Wesley Gordon is gonna be great — and then, when it comes down to it, if I need to be offensive or get aggressive making plays, I like to use the pick-and-roll.”

… the maturity excuses end now, starting with Dinwiddie, moving to Booker, and running right through the rest of the Buffaloes’ roster. This team has a chance to be very good if the pieces fall into place the right way, and it’s up to the team’s leaders and Boyle to find a way to make this work more consistently. Boyle’s happy to hear Dinwiddie accepting the primary role, and now needs to get everything else in place behind him.

“Yeah, that’s a good thing. There’s no question. I think he’s stating the obvious,” Boyle said about hearing Dinwiddie’s statement about being the team’s best player. “Now it’s just a matter of getting the other guys to buy into the team concept. And I think we will. I really do. And if they don’t, we have options.”

—

July 2nd

Two more Buffs heading to Europe

From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado men’s basketball student-athletes junior-to-be Beau Gamble and redshirt-freshman Chris Jenkins will both be members of the Athletes in Action team that will travel to Lithuania next month, announced Tuesday.

Gamble and Jenkins will travel to Athletes in Action headquarters in Xenia for a three-day training camp before the group leaves August 9. They will return to the United States on August 19.

The CU pair are the first student-athletes to participate in an Athletes in Action sponsored tour since four-year letterwinner Austin Dufault in May of 2011. Dufault competed with Athletes In Action on a two-week tour of Macedonia and Kosovo in Eastern Europe. In May 2010, former Buff standout Levi Knutson traveled to Poland.

It’s the second straight summer Gamble and Jenkins will be traveling over the Atlantic Ocean. The CU men’s basketball team toured parts of Europe last August when the Buffaloes played games against teams from Paris, Belgium, and The Netherlands.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to travel around Lithuania and play with some of the best players in the country,” Gamble said. “It’s truly something I’m going to take advantage of. I also look forward to getting better playing against some high-level competition. It’s going to be a fun trip for Chris and I.”

Jenkins shared the same sentiments with Gamble.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity, not just to travel the world, but also an opportunity to get better playing with and against more experienced players,” Jenkins said.

—

June 29th

Spencer Dinwiddie only Pac-12 player to make University Games roster

The CU men’s basketball program continues on a roll …

From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado junior-to-be Spencer Dinwiddie was named one of the 12 players selected to represent Team USA at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia, announced Saturday.

After five days of training camp that began with 26 players on June 24 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball officially announced the official 12-man roster for the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team.

Training camp will continue in Colorado Springs through June 30, and the team departs for Russia on July 1 for the 2013 World University Games men’s basketball competition that will be played July 7-16.

“I was really happy this morning when I found out,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s a great honor for me and I thought I had played pretty well, and I felt like I deserved a spot. But at the same time, it’s not about the best 12 players, it’s about the team. I’m really excited.”

Dinwiddie, a 6-6, 200-pound point-guard from Woodland Hills, Calif., who helped the Buffaloes to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances is the lone Pac-12 representative on Team USA. He is the first CU men’s player invited to a USA Basketball training camp as an undergraduate since Chauncey Billups at the 1995 COPABA under 21 World Championship Qualifying Trials.

Others selected to the team are Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.); Treveon Graham (Virginia Commonwealth/Temple Hills, Md.); Luke Hancock (Louisville/Roanoke, Va.); Tyler Haws (BYU/Alpine, Utah); Cory Jefferson (Baylor/Killeen, Texas); Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati/Yonkers, N.Y.); Alex Kirk (New Mexico/Los Alamos, N.M.); Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa); Adreian Payne (Michigan State/Dayton, Ohio); Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.); and Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio).

“Clearly versatility, we have guys that can play more than one position, that’s one of the great strengths we have,” said USA head coach Bob McKillop  (Davidson College). “I think we shoot the ball particularly well from a number of positions, and we’ve got guys who want to be teammates. Those two things, to me, are the biggest advantages that we have, or the biggest strengths for our team.

Assisting McKillop on the USA sideline are John Beilein of the University of Michigan and  Frank Martin of the University of South Carolina.

