Posts tagged Colorado Buffaloes
CU football: Gehrke signs letter of intent to attend CU
0May 21, 2013
Junior College Quarterback is MacIntyre’s 21st Recruit
BOULDER — Jordan Gehrke, a second-team All-Region performer at Scottsdale Community College as a freshman last fall, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend the University of Colorado this fall, becoming the 21st recruit in the first class inked by head coach Mike MacIntyre.
Gehrke, who won’t turn 19 until late July, will have four years to play three in eligibility. He joins 20 other recruits, all of whom were high school seniors, as a member of CU’s 2013 recruiting class.
He helped Scottsdale CC lead the nation in passing yards (355.2 per game), completing 174-of-366 passes for 2,388 yards and 22 touchdowns; he completed 51.8 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions. He was sacked just twice all season and also scored one rushing touchdown. His top game came in the season finale, a 71-29 win over Phoenix College, when he was 29-of-43 for 384 yards and seven touchdowns (three interceptions).
“He’s very athletic, extremely accurate, can make all the throws and is a bright young man in regards to football and in the classroom,” MacIntyre said.
At Scottsdale’s Notre Dame Prep, Gehrke was a second-team All-State and a first-team All-II Section III performer as a senior, when he completed 134-of-250 passes for 2,012 yards and 23 touchdowns (with just 10 interceptions). He also rushed for 133 yards (on 24 attempts) and scored twice. As a junior, when he was also a first-team All-Conference selection, he was 124-of-183 (a 67.8 percentage) for 2,358 yards with 24 touchdowns against only four picks; his long pass covered 78 yards and his passer rating was 141.
His top games as a senior included a 33-14 win over Salpointe Catholic, when he completed 13-of-25 passes for 271 yards and five touchdowns; in a 41-14 win over Cactus Shadows (15-of-28, 279, 3 TDs), in a 41-10 win over McClintock (11-of-15, 175, 3 TDs with a 6-yard TD run) and in a 28-24 win over Desert Mountain (10-of-21, 109, 3 TDs). As a junior, his best games included a 49-48 loss to Williams Field, when he was 14-of-18 for 359 yards and two scores (the 4A state semifinal game where he was stopped just short of the end zone on a 2-point try with 19 seconds remaining); and in a 42-14 playoff win over Mingus the previous week, he was 10-of-14 for 235 yards and four touchdowns.
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado Buffaloes
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
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Buff Golfers are hungry for NCAA championship
0May 15, 2013
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Colorado men’s golf team is back in the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2009, as the Buffaloes are ready to go in the Central/Fayetteville Regional which begins here Thursday.
Colorado, ranked No. 58 in the nation (GolfStat; No. 67 Golfweek) is the No. 10 seed in the field is looking to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals for the first time since 2002.
The Buffs have been idle since May 1, when they finished 10th at the Pac-12 Championships in Los Angeles. CU was in position for a first division (top six) finish, but had a disastrous final day that dropped it from seventh into 10th.
“We really haven’t practiced since the Pac-12 Championship,” said head coach Roy Edwards. “That is by design. These guys are students first and they had their semester projects and finals until (last) Thursday. So they were all in with those responsibilities. Now they can clearly and fully focus on the task at hand.
“We’re absolutely hungry to get back out there,” he continued. “We had a really odd weather month leading up to the Pac-12 Championships and couldn’t get in the kind of practice we needed, yet we were still in decent position for an upper division finish. Most of the guys got a solid competition round in for U.S. Open Local Qualifying (Monday) to get the rust off. They’re anxious to get out there and prove that the final round (at Pac-12’s) was a blip on the season.”
The four Buffs who have played in all 12 tournaments (38 rounds) this season, seniors Jason Burstyn andDerek Fribbs, sophomore David Oraee and freshman Philip Juel-Berg along with junior Johnny Hayes will represent Colorado in the regional. Only Fribbs, as an individual last year, and Hayes, with his former school Towson State in 2010, have played in the postseason before.
For the Buffaloes to have a chance to advance to the Finals, which run May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, its No. 1 golfer this season, Burstyn, needs to rebound from an uncharacteristic poor performance at the Pac-12s, where he just wasn’t able to get anything going; he tied for 66th with a 33-over score of 313. Edwards expects him to back to his old self.
“He was a little off, and he’s no different than most in that he needs to keep learning to adapt to different situations,” Edwards said of his team’s stroke average leader (72.8). “He normally does that, and in this case, I think he’s ready to move on. History shows that the few times he has played poorly, he’s bounced back to play really well. I don’t think it will be any different this week.”
As for the team to have overall success, he pointed to what the Buffaloes did when they won the Air Force Falcon Invitational last September and the Bandon Dunes Championship in March.
“We have to minimize our mistakes, the focus has to be on being as smart as possible,” he noted. “We haven’t seen the course yet, but I understand it’s very difficult. It’s an event where you don’t care if you finish first or fifth. We need to be patient, make good decisions and overall manage our individual games. When we’ve done that, we’ve played our best, and if we can do that here, we have a great shot at advancing to the Finals.”
“If we are disciplined in our decisions at all times we have a great shot. The five teams who make the least number of controllable mistakes will advance. This has more to do about us doing our job than anything else.”
Arkansas is the host school, with The Blessings Golf Club serving as the host course; BGC has a 7,251-yard, par-72 layout (37-35 configuration) that was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. It opened in 2004, and its rating (79.1) and slope (153) makes it one of the most difficult courses in the U.S., as its topography is characterized by hilly terrain creating numerous sidehill lies, dramatic elevation changes, forced carries over ravines and valleys, and large, undulating Bent grass greens, with Clear Creek in play on several holes. The fairways/roughs are Zoysia.
Colorado will tee off at 8:10 a.m. (MDT) on Thursday off the No. 10 tee, with the Buffs paired with Indiana (No. 11 seed) and UNC-Wilmington (No. 12). The field will be re-paired according to score after the first and second rounds, with all tee times between 8:20 and 10:20 a.m. for the second round (Friday) and between 7:50 and 9:50 a.m. for the final round (Saturday).
