It’s game day ladies & gentlemen. And with the first game of the season, we’re wrapping up our five part roundtable discussion here on AllBuffs. Before we go any further, I can’t say enough nice things about everyone who participated in this, and I encourage all of you to bookmark their blogs, follow them on twitter and join their facebook pages. Once again, along with both Buffnik and myself, we were joined by:
* Zach Bell, The Ralphie Report – Zach is a co-founder of The Slipper Still Fits, the leading authority on Gonzaga basketball. He has also covered Pac-10/12 basketball and recruiting for the Stanford Cardinal Rivals site CardinalReport.com. In 2011, the lifelong Colorado native will also be sharing his thoughts and opinions on Colorado Buffaloes basketball and recruiting at The Ralphie Report.
* RumblinBuff – A lot of you know him as “that one blogging guy”. Rumblin’ has one of the best Buffs blogs on the internet – not only because of its sports content, but also because of his weekly beer posts. You can also get tons of Buffs goodness (with the occasional White Sox comment) from his twitter feed.
* Tyler Ziskin – The man who started a facebook group for fans to support the CU Basketball program is one of the most knowledgeable fans on the internet. His passion for the program is almost unsurpassed, and his Twitter feed is always entertaining, even when he’s (justifiably) making fun of my beloved Broncos.
In case you missed any of the previous days, here’s your chance to catch up.
* Monday, November 7[SUP]th[/SUP] – The PAC-12
* Tuesday, November 8[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in 2011-12 (Part 1)
* Wednesday, November 9[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in 2011-12 (Part 2)
* Thursday, November 10[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in the Future (Part 1)
* Friday, November 11[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in the Future (Part 2)
Today we’re getting out our crystal balls and looking into the “big picture future” for the Buffs. Where are they going to be in three years? Can they ever be a title contender? Also, today’s poll question is a familiar one as we’ve asked it two separate times here on AllBuffs, and I’m curious to see if the results have changed over the last two months so make sure you vote!
What do you think CU’s scheduling strategy should be now and into the future?
Tyler Ziskin – This year's non-conference schedule is definitely a large step in the right direction. We play three local opponents in Wyo, CSU, and Air Force, and would love to see that continue. Not sure we want to be playing 2 of them on the road, but that will happen from time to time. While I do appreciate our willingness to play in early season tournaments, we aren't quite ready from a competition standpoint yet. I hope we continue to be a part of them because our talent is improving each and every year. I'd love to see a home and home with a power conference opponent each year... we've done that with Georgia and I'd love to see us move to other power conferences going forward, setting up annual games with teams from the ACC/Big 10/Big XII/Big East. As we learned last year, you need to have easy wins on the schedule, but too many bunnies will crush your tourney dreams.
RumblinBuff – If last year taught Buff Nation one thing, it was that RPI means a whole lot if you’re competing for a bubble slot in the Tournament. I think we’ve done a much better job this season than in past years filling the schedule with RPI boosters, rather than anchors, but we need to continue the process of beefing up the traditionally lifeless non-conference schedule.
I’d like to continue to see more dates scheduled with schools from Mid-Majors like the MVC, WCC and the Mountain West. They’re good RPI boosters. Especially stop playing so many mid-December games against teams from the damn SWAC.
For specific teams I’d like to see on the schedule: I really like the front range approach: play a bunch of 1-for-1 or 2-for-1 series with the likes of Air Force, Wyoming, Denver, New Mexico, etc. It lends to some further regional exposure, and allows me to drive to some away games. I’d also like to see some marquee dates against our former Big-8 brethren (you can forget UT). Basketball scheduling is easier than football scheduling, and I’d like a few more bites at the OU, KU, KSU, and Mizzou apples.
Buffnik – I think that the 2011 schedule is appropriate. We need to schedule for wins while also having some winnable challenges and some local rivalry games where we are at risk for being upset. We need a non-conference schedule that gets us enough wins that a .500 record in the Pac-12 could put us in the Tourney. We avoided too many of the +200 RPI teams like we loaded up on in 2010.
In the future, the schedule difficulty should grow with the success of the program. I'd love to see us playing games against the elite programs, but only when we get to the point where the games would be expected to be close enough to nationally televise. We're not there yet. The next step, I think, is to avoid any non-conference opponents from outside the RPI 150 while continuing to play in a great early season tournament that boosts our schedule and appeals to recruits (good road trips and exposure).