—

June 28th

Oklahoma City on Roberson / Roberson thanks the Buff Nation

From nba.com … Quotes from Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti and Assistant General Manager Troy Weaver:

“He has a great nose for the ball and tremendous instincts,” Weaver said. “He can defend multiple positions. We feel that his skill set can continue to enhance the wing group that we have. He’s one of those players that brings energy to the floor.”

“We think he’s a unique player,” Presti said. “We feel like he has a lot of tools to work with physically and the other thing that we really like about him is that he has tremendous endurance and persistence on the floor, and activity.”

Roberson’s tweet to the Buff Nation … Shortly after being drafted in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft, former Buff Andre Roberson tweeted this to the Buff Nation:

“Wanted to thank CU for the best 3 years of my life! Most importantly the CUnit and the community as we helped build it back up.”

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June 27th

Andre Roberson selected in the first round of the NBA Draft

From cubuffs.com … Andre Roberson’s decision to leave the Colorado basketball program a year early for the 2013 NBA Draft was widely questioned, but on Thursday night his choice appeared sound.

Projected as a second-round selection by most NBA analysts, Roberson was a surprise first-round pick by Minnesota at No. 26. The 6-7 forward then was dealt to Oklahoma City, which traded up to land Roberson via deals with Memphis, Houston, Minnesota and Golden State.

A sample of Roberson’s April positioning among the Top 100 draft prospects: ESPN.com – 54th overall; CBSSports.com – 54th overall; DraftExpress.com – 57th overall; HoopsWorld.com – 57th overall.

When Roberson’s name was called by out-going NBA Commissioner David Stern, CU coach Tad Boyle texted this message to Roberson: “What the hell do I know? Congratulations.”

Roberson, who finished the 2012-13 season as the nation’s No. 2 rebounder, was in Brooklyn with his family for the draft. He became the fourth Buffs basketball player taken in the first round since 1997 and the eighth overall to go in the first round. CU has had 32 men’s basketball players drafted.

Preceding Roberson as CU first-rounders since ’97 were Chauncey Billups, No. 3 in ’97 by Boston; David Harrison, No. 29 in 2004 by Indiana; and Alec Burks, No. 12 in 2011 by Utah.

Since the NBA lottery first began in 1985, Burks (2009-2011) and Billups (1995-97) are the school’s only two lottery picks. Billups and Burks were both sophomores when they declared for the NBA Draft.

Boyle had supported whatever decision Roberson and family would make concerning Roberson’s future, but he wanted the decision made wisely. Said Boyle at a season wrap-up media conference in April: “At the end of the day, there are no guarantees – unless you’re a first-round draft pick.”

Ironically, Roberson was – and Thursday night Boyle was ecstatic.

“It absolutely surprises me, but I’m so proud of him,” Boyle said. In addition to the guaranteed first-round money Roberson will collect, Boyle called Roberson’s first-round selection “good for our program and our fans – everyone wins.”

—

… Here is a link to a NewsOK article on Roberson (including five YouTube highlights of Roberson you will enjoy)