The top five teams and top two individuals who are not members of those squads will advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, which are scheduled for May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, Ga.
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado Buffaloes
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
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CU golfers head to the regional tournament
0May 7, 2013
Colorado Earns First Regional Bid Since 2009
Colorado, ranked No. 60 in the nation (GolfStat; No. 67 Golfweek) is the No. 10 seed in the field.
“We’re obviously really pleased about the selection, and it’s representative of a strong year by the team and all the hard work has paid off,” said head coach Roy Edwards. “Everyone is excited to advance to the regional, and we’re really excited that we get the chance to advance to the Finals from there.”
“We’re obviously really pleased about the selection, and it’s representative of a strong year by the team and all the hard work has paid off,” said head coach Roy Edwards. “Everyone is excited to advance to the regional, and we’re really excited that we get the chance to advance to the Finals from there.”
Edwards indicated that he would select which five players will make the trip to Fayetteville in the coming days. Four Buffs, seniors Jason Burstyn and Derek Fribbs, sophomore David Oraee and freshman Philip Juel-Berghave played in all 12 tournaments (38 rounds) this season, and most likely will be among that quintet. If so, the fifth player will come from a pool of four others who have competed at various times throughout the season.
Juel-Berg led CU with a 24th place finish at the recently completed Pac-12 Championships, as Colorado placed 10th as a team. A disappointing final round cost the Buffs as high as a sixth place finish.
“We were really close to having a top six finish, and in a six-count-five format, and even though we finished 10th, the performance wasn’t that poor,” Edwards said. “We were only a few shots short of finishing much higher, but the important thing that happened is that the golf course (Los Angeles Country Club North) taught our guys a lot of how we have to play the game. So no matter where we finished, that was a very valuable experience that I believe we can carry over into regionals.”
How good is the Pac-12 Conference? The league received three No. 1 seeds (California, UCLA and Washington), and is sending 10 teams into regional play. Thus, all nine schools that bested CU in the league meet are also in the postseason, though none are joining the Buffaloes in Arkansas.
Old Big 12 Conference foes Texas (No. 1 seed) and Oklahoma State (No. 3) are in the Fayetteville draw, with the two ranked Nos. 5 and 16 in the nation, respectively; in-between is host and 13th-ranked Arkansas. The remainder of the field in seed order includes No. 21 SMU, No. 28 Kent State, No. 32 Illinois, No. 40 Liberty, No. 45 Tulsa, No. 53 Kentucky, No. 60 Colorado, No. 67 Indiana, No. 72 UNC-Wilmington, UM-Kansas City and Alabama State.
The Buffaloes will attempt to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals for the first time since the 2001-02 season; five times since that year CU has qualified to the regional but would go no further.
“It’s really everybody’s first time except for Derek, who played last year as an individual, so it will be a new experience for everyone,” Edwards said. “We’re going to embrace it and are looking forward to playing well.”
The top five teams and top two individuals who are not members of those squads will advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, which are scheduled for May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, Ga.
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado Buffaloes
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
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CU quarterback moving on, with two seasons of eligibility left
0April 19, 2013
BOULDER — University of Colorado junior quarterback Nick Hirschman informed head coach Mike MacIntyre Friday morning that he was foregoing his final two years of eligibility as a Buffalo and would transfer to another school to continue his football career.
Hirschman, who stands 6-foot-4, weighs 230 pounds and hails from Los Gatos, Calif., will graduate next month in just three years (and three summers of coursework) with a B.A. degree in Communication. He would then be eligible to compete immediately this fall at another school per NCAA rules.
Hirschman headed to another school
“I felt at this time that it has been three years, a great three years, but with no decision made at the end of spring ball, it was personal choice that it was time for me to move on,” Hirschman said. “I am hoping for the best for each and every teammate, and each and every coach. It’s been a wonderful experience here, I’m still really happy about my choice to come to Colorado and I made a lot of good friends here. I will never regret my decision coming out of high school to become a Buff and I’m hoping everything will work out for everyone.”
Hirschman, who announced his decision to transfer midday Friday on Twitter, also said, “I am definitely looking to continue my football career where I can earn my graduate degree.” He said he is at looking at something else in the communications field or in business and marketing.
Hirschman ended the spring tied atop the depth chart with Connor Wood. In the four main spring scrimmages including the spring game, he completed 32-of-50 passes for 433 yards, with seven touchdowns and one interception, a passer rating of 178.9; Wood was 36-of-56 for 589 yards, with five TDs and no picks, a rating of 182.1.
MacIntyre said Hirschman and Wood, “were tied at number one on the depth chart and were set to continue their competition into fall drills. “Nick’s a phenomenal young man, a great team player, and I was looking forward to watching him mature this fall and to see how he would do in the battle for starting quarterback job.
“We hate to lose him, but we do wish him the best.” MacIntyre granted him a release from his scholarship to all schools other than any other Pac-12 Conference school or an opponent on CU’s 2013 or 2014 schedules.
He played in eight games, including two starts, as a sophomore in 2012, completing 55-of-93 passes for 589 yards, with two touchdowns and seven interceptions. His best game came in the season finale against Utah, when he was 30-of-51 for 306 yards (1 TD, 4 interceptions) in a 42-35 loss. Overall, he engineered 40 drives, leading CU to 10 touchdowns and a field goal in 227 plays from scrimmage.
The Buffs started the spring with six quarterbacks, but are now down to four with the departure of Hirschman and the season-ending knee injury to senior Jordan Webb, who suffered a torn ACL in the last week of spring drills and underwent surgery on Thursday. The others on the roster are sophomores Stevie Joe Dorman and John Schrock and redshirt freshman Shane Dillon. They will be joined in the fall by freshman recruit Sefo Liufau.
