Can it really be? Could college basketball be bigger than college football right here in Colorado? Really?
Let’s face it; it’s been a miserable football season. Between them, Colorado, Colorado State and Northern Colorado have won SIX football games. Total. That’s not just bad…that’s dreadful. So even though this is football country, it seems logical that local fans would be looking for some relief from their favorite basketball squads.
There’s a good reason. We’re coming off a terrific 2010-2011 season that saw all three programs take giant leaps forward and provide local fans with their first glimpse of what the future of hoops could hold in this region. UNC won the Big Sky Conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. They gave powerful San Diego State a good battle before bowing out.
Colorado State was having a great season and looked like a tourney lock before faltering down the stretch and landing in the NIT. The University of Colorado finished strong and should have been selected for the NCAA tournament, but was snubbed somehow (for you conspiracy theorists out there, you can note that the Big 12 Commissioner at the time, Dan Beebe, was in no mood to do the Buffs any favors…and just happened to be on the selection committee…just sayin’…). The Buffs resume was much stronger than several teams that were selected…but CU ended up in the NIT as well.
So all three local teams played some post season ball last year. That can only mean that more is expected this year. Hence the excitement for hoops during a miserable football season.
Thus far, it has not been a disappointment. CU toppled Air Force and Georgia while CSU was winning a couple games in the pre season NIT. The two schools then met in Fort Collins to see who would have bragging rights – at least until the Rams face UNC in a couple of weeks – for this season.
An exciting game came down to the wire, with CU missing a potential game winning three pointer and the Rams prevailing 65-64. You can’t ask for much more on the excitement meter.
Hopefully this is just the appetizer. There are many more big games to come. CSU visits Duke in a few days. The Buffs have their new conference foes in the Pac 12 straight ahead. While the Rams are probably a big man away from contending for the MW crown (remember, UNLV is in the Mountain West and just knocked off top ranked North Carolina) and an NCAA berth this year, they are fun to watch and will be somewhere in the post season. CU has a more than legit shot at the NCAA tournament this season, and will likely be a factor in the Pac 12 race before it’s over. UNC has to replace their best player, Devon Beitzel, but it’s a program on the rise that certainly has a shot at repeating as Big Sky champs and going back to the NCAA’s.
Aren’t you glad that football season is finally over?
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