—

COLORADO PLAYERS DRAFTED PROFESSIONALLY

*Scott Wedman, No. 2 overall Memphis/ABA, 1974

Chauncey Billups, No. 3 overall Boston/NBA, 1997

*Scott Wedman, No. 6 overall KC-Omaha/NBA, 1974

*Cliff Meely, No. 7 overall San Diego Clippers/NBA, 1971

Alec Burks, No. 12 overall Utah Jazz/NBA, 2011

Jay Humphries, No. 13 overall Phoenix/NBA, 1984

Shaun Vandiver, No. 25 overall Golden State/NBA, 1991

Pat Frink, No. 27 overall Cincinnati/NBA, 1968

David Harrison, No. 29 overall Indiana/NBA, 2004

Jim Davis, No. 29 overall Detroit/NBA), 1964

Ken Charlton, No. 32 overall Cincinnati/NBA, 1963

*Jim Creighton, No. 39 overall Seattle/NBA, 1972

Donnie Boyce, No. 42 overall Atlanta/NBA, 1995

Jaquay Walls, No. 56, Indiana/NBA, 2000

Alex Stivrins, No. 75, Seattle/NBA, 1985

Chuck Williams, No. 77, Philadelphia/NBA, 1968

Chuck Gardner, No. 81, Baltimore/NBA, 1966

Joe Cooper, No. 96, New Jersey/NBA, 1981

Wilky Gilmore, No. 98, St. Louis/NBA, 1962

Dave Logan, No. 139, Kansas City/NBA, 1976

JoJo Hunter, No. 146, Milwaukee/NBA, 1981

Lee Haven, No. 146, Portland/NBA, 1974

Rob Gonzalez, No. 147, Detroit/NBA, 1983

Larry Vaculik, No. 168, Denver/NBA, 1978

Jacques Tuz, No. 173, San Diego/NBA, 1982

Emmett Lewis, No. 181, Denver/NBA, 1979

Brian Johnson, No. 212, Phoenix/NBA, 1981

Other Selections

Tom Harrold, fourth pick, Fort Wayne/NBA, 1955 Burdette Haldorson, fifth pick, Milwaukee/NBA, 1955 Tom Mock, ninth pick, Fort Wayne/NBA, 1955 Wayne Tucker, ninth pick, Tri-Cities/NBA, 1951 Robert Doll, St. Louis/NBA, 1946

ABA *Cliff Meely, first round pick, Denver Nuggets, 1971 *Jim Creighton, additional round choice of Dallas, 1972

*-drafted by both the NBA and ABA in the same year

—

June 26th

Dinwiddie one of 16 finalists for USA Basketball University Games Team

From cubuffs.com … After three days of training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center that began here on June 24 with 26 of the nation’s top collegiate athletes, the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee announced 16 finalists for the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team, including the University of Colorado’s Spencer Dinwiddie.

“The effort of this group was unbelievable, and it was very tough to get down,” said Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University), chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. “Usually, it’s pretty easy to get down to 16. It was not easy with this group. It was very difficult. Guys were very, very close in a two-day tryout. Another day, and it might have been a couple of different guys in there, but you have to take the guys that played the best, and those 16 played the best. I think we have the nucleus of a really good team. We’ve got good big guys, we’ve got good wing players, we’ve got scorers, we’ve got shooters, so I think it’s a balanced team. That’s what you hope for on these teams.”

Dinwiddie, a 6-6, 200-pound point-guard is one of two finalists selected from the Pac-12 Conference and the first CU player to invited to training camp as an undergraduate since Chauncey Billups at the 1995 COPABA under 21 World Championship Qualifying Trials.

Dinwiddie, a 2013 All-Pac-12 Conference first team selection has played every game (69) and was a key contributor this past season helping the Buffaloes to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. He averaged a team-best 15.3 points per game, in addition leading CU in assists (99, 3.0) and free throw percentage (82.5%).

His 505 points during his sophomore campaign ranks ninth among all CU sophomores.  Of Dinwiddie’s 505 points, 198 of them came from the free throw, the second most total from the charity stripe in school history. In his two years, Dinwiddie has helped CU to a 45-24 record (.652) with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament championship.

Training camp will continue in Colorado Springs through June 30. The 12-member roster will be announced prior to the team’s departure for Russia on July 1. The 2013 World University Games (WUGs) men’s basketball competition will be played July 7-16 in Kazan, Russia.

Finalists include: Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado/Woodland Hills, Calif.); Yogi Ferrell (Indiana/Indianapolis, Ind.); Davante Gardner (Marquette/Suffolk, Va.); Treveon Graham (Virginia Commonwealth/Temple Hills, Md.); Jerian Grant (Notre Dame/Bowie, Md.); Luke Hancock (Louisville/ Roanoke, Va.); Tyler Haws (BYU/Alpine, Utah); Rodney Hood (Duke/Meridian, Miss.); Cory Jefferson (Baylor/ Killeen, Texas); Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati/Yonkers, N.Y.); Alex Kirk (New Mexico/Los Alamos, N.M.); Doug McDermott (Creighton/Ames, Iowa); Adreian Payne (Michigan State/Dayton, Ohio); Chasson Randle (Stanford/Rock Island, Ill.); Will Sheehey (Indiana/Stuart, Fla.); and Aaron White (Iowa/Strongsville, Ohio).