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado Buffaloes
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
CU quarterback
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CU-CSU Moving To Sunday
0April 11, 2013
BOULDER — The Mountain West Conference came out with its schedules for all teams this past Thursday and included was the fact that the CU-Colorado State game in Denver, previously scheduled for Saturday, August 31, is moving to the next day (Sunday, September 1). No kickoff time or television arrangements are known at this time for what has become known as the Cinch Jeans Rocky Mountain Showdown.
It will be the 85th meeting between the two state rivals (CU leads, 61-21-2); it will be the 13th meeting in Denver (CU holds a 7-5 edge in the previous dozen meetings). The first three were at the old Mile High Stadium (1998-2000), with the last 10 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The Buffaloes and Rams have played on a Sunday one previous time, on Sept. 6, 2009 in Boulder (a 23-17 CSU win).
The Buffaloes and Rams have played on a Sunday two previous times, during the 2008 and 2009 seasons (the schools split those games).
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado Buffaloes
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
Twitter: @davidplati
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Injury ends Webb’s football career at CU-maybe…
0April 10, 2013
ACL tears haunt the Buffs–first Richarson then Webb. “It’s just another obstacle to overcome,” Webb says.
BOULDER — University of Colorado senior quarterback Jordan Webb has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is out for the 2013 season.
Webb suffered the injury early in Tuesday’s practice in a non-contact drill, making an ordinary cut when he collapsed on the field. An MRI in the evening revealed the damage, though it was limited to the ACL as other ligaments and cartilage were fine, according to CU trainer Miguel Rueda.
“This is very sad for Jordan,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “We all feel for him. He was doing well in practice, competing again for the starting job, and for this to happen and to lose him for the season is just a shame.
“Jordan is a great young man, one who represents our program well, both on the field and off it as a graduate student in a tough major field of study (Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity).”
Webb completed 144-of-265 passes for 1,434 yards last season, with eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. His best game was in CU’s lone win in 2012, a 35-34 verdict at Washington State, when he threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns along with a game winning 4-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with 9 seconds remaining.
“It’s another obstacle that I have to overcome,” Webb said. “I’ve rebounded from adversity before so this is just another challenge I have to face.”
He was named CU’s starting quarterback last August 15, just ahead of the first major scrimmage of fall camp; he joined the CU program in July after completing all his degree requirements at the University of Kansas. He took advantage of an NCAA rule which allows a player to continue his career, provided if he has time remaining on his 5-year eligibility clock, and the school he transfers to has a program that is not offered at his previous university. He started 19 games for the Jayhawks.
A fifth-year senior, Webb will work with CU’s compliance office to determine if he can earn a sixth year of eligibility; his freshman year at Kansas (2009) he was redshirted, in part due to the fact that he had torn an abdominal muscle in camp and couldn’t return to practice again until well into the season.
The irony is that Webb suffered the same exact injury that wide receiver Paul Richardson did one year to the day; Richardson tore his ACL on April 9, 2012, and eventually was able to practice on a limited basis toward the end of the season, taking a medical redshirt season he had available to him. It’s much too early to know if Webb has the same kind of improvement during the rehab process if he could be available later in the year should the NCAA deem him not eligible for a sixth year of competition.
Colorado Buffaloes
David Plati
Associate AD/Sports Information
University of Colorado
357 UCB / Fieldhouse Annex #50
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
303/492-5626 (office)
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Dinwiddie, CU Men Rally To Defeat Beavers
0February 11, 2013
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Nothing came easy for the Colorado Buffaloes in Oregon, but they might like it that way – especially Spencer Dinwiddie.
On a night marked by his perfection, the Buffs rallied behind their stellar sophomore guard here Sunday to beat Oregon State 72-68 and sweep their two-game trip in the Northwest.
Dinwiddie’s long-range shooting and free throw accuracy brought CU back from a seven-point second-half deficit and kept the Buffs in prime position for a February ascent in the Pac-12 Conference.
Spencer Dinwiddie
The difference Sunday night in OSU’s antiquated Gill Coliseum, said CU coach Tad Boyle: “We had Spencer Dinwiddie and they didn’t.”
Dinwiddie scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half, helping CU to go above .500 (6-5, 16-7 overall) for the first time this season in Pac-12 play.
Dinwiddie turned in a night of perfect shooting. He hit four-of-four from beyond the three-point arc (six-of-six overall from the field) and eight-of-eight from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, including six-of-six in the last 1:41.
“I can’t remember if I’ve ever shot like that before,” Dinwiddie said. “But every shot you take you think you’re going to make. It was one of those nights.”
CU also got double-figure scoring from freshman Josh Scott (17) and senior Sabatino Chen (10).
Oregon State (2-9, 12-12) was led by Roberto Nelson with 21 points. Teammate Ahmad Starks had 20, 17 of them in the first half before CU tightened its defense on him.
The Buffs return to the Coors Events Center this week. On Thursday they face No. 7 Arizona (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network), with Arizona State visiting on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPNU).
CU started with a feverish pace, hitting its first six shots before finally missing and going up by 13 points (19-6) on a pair of free throws by Askia Booker. But the Buffs hot hands didn’t remain that way.
A 13-4 run pulled the Beavers to within 27-25 and Starks took over from there, hitting consecutive treys to tie the score at 31-31 then adding a third to give Oregon its first lead, 34-33.
The half ended that way, and whatever early momentum the Buffs had was swept away.
Starks finished the half with 17 points, hitting five of his nine three-point attempts. And it wasn’t like the Buffs hadn’t been warned: Their scouting report on Starks said he was most dangerous going to his left off the dribble – and that’s what he did on four of his five first-half treys.
In the second half, said Boyle, CU wanted to deny him the ball – and Booker helped answer that challenge. Overall, Boyle said his team didn’t play its best game – just as it didn’t in a 48-47 win on Thursday night at Oregon.
