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Colorado goes to Vegas for the postseason tournament

Just like we imagined before the season started, the Colorado Buffaloes are still playing basketball in April.

It’s not the Final Four, nor is it a deep run into the NIT, but the inaugural College Basksetball Classic. This is a week-long tournament set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The field is quite strong, as a number of teams turned down NIT bids to play in this tournament.

The Buffs begin play later today, as they take on the Villanova Wildcats at 6:30 PM (MT) on FS1. Nova made news this past week as they poached Maryland coach Kevin Willard while the Terps were in Sweet Sixteen. That could mean the Wildcats are distracted, or it could mean interim coach Mike Nardi will have his senior-heavy squad playing like it’s their last chance to prove themselves after a disappointing season.

Villanova finished 19-14 overall and 11-9 in Big East play. It doesn’t look like a bad season, especially compared to CU’s 14-20 record, but it was fair to fire Kyle Neptune considering their NIL budget and championship expectations. In any case, their individual players are quite good, as they’re led by fifth-year senior Eric Dixon (23 points, 5 rebounds per game) and Miami transfer Wooga Poplar (14.5 points, 7 rebounds).

The Buffs’ roster is uncertain. While Courtney Anderson and Harrison Carrington have left the program, they were merely fringe players who will seek more minutes elsewhere. More significant is that Tad Boyle will likely focus on the players who will be around next year, meaning the current senior class is in danger of losing their minutes. Those players would be Julian Hammond, Javon Ruffin, Trevor Baskin and Andrej Jakimovski, plus potentially Elijah Malone as he has one more year to play. Maybe Tad plays everyone like usual, or maybe he cuts one or two of them from the rotation, but we should learn more about next season’s roster.

This could be burying the lede, but it’s also important that Bangot Dak has (so far) remained in Boulder. He’s our most promising player and many people around the program feared he would be poached by a stronger, richer program. There’s still a chance he transfers later in the summer, but for now it looks like he’s here to stay.

by Sam Metivier
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Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

The fun police are at it again.

The fun police are back at it again.

The NCAA has declined a waiver to allow the proposed Colorado vs. Syracuse spring game and joint practices in Boulder in April, per sources.

In a press conference last week, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders told the media that he wants to hold NFL-style joint practices with another school during the spring practice period, capping off with a spring game against said school. Syracuse head coach Fran Brown heard Sanders’ idea and wanted in, offering to fly the Orange out to Boulder for three days to practice against the Buffs.

The two schools’ athletics departments sent a waiver to the NCAA at the end of last week seeking permission to hold a joint practice, which has not been done before at the college level. After discussing the matter, the NCAA made the choice to decline the waiver, citing lack of timing, potential recruiting advantages and academic impact from being away from campus in the spring as primary reasons.

Unfortunately, there will be no Colorado vs. Syracuse spring game. However, the NCAA did say that they will revisit the topic of allowing joint practices at a later date. The silver lining is that the Buffs and Orange may have gotten the ball rolling. Perhaps next season we’ll get Sanders vs. Brown in Boulder, but not this April.

by RylandScholes
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December 3, 2022 (the hiring of Coach Prime) was a big day in the history of CU football ... March 28, 2025, may also go down as a huge day, with CU announcing to the college football world that the Buffs wish to remain relevant nationally ...

Stuart
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Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Coach Prime is staying in Boulder

After many months of speculation and rumors, it’s finally official: Deion Sanders is staying in Boulder.

On Wednesday night, CU’s Board of Regents unanimously approved a five-year, $54 million extension for Sanders, keeping him at Colorado through the 2029 season.

After leading Colorado from a 1-11 season to 9-4 in only two seasons after taking the helm, the brass at CU has decided to make Coach Prime one of the highest-paid coaches in all of college football.

Sanders is now set to make $10 million in 2025 and 2026, $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and $12 million in 2029. He averages an annual salary of $10.8 million, making him the fifth high-paid coach in the country, behind only Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Sanders’ five-year, $29 million contract when he got to Boulder in 2023 was record-breaking at the time, but this new deal has wholly shattered it. Colorado has hitched their wagon to their guy, committing to sustained football success and keeping Prime in Boulder long-term.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to continue building something special at Colorado,” Sanders said in a press release. “We’ve just scratched the surface of what this program can be. It’s not just about football; it’s about developing young men who are ready to take on the world. I’m committed to bringing greatness to this university, on and off the field. We’ve got work to do here, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here, making history with these incredible players and this passionate fanbase. Lastly, anybody got at least a five-bedroom home with acreage for sale?”

by RylandScholes
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Will Marshall Faulk and Andre Gurode make the difference in CU's last-in-the-nation rushing attack? ... Will the new additions to the defensive line staff create one of the best defensive lines in the nation? ... Let's find out ...

Stuart
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