Zach Bell – CU has learned the hard way that soft scheduling can kill you with the selection committee. In the Pac-12, the Buffs don’t need to do much more than what they are, however. Establishing two or three home and homes with other BCS-conference teams is all the program needs to do.
Goose – Right now, I like what the team is doing. I’d love to see more local games (CSU, DU, UNC, Wyoming, Air Force, etc.) and I’d also like to slowly expand our footprint (Wichita State, New Mexico). Along with that, I’d love to get to the point where we could have one marquee game every non-con. I’d love to see the Buffs play at North Carolina, Duke or Kentucky. And yes, I would go to that game. Other than that, build the confidence without hurting the RPI.
Where do you see CU basketball in 3 years?
RumblinBuff – For me, that question boils down to “is Tad Boyle still coaching in Boulder?” If he is, we may see this program seriously compete for Pac-12 titles come 2014-15. If not, then the whole thing is up in the air. The foundation is still being set, I’d hate to see it disturbed before it matures.
Buffnik – In 3 years, I see CU as a program that's expected to make the NCAA Tournament and get out of the first round. I think we'll be about where Turgeon had Texas A&M where 20-25 wins was the expectation.
Zach Bell – In the top half of the Pac-12 and in the big dance. I’d love to say ‘winning the Pac-12’ but Arizona, UCLA, and Washington all looked poised to be extremely strong in the coming years. The Pac-12 could quickly become a 5-6 bid league year in, year out provided it keeps its current stable of coaches.
Goose – A few months ago, I would have said we would be a team that would make a tournament every year, but it would probably be 2/3 NIT and 1/3 NCAA. Now? I’m starting to think that we could become a perennial tournament team for the Big Dance. UCLA & Arizona are always going to have the history that keeps them as a perennial contender, but I think we could conceivably be the #3 team in the Pac-12 most years with an occasional conference championship.
Tyler Ziskin – The Buffs will be solidified into the top half of the Pac 12 and a legitimate NCAA tournament team. Colorado is always a tough opponent in Boulder, but we need to be a legit threat on the road as well. If we can get that solved by 2014... man, we could really be special.
What is the ceiling for this program?
Zach Bell – There really are no ceilings in college basketball. The NCAA Tournament allows for a team to get hot at the right time and make a run to win it all. No one, not even the biggest Butler fan in the country, would have expected the Bulldogs to be in back-to-back title games. If Tad can keep bringing in elite talent and putting out consistent results, there is no telling what this program can do. So much of it relies on the administration being able and willing to keep Tad and continuing to grow with the success of the program. For most Buffs fans, that is the biggest worry.
Tyler Ziskin – I'm not sure we'll ever be a consistent Top 25 team but I don't see any reason this program can't be in the tournament 6-7 times every 10 years. Tad Boyle is a monster and as long as we can keep him in Boulder, no one will see Colorado basketball as a guaranteed win. I'm not going to come out here and say I expect to see a national title in Boulder, because that's unlikely, but we can be a very consistent team, in the mold of a Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, or a Washington.
Buffnik – Is there a ceiling? Becoming an elite program like Arizona did is highly unlikely, but Boulder in 2011 is a hell of a lot easier to recruit to than Tucson in the late 1970s when that was built. Or we can look at the University of Wisconsin. They went from nowhere to being in the Dance every year for almost 2 straight decades. We can be as good as we want to be.
Goose – I think a good comparison would be Maryland. They’re never the “favorites” in the ACC because they have Duke & North Carolina, but they still won a lot. And they got a championship. I’m not saying CU could be national champs, but it’s certainly a lot more likely now than it was even 6 months ago.
RumblinBuff – That’s an interesting question. CU is never going to be a Duke or a Kansas; constantly top-10, attracting more talent than it can possibly find minutes for. What CU can be, however, is a top-40 program that sends teams to the Tournament more often than not. There’s not really a regional rival for CU in the sport, so there’s room to grow and thrive should the will and finances continue to be there.
A few years of focused leadership have already shown us how “easy” it is to get a program headed in the right direction. It can also be washed away as quickly with a string of bad luck. Some facility upgrades, a good coach, and one diamond-in-the-rough prospect have begun to turn heads, it’s now a simple matter of maintaining momentum.