“But you’re seeing this team grow up before your eyes,” he added. “When you don’t play your best in two road games and still win, it shows you something about your players.”
Added junior forward Andre Roberson, who finished with a career-best five steals to go with his 10 rebounds and seven points: “We’ve got heart. It showed in Oregon and it showed here tonight.”
Andre Roberson
CU didn’t have a player in double figures in the first 20 minutes and was outrebounded 21-17 – 39-30 for the game. The Buffs shot 41.4 percent from the field, the Beavers 45.6. But CU got 21 points off of that many OSU turnovers while committing only nine. The Buffs also had 13 second-chance points to the Beavers’ seven.
Nelson, tied for the conference scoring lead at 18.4 points a game, had only four first-half points. But he opened the second half with a long trey from the right wing, giving the Beavers a 37-33 advantage.
The Buffs caught and passed them with a 6-0 run, going ahead 39-37 on a pair of Dinwiddie free throws with 17:51 to play. From there, it was back and forth for the next 3 minutes, with neither team able to take more than three-point lead until Joe Burton converted a three-point play with 14:22 left to send the Beavers ahead 51-47 – their largest lead of the night.
And it got larger. When Starks drained another triple from just left of the top of the key, Oregon was up 56-49 – and with 12:50 remaining the Buffs were entering dangerous territory. No matter; they had been there before and survived.
CU crept to within two (56-54) on a three-pointer by Dinwiddie over Oregon’s 2-3 zone and a transition basket by Scott. Just under 3 minutes later, Dinwiddie got another triple and the Buffs suddenly were down just a point (58-57).
Then a short shootout began.
After Oregon freshman Olaf Schaftenaar answered with a trey, restoring the Beavers’ four-point lead, Dinwiddie struck again from beyond the arc and pulled the Buffs to within 63-62. Roberson made one of two free throws with 3:23 showing to tie the score at 63-63.
CU freshman Xavier Johnson’s tip-dunk at the 2:20 mark put CU ahead (65-63) for the first time in nearly 14 minutes, and the Buffs might have been flashing back to their final-minute win (48-47) in Eugene on Thursday night.
Dinwiddie made both ends of a one-and-one with 1:41 left, giving CU a 67-63 lead. But on the other end, he fouled Nelson beyond the arc, and Nelson’s three free throws cut the Buffs’ lead to 67-66.
At 1:10, Boyle called a timeout. With 3 seconds showing on the shot clock and 52.9 on the game clock, Dinwiddie was fouled and hit both ends of his one-and-one for a 69-66 lead.
Oregon missed, Roberson rebounded and Booker was fouled with 29.1 seconds to play. Making one of two foul shots, he put CU ahead 70-66, but Nelson scored in the lane to pull Oregon to within 70-68 with 16.7 seconds left.
Fouled by Nelson on the inbounds pass, Dinwiddie hit both free throws and the Buffs were up 72-68 with 14.2 seconds showing. Oregon’s Eric Moreland missed at point blank range, Roberson rebounded and was tied up.
The possession arrow favored the Buffs – and this one was done.
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CU Men Beat California-Berkeley Bears, Reach .500 In Pac-12
0January 27, 2013
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – It was a steep climb out and the trail only gets steeper, but the Colorado Buffaloes finally surfaced on Sunday at the Coors Events Center. Opening with another stellar defensive performance then staying above ground with a season-best effort from the free throw line, CU beat California 81-71 to even its Pac-12 Conference record at 4-4.
The Buffs began conference play 1-4, and in that nowhere-to-go-but-up context, reaching .500 “is really a positive sign,” said CU coach Tad Boyle. “But when we were 1-4, we wanted to get to 2-4 . . . we worried about the next game. But we’re not happy being 4-4; we have to win the next game and keep scratching and clawing and move our way up.”
Did we mention the trail only gets steeper?
Three consecutive road games await, beginning Saturday at Utah, followed by trips to first-place Oregon (Thursday, Feb. 7) and struggling Oregon State (Sunday, Feb. 10). The Buffs don’t return to the CEC until Feb. 14, when Arizona visits.
But with January waning, CU appears to be shaping up, even though at times Sunday it was hard to tell. Said Boyle: “The game was one of those deals where our shooting (59.6 percent) overcame a lot of other ills and some deficiencies we know we have to get better at.”
Topping his list were the 20 CU turnovers that led to 22 Cal points. There also were the Bears’ 53 second-half points – 33 of them attributable to guards Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs, who finally got untracked after nearly silent first halves and helped whittle an 18-point Buffs lead to eight in the final minute.
“We let them get closer than we should have,” Boyle said.
But in the final 60 seconds, Spencer Dinwiddie hit eight consecutive free throws to keep the Buffs afloat. For the afternoon, he hit 9-of-10, leading CU to its best foul-shooting performance of the season – 18-of-22 (81.8 percent).
Finishing with 16 points, Dinwiddie was one of four CU players in double figures. Askia Booker scored 20, Xavier Johnson added 18 and Andre Roberson 15. Johnson, a 6-6 freshman, also collected 12 rebounds for his first career double.
Roberson played only 2 first-half minutes due to foul problems and was limited to five rebounds after his 20-board performance against Stanford on Thursday. He led the nation in rebounding (11.9) entering the game.
But despite his first-half foul problems and those of Josh Scott, who missed the half’s last 7:53 after picking up his second foul, the Buffs prospered before intermission. That was mainly due to Johnson, who stepped up Roberson’s absence and got 10 of his points and eight of his rebounds before Askia Booker
the break.
“You could make a legitimate argument that he was the game’s offensive MVP,” Boyle said. “He was terrific . . . he’s really grown up.”
When Roberson went to the bench, Johnson said he “felt like I needed to help in rebounding . . . Andre is a big part (of that).”