—

June 24th

Andre Roberson’s draft status dropping

The NBA draft is three days away (Thursday, 5:00 p.m., MT, ESPN), with CU’s Andre Roberson hoping to hear his name called.

Roberson was listed as high as the No. 36 overall pick a few weeks ago (see May 22nd story, below), but has fallen off of many draft boards.

Some highlights:

CBSSports.com … Previous: Roberson to Sacramento with the No. 36 pick overall … now – not listed.

NBADraft.net … To Philadelphia with the No. 42 pick … now – not listed.

NBADraftguru … To Milwaukee with the No. 43 pick … now, to Memphis with the last pick of the draft (No. 60).

NBA Prospects … To Dallas with the No. 44 pick … now, to Milwaukee with the No. 43 pick.

The Hoops Report … To Indiana with the No. 53 pick … now, still to Indiana with the No. 53 pick.

NBADraftroom.com … To Washington with the No. 54 pick … now, still to Washington with the No. 54 pick.

There are also many sites which do not project Roberson to be drafted at all.

We’ll see …

—

June 20th

Tad Boyle and Linda Lappe receive contract extensions

Good news for both. Good news for the Buff Nation …

From the Daily Camera … The University of Colorado regents today approved contract extensions through April 2018 for both men’s head basketball coach Tad Boyle and women’s head basketball coach Linda Lappe.

However, details of those contracts are limited as the documents are not yet public because they haven’t been signed by the coaches, according to CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard. He said he expects the contracts to be released next week.

The new contracts run from July 1, 2013, to April 30, 2018, and supplant the extensions approved by the regents in February 2012 that were to have run through April 30, 2016.

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June 12th

Spencer Dinwiddie ranked as the No. 5 shooting guard by The Sporting News

From the Sporting News … The Sporting News has ranked the best shooting guards in the nation for the upcoming season. CU junior guard Spencer Dinwiddie has been rated as the 5th-best. TSN’s write-up on Dinwiddie:

There are times it is hard to tell what position Dinwiddie plays for CU, because there are so few things he cannot master on the court. He passes (3.0 assists), shoots (89 3-pointers in two seasons) and rebounds (3.2 per game). He spends an absurd amount of time at the foul line because of his ability to drive the ball. Dinwiddie could, if he can recover his long-distance accuracy, become the most feared scorer in the Pac-12 and a prime pick in a future NBA draft.

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June 3rd

Spencer Dinwiddie invited to USA Basketball Men’s World University Games team camp

From cubuffs.com … University of Colorado junior-to-be Spencer Dinwiddie is one of 29 players invited to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, June 24-30 in Colorado Springs.

The USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee issued the invitations.

Dinwiddie, a 6-6, 200-pound point-guard is one of three players selected from the Pac-12 Conference and the first CU player to invited as an undergraduate since Chauncey Billups at the 1995 COPABA under 21 World Championship Qualifying Trials. Dinwiddie joins fellow conference players Josh Huestis and Chasson Randle from Stanford.

Dinwiddie, a 2013 All-Pac-12 Conference first team selection has played every game (69) and was a key contributor this past season helping the Buffaloes to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. He averaged a team-best 15.3 points per game, in addition leading CU in assists (99, 3.0) and free throw percentage (82.5%).

His 505 points during his sophomore campaign ranks ninth among all CU sophomores. Of Dinwiddie’s 505 points, 198 of them came from the free throw, the second most total from the charity stripe in school history. In his two years, Dinwiddie has helped CU to a 45-24 record (.652) with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament championship.

CU head coach Tad Boyle is also one three court coaches selected for the training camp along with Jim Kessler of Grace College (NAIA) and Matt Matheny from Elon University.

“The committee has assembled one of the strongest World University Games training camp rosters USA Basketball has ever had,” said Jim Boeheim, head coach at Syracuse University and chair of the USA Men’s Junior National Team Committee. “It includes some of the top players in college basketball, several of whom have international experience. Selecting the players for the final roster is going to be a real challenge.”

The 2013 World University Games (WUGs) are scheduled to be played July 6-17 in Kazan, Russia. Davidson College’s Bob McKillop will lead the USA, with assistant coaches John Beilein of the University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina’s Frank Martin.