Once again, thanks to everyone who helped with this roundtable. I highly recommend following all of these people on twitter, reading their blogs and joining their facebook groups. I also want to thank everyone that took the time to read & comment on each of these. Now I hope to see all of you tonight at the Coors Event Center as our Buffs take on Fort Lewis.
GO BUFFS!
For more info, make sure you check out the following:
* Buffnik’s Twitter feed
* Goose’s Twitter feed
* The Ralphie Report
* The Ralphie Report on Twitter
* The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo
* Rumblin’s Twitter feed
* Tyler Ziskin’s Twitter feed
* Fans & Students Who Support CU Buffs Basketball
* CUBuffs.com
* CU Buffs on Twitter
* CU Men’s Basketball on Twitter
* Zach Bell, The Ralphie Report – Zach is a co-founder of The Slipper Still Fits, the leading authority on Gonzaga basketball. He has also covered Pac-10/12 basketball and recruiting for the Stanford Cardinal Rivals site CardinalReport.com. In 2011, the lifelong Colorado native will also be sharing his thoughts and opinions on Colorado Buffaloes basketball and recruiting at The Ralphie Report.
* RumblinBuff – A lot of you know him as “that one blogging guy”. Rumblin’ has one of the best Buffs blogs on the internet – not only because of its sports content, but also because of his weekly beer posts. You can also get tons of Buffs goodness (with the occasional White Sox comment) from his twitter feed.
* Tyler Ziskin – The man who started a facebook group for fans to support the CU Basketball program is one of the most knowledgeable fans on the internet. His passion for the program is almost unsurpassed, and his Twitter feed is always entertaining, even when he’s (justifiably) making fun of my beloved Broncos.
In case you missed any of the previous days, here’s your chance to catch up.
* Monday, November 7[SUP]th[/SUP] – The PAC-12
* Tuesday, November 8[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in 2011-12 (Part 1)
* Wednesday, November 9[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in 2011-12 (Part 2)
* Thursday, November 10[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in the Future (Part 1)
* Friday, November 11[SUP]th[/SUP] – CU in the Future (Part 2)
Today we’re getting out our crystal balls and looking into the “big picture future” for the Buffs. Where are they going to be in three years? Can they ever be a title contender? Also, today’s poll question is a familiar one as we’ve asked it two separate times here on AllBuffs, and I’m curious to see if the results have changed over the last two months so make sure you vote!
What do you think CU’s scheduling strategy should be now and into the future?
Tyler Ziskin – This year's non-conference schedule is definitely a large step in the right direction. We play three local opponents in Wyo, CSU, and Air Force, and would love to see that continue. Not sure we want to be playing 2 of them on the road, but that will happen from time to time. While I do appreciate our willingness to play in early season tournaments, we aren't quite ready from a competition standpoint yet. I hope we continue to be a part of them because our talent is improving each and every year. I'd love to see a home and home with a power conference opponent each year... we've done that with Georgia and I'd love to see us move to other power conferences going forward, setting up annual games with teams from the ACC/Big 10/Big XII/Big East. As we learned last year, you need to have easy wins on the schedule, but too many bunnies will crush your tourney dreams.
RumblinBuff – If last year taught Buff Nation one thing, it was that RPI means a whole lot if you’re competing for a bubble slot in the Tournament. I think we’ve done a much better job this season than in past years filling the schedule with RPI boosters, rather than anchors, but we need to continue the process of beefing up the traditionally lifeless non-conference schedule.
I’d like to continue to see more dates scheduled with schools from Mid-Majors like the MVC, WCC and the Mountain West. They’re good RPI boosters. Especially stop playing so many mid-December games against teams from the damn SWAC.
For specific teams I’d like to see on the schedule: I really like the front range approach: play a bunch of 1-for-1 or 2-for-1 series with the likes of Air Force, Wyoming, Denver, New Mexico, etc. It lends to some further regional exposure, and allows me to drive to some away games. I’d also like to see some marquee dates against our former Big-8 brethren (you can forget UT). Basketball scheduling is easier than football scheduling, and I’d like a few more bites at the OU, KU, KSU, and Mizzou apples.