Cal (11-8, 3-4) was led by Cobbs with 22 points – 16 in the second half, and Crabbe added 21 – 17 of those in the second half. But in combining for their 43 points, they needed almost that many shots between them – and Boyle said he could live with that: “They made some tough shots . . . if they’re going to get 43 points you want them to take 41 shots to get them.”
CU’s lock-down defense in the first half – Cal was limited to 20.6 percent from the field – and the Buffs’ overall strong board work – a 35-30 rebound advantage – created enough of a cushion before Cobbs and Crabbe began finding their groove in the final 20 minutes.
The Buffs led 34-18 at halftime and shot 50 percent from the field (13-for-26). But that percentage at times belied their offensive efficiency. After taking a nine-point lead (14-5) on consecutive treys by Booker, CU went nearly 7 minutes without scoring again.
That drought wasn’t fatal, though, because the Buffs defense nearly had the Bears clamped shut. Cal’s 18 first-half points were its lowest this season. But with Crabbe and Cobbs heating up, the Bears finished the game at 41.7 percent from the field – slightly above Boyle’s defensive goal.
“I thought we got tired,” he said. “’XJ’ was exhausted; he’s not used to playing 18 minutes in the first half. But they were tired, too . . . then when Cobbs and Crabbe started making shots, it’s amazing how that energizes you.”
Xavier Johnson
Booker (13) and Johnson (10) were CU’s only two players in double figures in the first half, while Cal had no one totaling more than six points. Crabbe (19.6 ppg) and Cobbs (14.3 ppg) were held to four and six points, respectively.
Roberson and Scott were back in the Buffs lineup to open the second half, but their return didn’t prevent the Bears from a 7-0 start to pull Cal to 34-25 in the first 1:34. Crabbe scored five of those seven points, prompting a timeout from Boyle.
On that possession, the Buffs got a layup from Johnson, then one of two free throws by Roberson to restore their double-digit lead (37-27). Three minutes later, Booker’s fourth trey of the game pushed CU ahead by 14 (46-32), and if Cal felt this one slipping away, that feeling was justified.
By the 9:05 mark, the Buffs had gone up 58-40 – matching their big lead of the afternoon – on a layup by Johnson. But with Crabbe hitting back-to-back treys, the Bears crept to within 65-54 with 4:06 to play.
Then it was Cobbs’ turn. Scoring nine consecutive points, he pulled the Bears to within nine (73-64) in the final 1:05. A trey by Tyrone Wallace got them to 75-67, but Dinwiddie was perfect on eight free throw attempts in the last minute to keep the Buffs safe.
Cal’s hot second-half shooting (60.5 percent) and closing to within eight points late, said Dinwiddie, were the result of “mental lapses. As much as you preach playing the possession, I think all of us as a team look at the scoreboard and say, ‘Look, we’re up 12, then we hit a three and we’re up 15.’
“When that starts to roll downhill a little bit and you’re only up eight, then you have to tighten the screws a little bit. Sometimes you can’t.”
Nonetheless, the win put CU in fifth place in the Pac-12, trailing Washington (4-3), the two Arizona schools (5-2), UCLA (6-2) and Oregon (7-0). Dinwiddie called the win “very important. To say you don’t look at the standings would be a lie. You don’t focus on them, but you look at them.
“We knew that people on top of us were playing each other . . . these (Stanford and Cal) are two very big wins. We’re going to look to go to Utah and just continue to win the next game.”
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Buffs Win Big, Get In The Spirit Of Giving
0December 22, 2012
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – ‘Tis the season . . .
On a name-your-score night for the Colorado Buffaloes, coach Tad Boyle was more impressed by his team’s willingness to share than its point total.
Oh, CU’s points – 98 of them – were impressive, especially considering overmatched Northern Arizona managed only 51 on Friday night at the Coors Events Center.
But by halftime, Boyle’s Buffaloes had dished out 13 assists, tying their full-game season high. Sharing the ball more effectively has been on Boyle’s mind for a couple of months, and Friday night his team offered him an early Christmas present – 24 assists.
“We played unselfish . . . we made the extra pass it was contagious on our team,” a beaming Boyle said. “It’s a great way to go into Christmas break . . . a great team victory.”
CU men played the the best team ball of the season so far
On the switches-and-ashes side, the Buffs also committed 16 turnovers. Yet at halftime, when they were up 57-21, their assist-to-turnover ratio was a sparkling 13-to-5, so Boyle couldn’t leave the building overwrought about second-half ball handling that he termed “just a little careless.”
He used all 12 of his players and 11 of them scored – five reaching double figures. Askia Booker and Xavier Johnson each had 17, with Spencer Dinwiddie adding 15, Josh Scott 11 and Andre Roberson 10. Reserves Ben Mills and Beau Gamble got in the game late and scored their first points of the season.
Said Boyle: “To give them some time and minutes was something everybody felt good about.”
Added Dinwiddie: “Everybody is happy. We had people getting off the bench. We are each other’s biggest supporters. Most of the time you see the guys on the bench supporting us (starters) and it was just a great opportunity we had to be able to support them.”
CU, improving to 9-2, has one non-league game remaining before beginning Pac-12 Conference play on Jan. 3 at No. 4 Arizona. The Buffs play Hartford on Saturday, Dec. 29. It is part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader at the Events Center, with the CU women taking on New Mexico. The men’s tip time is noon.
NAU came to Boulder with a 4-6 record, a pair of losses coming against Pac-12 opponents. The Lumberjacks lost November games at Oregon (83-73) and at Arizona (93-50), and NAU coach Jack Murphy left the CEC believing CU can compete with the upper tier Pac-12 teams.
“When they shoot the ball like they did tonight, they’ll compete with anybody in the league,” Murphy said. “I think that those three teams, and I obviously haven’t seen the other nine, but those three I’ve seen are very, very good. I know right now as it stands they have the three best records in the conference and they all are well coached.
“I think Arizona’s size will present problems for a lot of teams in the league but Colorado, they have great guard play . . . and with Roberson and Scott and the high-low action in the front court, they can be really tough to beat.”