Twenty-four players took home end of the year conference honors and 29 players represent 24 schools.

The Big East has six schools with players expected to compete at training camp; five schools from the Big Ten list on the roster; the Atlantic Coast is represented by three schools each; the Big 12, Mountain West, Pac-12 each feature two schools participating in training camp; and represented by one school apiece are the Atlantic-10, Missouri Valley and West Coast conferences.

June 2nd

Pac-12 releases review of basketball officiating

From the Pac-12 … The Pac-12 CEO Group released the findings of its independent basketball officiating review conducted by the law firm of Ice Miller, LLP, the Conference announced today.

Pac-12 CEO Group Chair Edward J. Ray commissioned the review on behalf of the Pac-12 CEO Group in response to the officiating dispute that arose during the 2013 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Ice Miller reviewed the events leading up to, during and after the tournament game between Arizona and UCLA on March 15, the conduct of former Pac-12 Coordinator of Officiating Ed Rush, and the Pac-12 discipline of Arizona Coach Sean Miller.

Commenting on the independent review, Ray said: “The Pac-12 CEO Group fully reviewed and discussed the Ice Miller report and agreed that is was an objective analysis of all known facts surrounding the officiating dispute at this year’s Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. The CEO Group accepted the report, agreed there is no further action required, and determined that this independent review brings closure to the matter.”

“The report provides valuable lessons for all parties, which will be incorporated in how we restructure the men’s basketball officiating program and policies. We are moving forward with a renewed commitment to accountability and ethical conduct to assure the overall integrity of our competition for our members and the public,” Ray concluded.

Here is a link to the full report.

—

May 25th

Colorado to face Baylor again, this time in Dallas

From ESPN … The matchups for the four-game event in Dallas that will tip off the 2013-14 season have been set.

American Airlines Center will host four contests on Nov. 8: Baylor vs. Colorado , Texas v. LSU, SMU v. TCU, and Alabama vs. Oklahoma, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday.

The arena, the home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, is just 18 miles from Cowboys Stadium, the site of the 2014 Final Four. The event will be run by bd Global, the same company that put on last season’s Texas-UCLA game in Houston.

“We want this to serve as the tipoff to the season,” bd Global president Brooks Downing told ESPN.com earlier this month. “The plan is to generate a lot of excitement and hype about college basketball in the city that’s hosting the Final Four.”

If the November event is a success, Downing said bd Global likely will stage something similar each fall in the city slated to host the Final Four. The 2015 Final Four will be in Indianapolis before shifting to Houston in 2016.

This year’s marquee game will be Baylor vs. Colorado, as both teams are expected to open the season in the top 25.

The Bears return the crux of a squad that won the NIT championship and tout two future pros in Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson.

Colorado’s backcourt of Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie will be one of the nation’s best, while forwards Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson were two of the country’s top freshmen last year.

Colorado defeated Baylor last season in the Charleston Classic and went on to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.

… The addition of Baylor to the schedule gives CU some solid RPI-raising games, including another neutral site game against Oklahoma State (in Las Vegas), together with home games against Kansas and Harvard, and a road game against Colorado State (all but Baylor were in the NCAA tournament last season). CU will also be a part of a round-robin with Wyoming, Arkansas State, Jackson State and Tennessee-Martin.

—

May 22nd

Mock Draft update – Where will Roberson go?

A month out from the NBA draft, the selection order has now been finalized, with the Cleveland Cavaliers getting the No. 1 pick for the second time in three seasons.

The question for Buff fans remains … Will Andre Roberson be drafted?

If you want to study the answer to that question in depth, WalterFootball.com has compiled a chart of 61 mock drafts.

Some highlights:

CBSSports.com … Roberson to Sacramento with the No. 36 pick overall.

NBADraft.net … To Philadelphia with the No. 42 pick.

NBADraftguru … To Milwaukee with the No. 43 pick.

NBA Prospects … To Dallas with the No. 44 pick.

The Hoops Report … To Indiana with the No. 53 pick.

NBADraftroom.com … To Washington with the No. 54 pick.

There are also many sites which do not project Roberson to be drafted at all.

So, we’ll just have to see …

—

May 19th

Buffs pick up preferred walk-on

Colorado has picked up a 6’5″, 190-pound walk-on by the name of Sled Allen.

From D1Nation.com … Allen turned down scholarship opportunities to be a preferred walk on with the Buffs.  His best basketball is ahead because of his strong work ethic.  Don’t be shocked if he does nice things for my friend Tad Boyle.  Boyle has tapped the Central Texas area within the D1 Ambassadors program, snagging Paul Garnica (San Antonio Lee), Andre Roberson (Converese Judson), George King (San Antonio Brennan) and now for Allen who plays 90 minutes north of San Antonio in Austin, TX.

He’s a late bloomer; a tough, physical kid whose skill set is rapidly developing.  He’s now capable of coming off the curl, taking you off the bounce and flushing in traffic.  His outside shooting touch continues to improve as well so that’s he’s now a legitimate threat from outside.

You tube highlights:

May 18th

Top Arizona State player transfers to Indiana

From the Indianapolis Star … Evan Gordon, who has graduated from Arizona State, will be eligible to play right away at Indiana. He averaged 10.1 points for the Sun Devils as a junior after transferring from Liberty.

Gordon’s older brother, Eric, played at IU in 2007-08 and is now in the NBA with New Orleans. Evan Gordon said he will enroll in the sports administration Masters program at IU.

“There’s nothing like an Indiana kid playing for IU,” Gordon said. “Coach (Tom) Crean has that program rocking and rolling.”

… In Arizona State’s 63-62 overtime victory over Colorado in February, Gordon scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting (4-of-8 from behind the arc), including the game-winning layup as time expired.

May 13th

Boyle on King: “He can rebound, block shots, shoot, and defend”

From cubuffs.com …

– CU received a signed national letter-of-intent on Monday from George King, a 6-5 freshman from San Antonio (Brennan) who was offered a scholarship by Boyle on the same Sunday (April 28) that Andre Roberson elected to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

– King fits Boyle’s scheme because he can play multiple positions – “He can rebound, block shots, shoot and defend,” Boyle said.

– Boyle said CU was “kind of late to the party” in recruiting King, who conceded he was a “late bloomer” and didn’t start attracting major attention until late in his senior season and went through the April signing period unsigned.

– Boyle had seen King in a tournament in Kansas City and thought he was a nice player. The thought passed. Later that weekend, when Boyle’s oldest son, Jack, was playing in a tournament in Denver, King was there, too. MacIntyre’s son, Jay, also was playing in the tournament. He eyed King, too. “Hmmm,” said both Buffs coaches.

– Trouble was, Boyle didn’t have a scholarship. That changed after he and Jack returned from a short lunch break. About 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, Boyle received a call from Roberson, who said he was going pro. King went from being a blip on CU’s radar, to a prospect, to a signee. And Boyle thinks King rounds out his 2013 recruiting class very nicely.

May 12th

King: “They believe in me, and I believe in them”

From cubuffs.com … During his senior year, new CU Buff George King averaged 16.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in leading the Brennan Bears to a 39-3 record and an appearance in the 4A state semifinals. He shot 60 percent from the field and was named both TABC All-State and District 28-4A MVP. As a senior he recorded 25 double-doubles and had two 20-20 games with 23 points and 20 rebounds against Warren (Nov. 12) and 20 points and 20 rebounds against Lanier (Jan. 29) including 12 rebounds in one quarter.

King was an all-area selection as a junior.

“They believe in me and I believe in them,” King told Rivals.com on signing with the Buffaloes. “I’ve only been to Colorado a handful of times and it was my first time in Boulder,” he said. “I knew I liked it as soon as I stepped foot in Boulder. It has a beautiful campus, really nice people.”

“They have a really good coaching staff, the players and I really clicked. I got up and down with the guys and got a good feeling. (The coaches) like that I’m good sized, I’m skilled, that I can shoot and that I have a lot of potential.”

—

May 11th

Buffs fill Roberson scholarship

CU has picked up a commitment from 6-foot-5 San Antonio (Texas) Brennan forward, George King.

King, who won the area’s Player of the Year award, averaged 16.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game as a senior. King was not rated by either Rivals or Scout.

The Buffs found King two weeks ago at the Best Buy Mile High Classic. Despite not being rated by either service, King had offers from UTEP, Gonzaga and Texas.