In the run-up to Friday’s game, Boyle promised that his bench would be utilized more in the Buffs’ final two non-conference games. He held true to his promise, using 10 players in Friday’s first half as CU cruised to its 36-point lead at intermission. CU’s bench wound up outscoring NAU’s 39-11.
“We really need to get those (bench) guys going,” Boyle said. “Those guys are going to be important to us throughout the season. We know pretty much what we’re going to get from our starters.”
The Buffs’ 98 points were the second most in the Boyle era, as was their 47-point margin of victory. Their 57 first-half points were the third highest for a first half since the 1954-55 season.
Booker got CU rolling early by hitting five of his first six shots. When NAU pulled to 8-6 on an inside basket by 6-8 Max Jacobsen, Booker answered with a jumper and a layup to open a 23-2 Buffs run that effectively finished the Lumberjacks.
Boyle said it was “key for ‘Ski’ to come off . . . I was hoping he could get out of his funk.” Taking extra shots has never been an issue for Booker, said Boyle: “He’ll spend time in the gym. When he gets his mojo going, he’s pretty darn good.”
Booker said his hot start “felt pretty good,” adding that the Lumberjacks defenders were “forcing me to the baseline a lot . . . their big guys are a little slower, which allowed me to get a few more open shots.”
At the 9:18 mark, CU led 31-8 and was just getting untracked. With just over 2 minutes left before intermission, the Buffs’ lead had ballooned to 40 (55-15). Consecutive layups by Sabatino Chen got CU to 55, and along the way there were plenty of highlights, including the 6-10 freshman Scott’s first three-pointer of the season. He drained his trey from the top of the key and followed with the Buffs’ next two baskets.
CU finished the half with an eye-popping 71.4 percent from the field (25-for-35) and 60 percent from three-point range (6-for-10). The Buffs shot 66.7 percent (40-for-60) for the game – the best shooting percentage by a CU team in 23 seasons – and were at 55 percent (11-for-20 from beyond the arc.
The only area that found the Buffs lacking was their free throw shooting. They made only one of seven first-half attempts, with three of the misses spoiling opportunities for three-point plays. They finished 7-of-15 from the line.
But with all else CU was doing right, misfiring from the foul stripe was forgivable. The Buffs’ defense was stifling and their board work overwhelming; they held the Lumberjacks to 31.1 percent from the field (19-of-61) and outrebounded them 45-22.
The Buffs opened the second half with as much effort and efficiency as they did to begin the night. At the 12-minute mark, they were up by 50 (78-28) and showing no signs of easing up.
About 4 minutes later, with CU ahead 83-35, Mills – the 7-foot junior center – left the bench for only the second time this season, much to the delight of the CEC crowd. He scored his first points of the season on a layup with 4:32 to play, sending CU up 90-39.
Boyle completed the emptying of his bench by inserting Gamble, a sophomore guard who attended Fairview High School, with 5:33 remaining. Gamble got in the scoring column with a three-pointer in the final 90 seconds.
The Buffs missed an opportunity to reach 100 points for the first time this season, but really didn’t care. They dribbled out the final 16 seconds without taking a shot. The crowd wasn’t overly pleased – but the displeasure passed quickly.
CU now has a four-day Christmas break, which Boyle called “an eternity” compared to previous holiday off periods he has experienced. “The most I’ve ever had was maybe three days,” he said. “These guys will have to do some cardio work at home; they can’t sit on the couch and eat ham and turkey. I trust our guys.”
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Jayhawks Make It An Ugly Afternoon For Buffs
0December 8, 2012
By B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After seven previous games, Kansas’ inclusion in the Top Ten might have been debatable in a few college basketball circles. After game eight, let the debate cease – at least from the Colorado Buffaloes’ perspective.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk – and with great feeling.
No. 9 KU rocked, rolled and romped over CU on Saturday in historic Allen Fieldhouse, burying the Buffs 90-54 in a beatdown for the visitors that was reminiscent of other times in other conferences.
CU dropped to 7-2, with a Wednesday trip to Fresno State next up. KU improved to 7-1, winning its 26th consecutive home game.
It was hardly the kind of return CU coach Tad Boyle, a 1985 KU grad, had in mind when the Buffs – now members of the Pac-12 Conference after leaving the Big 12 two years ago – rekindled a two-year series with KU.
The Jayhawks visit the Coors Events Center next season, and the Buffs undoubtedly left raucous Allen Fieldhouse late Saturday afternoon already dreaming of payback.
Boyle remained winless (0-4) against his alma mater and CU lost in Lawrence for the 29th consecutive time. The series stands at lopsided 123-39 in KU’s favor, including a nasty 62-7 edge in the Jayhawks’ 16,300-seat home. The Buffs last won here (75-74) on Feb. 10, 1983, when Boyle was a KU sophomore.
Freshman Josh Scott led CU with 19 points, 11 in the first half, while Askia Booker added 15. Booker had been held to six points in each of the last two games.
KU had four players in double figures, topped by Ben McLemore’s 24. He had 17 in the first half as the Jayhawks surged to a 21-point lead at intermission. KU outscored CU 46-26 in the paint and converted 18 CU turnovers into 26 points. The Jayhawks also got 16 second-chance points to the Buffs’ six and outscored CU’s bench 21-8.
Halftime brought the kind of score the Buffs had experienced in their last game, but this time they were on the other side of it – the bad side. KU led by 21 (43-22), pretty much the opposite of how CU had started on Wednesday night in rolling to a 20-point halftime lead against Colorado State.
KU’s 43 points were the most allowed in a first half by CU this season, while the Buffs’ 22 points were their lowest first-half total of the season.
How best to describe the Buffs’ start? Try slow and sloppy. Before the game was 4 minutes old, they had committed four of their 12 first-half turnovers and trailed 14-3. The Jayhawks converted those dozen turnovers into 22 of their first-half points while committing only two errors themselves.