Of King, TexasHoops.com wrote in April … “George King (6-foot-5/San Antonio Brennan) has the body and the game that will take him to the next level. He can hit the three, explode to the basket and finish above the rim. He also has the size and quickness to play defense on the perimeter”.

The addition of King gives the Buffs four commitments in 2013, as the forward will join guard Jaron Hopkins and forwards Dustin Thomas and Tre’Shaun Fletcher.

May 7th

CU picks up a four-star recruit for Class of 2014

The CU men’s basketball team has picked up a four-star commitment for the Class of 2014.

Dominique Collier, rated by Scout to be the No. 15 point guard prospect from the Class of 2014, has committed to Colorado. A 6’1″, 160-pound point guard from Denver East high had offers from Arizona, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa, Missouri, Oregon, and Kansas State. Rivals also rates Collier as a four-star recruit, the 61st-best player in the nation.  Rivals bio  Scout bio

CU to play Oklahoma State in Las Vegas

From ESPN … Colorado didn’t burn any bridges when it left the Big 12 and the Buffaloes are taking advantage of the relationships to schedule quality nonconference games for a team that should make the NCAA tournament in 2014. The Buffaloes already get Kansas in the return game of a home-and-home series with their former Big 12 rival. Colorado coach Tad Boyle then searched for an opponent to play at the MGM Grand — site of the Pac-12 tournament — on Dec. 20. Boyle locked in Oklahoma State, a team likely to be picked to win the Big 12. The Buffaloes now have the potential to have two top 10-15 nonconference games by scheduling KU and OSU. The Buffs already had scheduled Front Range games against Wyoming at home and Colorado State and Air Force on the road — both extremely difficult stops. Boyle said he’s trying to add one more neutral site game and one more home-and-home series as well as two other guaranteed games.

May 3rd

Robersons pick up awards at CUSPY’s

Andre Roberson and his sister, Arielle, were both amongst the honorees at the 13th annual CUSPY Awards (CU Sports Performers of the Year).

Rune Oedegaard (skiing) and Andre Roberson (basketball) were the co-recipients of the Male Athlete of the Year Award.  Oedegaard was a key performer in CU’s national championship run, posting 10 top three finishes in 12 races, including four wins and five second place finishes.  Among his victories was the 10-kilometer classical race at the NCAA Championships, an event he was also the regional champ in.  He was second in the freestyle at nationals, thus earning two All-American honors for the season.

Roberson was selected as the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, and was also named as a first-team All-Pac 12 performer.  He led the nation much of the year and finished second in the nation in rebounding (11.2 per game), while also ranking 30th in the NCAA in steals (2.2 per).  He had 12 double-doubles on the season, and in fact averaged a double-double (10.9 points), the first player in 22 years to do so at Colorado.  He announced last week that he would enter this June’s NBA draft.

Arielle Roberson captured the Female Freshman Athlete of the Year Award, as she earned a host of postseason awards.  Most notable of those were being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, third-team Freshman All-American and to the Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team (by both the league coaches and media).  She also earned Freshman Player of the Week honors in the conference on five occasions.  She was second on the team in both scoring (12.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.2), numbers that ranked her 17th and 16th in the league.

Here is a link to the story containing the names of all of the CUSPY Award recipients.

May 2nd

Independent review of basketball officiating set

Press release from the Pac-12 … The Pac-12 Executive Committee has selected Ice Miller LLP to conduct its independent review of the officiating matters that arose during the recent Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Conference announced today. Attorney Stuart Brown from Ice Miller LLP’s Indianapolis office will lead the review.

Ice Miller LLP was selected out of a number of candidates and will examine the officiating and coaching events during and following the tournament. Ice Miller LLP reports directly to the Executive Committee of the Conference’s CEO Group governing board, and is expected to complete its review in time for the CEO Group’s June meeting.

Tags: Andre Roberson, Arielle Roberson, Beau Gamble, Chris Jenkins, Dick Vitale, Dominique Collier, ESPN College GameDay, George King, Sled Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tad Boyle, World University Games
This post, about the Colorado Basketball game, from the 2013 Season, is filed under Article.
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