The Allen Fieldhouse faithful was in full voice and just getting revved up.
At the 16:16 mark, CU guard Spencer Dinwiddie went down with an apparent ankle injury, went to the locker room and didn’t get back on the court until 10:08 remained before intermission. He scored immediately, hitting a jumper from the left wing, but those were his only two points of the half. He entered the game averaging 25.2 points over his last three games and finished Saturday with four.
His shot made the score 29-13 and ignited a 7-0 run that brought the Buffs to within 29-18. The Jayhawks might have sensed a slight stirring – and it didn’t please them. A 9-0 run followed, sending KU up by 20 (38-18) with 4 minutes left in the half.
Scott scored four of his team-high 11 first-half points in the final 31/2 minutes, but down by 21, the Buffs had an uphill climb facing them in the final 20 minutes.
And rather than gaining a foothold to open the second half, CU’s slippage continued. KU opened with a 6-0 run, went up by 27 (49-22) and elicited a timeout by Boyle with 18:07 to play.
It didn’t help.
After the Buffs turned it over on that possession, the Jayhawks got another McLemore basket and led by 29 (51-22) before Booker finally got CU’s first second-half points on a layup. But by then, the afternoon’s tone had been established – and it wasn’t a pretty one for the visitors.
The Buffs trailed by 42 before it was all over.
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Buffs Ice Down Falcons, Remain Unbeaten
0November 26, 2012
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – Here’s the way Tad Boyle sees a night against an opponent as hot as Air Force was in Sunday’s first half: “If they’re going to make jump shots, shoot threes, over our hands for 40 minutes, then after the game we’ll shake hands and congratulate them.”
At game’s end at the Coors Events Center, Boyle’s Colorado Buffaloes did indeed wind up shaking hands with the Falcons at mid-court – but it wasn’t because the visitors’ long-range marksmanship continued.
Air Force cooled off and CU rolled on. Impressively. The No. 23 Buffs remained unbeaten by zooming past the previously unbeaten Falcons 89-74 for their first 5-0 start since the 1989-90 season.
Roberson returns to form with a double-double
“I think people understand now about Air Force and why we were nervous after the first half,” Boyle said. “They’re well-disciplined, well-coached . . . we did a great job of taking away their layups, but it’s pick your poison against Air Force.”
AFA (5-1) shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from beyond the arc in the first half, but still trailed 41-39. In the second half, with the Buffs putting more defensive emphasis on getting around/through flair screens and ball screens – and believing the visiting shooters couldn’t stay that torrid – the Falcons cooled to a more earthly 25 percent (4-of-16) from three-point range.
The Falcons finished the game at 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from long range, with the Buffs at 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) for the night. But CU had more of everything: the Buffs made the board battle a joke, winning it 46-19; they dominated in the paint, 40-18; they had 18 second-chance points to the Falcons’ four; and they sank 22-of-28 free throws. That last stat came after players shot 100 free throws each for a couple of practices preceding the Falcons’ trip north.
CU freshman Josh Scott got 20 points
Freshman post Josh Scott posted his first 20-point night at CU, junior forward Andre Roberson got back in his double-double groove (18 points, 13 rebounds) and the sophomore backcourt of Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker contributed 15 points each.
“This team, when we’re balanced, we have lot of different weapons,” Boyle said. Of the 6-10 Scott’s performance, he added, “He’s a great post player; he showed signs of why he was so highly regarded . . . his shot is not always the prettiest, but it goes in. Our guys believe in Josh.”
Scott said the Buffs’ standard plan is to work inside out “to me, Dre (Roberson) or ‘X’ (Xavier Johnson) . . . that’s always a constant thing.”
Just a guess, but CU Boyle’s message at halftime probably centered on making life a little more difficult for the Falcons’ marksmen.
They came to Boulder averaging 10.2 treys a game, and by intermission they were just about there, hitting eight of 14 (57 percent).
Still, CU led 41-39, matching AFA’s percentage from behind the arc but just not attempting or hitting as many (four of seven). Instead, the Buffs got their points in a variety of ways from a variety of players. Boyle used 10 players in the first 20 minutes, and nine of them scored.
Before the Falcons’ barrage of threes – they made six in the first half’s final 10 minutes – the Buffs had taken an eight-point lead (19-11) and appeared to have the visitors on their heels. Not so.
Air Force came soaring back behind Todd Fletcher, who scored nine consecutive points to bring his team to within three (23-20). Then, a DeLovell Earls three-pointer tied the score with 10:41 remaining before intermission. From there, CU managed to go up by as many as five (36-31), but AFA stayed hot from behind the arc in the final 4:30, hitting its last two treys to trail by only two at the break.
The second half’s most immediate questions: Would the Air Force cool off, or could CU make that happen? Yes and yes.
Said Scott: “I thought they were definitely going to get tired and were not going to make those shots in the second half. We were contesting them.”
Added Roberson: “They came out hot . . . but they wouldn’t be able to do it for all 40 minutes.”
Halfway through the final 20 minutes, the Falcons had added three more treys to their total – but they weren’t sizzling. And the Buffs had rolled to their largest advantage of the night (67-58) to that point. They used a 9-2 run highlighted by an Eli Stalzer trey against the AFA zone and a Roberson steal/stuff that juiced up the crowd of 10,607.
At the 7:47 mark, CU had gone ahead by 10 (71-61) on a pair of Dinwiddie free throws. Another pair from Scott and a nifty layup by Booker with 5:19 to play opened a 14-point CU advantage (75-61).
To catch up, the Falcons would have to go on another three-point binge, but it didn’t happen. The Buffs steadily pulled away.
CU plays Texas Southern Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
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CU girds up for Thursday night, televised football game
0October 9, 2012
CU community prepares for Oct. 11
football game vs. Arizona State University. Parking, heavy traffic are concerns.
The University of Colorado Buffaloes will play Arizona State University on Thursday, Oct. 11, at Folsom Field. The 7 p.m. game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive well before the 7 p.m. kickoff to avoid congestion at the ticket gates.
The CU-Boulder main campus will operate on a normal schedule, including classes and offices. Programs located in Folsom Stadium and in some nearby locations — particularly the Duane, Benson, Muenzinger, MCDB and Porter buildings — will have additional restrictions placed on them late that day. Every effort has been made to mitigate disruptions to normal Thursday afternoon schedules.
In order to ensure public safety, CU Police and security will have a robust presence in and around the stadium and visibly intoxicated or disruptive fans will be refused entry or ejected from the stadium. Fans can report unruly or dangerous behavior by texting CU a brief message and their seat location to 69050.
With thousands of additional people in Boulder and on campus for the game during a work and school day, traffic is expected to be especially heavy. Walking, riding a bicycle or taking public transportation to campus for classes and work on game day, and to the game, is strongly suggested.
RTD’s BuffRide will be operating throughout the Denver metro area. Buses start departing about two hours and 30 minutes before kickoff from Park-n-Ride locations. For Park-n-Ride locations and fare information visit http://www.rtd-denver.com.
Game day parking on campus will be very limited with public parking only available for persons with disabilities. Fans driving to Boulder are encouraged to use the Foothills Parkway exit to Colorado Avenue to access paid public parking at CU’s Research Park at Colorado Avenue and 33rd Street. Parking is $10 a space and CU Buff Buses will shuttle fans to Folsom Field.
Fans also may access free parking in the tri-level parking structure on the east side of the 29th Street Mall. Paid public parking is also available in downtown Boulder. Game attendees can ride the HOP bus route to Folsom Field for $2.25 each way from either location.
Beginning at 3 p.m., game day traffic management will close Colorado Avenue and 18th Street to bus service and vehicle traffic. Bus stops located on Colorado Avenue and 18th Street will be inaccessible to bus routes during this time and buses will be re-routed to stops along Regent Drive.
For more details on game day parking and transportation information visit http://www.colorado.edu/pts/content/101112-asu-football-game andhttp://www.cubuffs.com/gameday.
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Pac 12 Football Media Day: Colorado Buffaloes
0July 24, 2012
by David LaRose, Rant Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea- US PRESSWIRE
The Pac 12 conference held it’s annual media day today in Los Angeles, California with all 12 teams being represented by their head coach and an offensive and defensive player. The Colorado Buffaloes were represented by 2nd year head coach Jon Embree, OT David Bakhtiari and FS Ray Polk.
Here’s the takeaway from what the coach and players had to say:
1) Colorado’s goal is to return to a bowl game. The Buffs finished last season with some momentum, winning two of their last three games and winning their first road game in over four seasons. They had the toughest schedule in the country a year ago but this season there is the possibility of getting off to a strong start and potentially scratching out some victories later in the season to secure a bowl game berth. They will be very young, which is concerning because they don’t know how quickly incoming freshmen will adapt to the next level. However, if the younger guys quickly get the hang of things they have the potential to make it to their first bowl game in five years.
2) There is cautious optimism concerning Paul Richardson’s return this season. The star wide receiver tore his ACL in spring practice and was initially ruled out for the entire upcoming season. However, since his surgery Richardson has been moving well and ha slowly started to participate in more rigorous drills. It’s still unclear if he will be back this season but it’s looking like that could be a possibility due to his rapid healing. In my opinion I don’t think he should play this season even if he is cleared by the doctors and training staff. I think it would be in his best interest to sit out a year, take a medical redshirt and come back fully healthy next season when the Buffs will be more improved. With that said, Colorado is lacking offensive weapons so having Richardson in the starting lineup would be a plus.
3) The quarterback competition is going to be a three-man race this fall. No surprise there as this is what we have known since spring practices. Connor Wood, Nick Hirschman and Jordan Webb will be the three guys competing to become the signal caller for the Buffs this fall and it is expected to be an intense battle. Hirschman broke his foot before spring practices started so that allowed Wood to have all the first team reps in practice. It ended up helping both players because, as Embree said, Hirschman needed to work on the mental part of his game while Wood needed more practice reps. Incoming Kansas transfer Jordan Webb will be able to play this season because he enrolled at CU as a grad student, already having graduated from Kansas with eligibility left. Word around the Buffs program is that Webb may be the front runner to win the competition due to his previous starting experience. Although he didn’t put up gaudy numbers in Lawrence he still has a full season of experience under his belt and that can come in handy when trying to lead the youngest team in the country.
4) The CU-Utah rivalry is mostly media driven. Sure it’s easy to assume that CU and Utah will become rivals due to their geographical similarities and the way CU beat Utah in Salt Lake last year, preventing the Utes from representing the South division in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship Game. But that’s not necessarily the case according to the players. Both Polk and Bakhtiari said that they want their rival to be the best team in the conference and Utah isn’t really that team yet. The Buffs and Utes had an intense rivalry back in the 1960′s but a lengthy hiatus put a halt to that. It’s not to say that the two teams won’t eventually become rivals but as of right now CU is still trying to find its place in their new conference so their new rival is still to be determined.
5) The Buffs will be very young and inexperienced at almost every position this fall. Anytime a program loses 28 players to graduation they are expected to be very young the next season and that’s certainly the case for CU. At almost every skill position the Buffs will be inexperienced, especially in the offensive backfield. The QB situation is still undecided, Tony Jones is an effective runner but hasn’t played a significant amount up to this point and there is plenty of room for incoming freshman to play significant minutes at wide receiver. The same thing can be said for the defensive backfield. Five incoming players will be battling for positions at cornerback and strong safety alongside Polk. Yuri Wright is probably the highest touted incoming defensive back but positions are still up for grabs and any one of those players has a chance to win them.
The college football season is quickly approaching and now that the Pac 12 media day is over, Colorado is only 13 days away from opening fall camp!
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