Buffnik – I think that the 2011 schedule is appropriate. We need to schedule for wins while also having some winnable challenges and some local rivalry games where we are at risk for being upset. We need a non-conference schedule that gets us enough wins that a .500 record in the Pac-12 could put us in the Tourney. We avoided too many of the +200 RPI teams like we loaded up on in 2010.
In the future, the schedule difficulty should grow with the success of the program. I'd love to see us playing games against the elite programs, but only when we get to the point where the games would be expected to be close enough to nationally televise. We're not there yet. The next step, I think, is to avoid any non-conference opponents from outside the RPI 150 while continuing to play in a great early season tournament that boosts our schedule and appeals to recruits (good road trips and exposure).
Zach Bell – CU has learned the hard way that soft scheduling can kill you with the selection committee. In the Pac-12, the Buffs don’t need to do much more than what they are, however. Establishing two or three home and homes with other BCS-conference teams is all the program needs to do.
Goose – Right now, I like what the team is doing. I’d love to see more local games (CSU, DU, UNC, Wyoming, Air Force, etc.) and I’d also like to slowly expand our footprint (Wichita State, New Mexico). Along with that, I’d love to get to the point where we could have one marquee game every non-con. I’d love to see the Buffs play at North Carolina, Duke or Kentucky. And yes, I would go to that game. Other than that, build the confidence without hurting the RPI.
Where do you see CU basketball in 3 years?
RumblinBuff – For me, that question boils down to “is Tad Boyle still coaching in Boulder?” If he is, we may see this program seriously compete for Pac-12 titles come 2014-15. If not, then the whole thing is up in the air. The foundation is still being set, I’d hate to see it disturbed before it matures.
Buffnik – In 3 years, I see CU as a program that's expected to make the NCAA Tournament and get out of the first round. I think we'll be about where Turgeon had Texas A&M where 20-25 wins was the expectation.
Zach Bell – In the top half of the Pac-12 and in the big dance. I’d love to say ‘winning the Pac-12’ but Arizona, UCLA, and Washington all looked poised to be extremely strong in the coming years. The Pac-12 could quickly become a 5-6 bid league year in, year out provided it keeps its current stable of coaches.
Goose – A few months ago, I would have said we would be a team that would make a tournament every year, but it would probably be 2/3 NIT and 1/3 NCAA. Now? I’m starting to think that we could become a perennial tournament team for the Big Dance. UCLA & Arizona are always going to have the history that keeps them as a perennial contender, but I think we could conceivably be the #3 team in the Pac-12 most years with an occasional conference championship.
Tyler Ziskin – The Buffs will be solidified into the top half of the Pac 12 and a legitimate NCAA tournament team. Colorado is always a tough opponent in Boulder, but we need to be a legit threat on the road as well. If we can get that solved by 2014... man, we could really be special.
What is the ceiling for this program?
Zach Bell – There really are no ceilings in college basketball. The NCAA Tournament allows for a team to get hot at the right time and make a run to win it all. No one, not even the biggest Butler fan in the country, would have expected the Bulldogs to be in back-to-back title games. If Tad can keep bringing in elite talent and putting out consistent results, there is no telling what this program can do. So much of it relies on the administration being able and willing to keep Tad and continuing to grow with the success of the program. For most Buffs fans, that is the biggest worry.
Tyler Ziskin – I'm not sure we'll ever be a consistent Top 25 team but I don't see any reason this program can't be in the tournament 6-7 times every 10 years. Tad Boyle is a monster and as long as we can keep him in Boulder, no one will see Colorado basketball as a guaranteed win. I'm not going to come out here and say I expect to see a national title in Boulder, because that's unlikely, but we can be a very consistent team, in the mold of a Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, or a Washington.
Buffnik – Is there a ceiling? Becoming an elite program like Arizona did is highly unlikely, but Boulder in 2011 is a hell of a lot easier to recruit to than Tucson in the late 1970s when that was built. Or we can look at the University of Wisconsin. They went from nowhere to being in the Dance every year for almost 2 straight decades. We can be as good as we want to be.
Goose – I think a good comparison would be Maryland. They’re never the “favorites” in the ACC because they have Duke & North Carolina, but they still won a lot. And they got a championship. I’m not saying CU could be national champs, but it’s certainly a lot more likely now than it was even 6 months ago.
RumblinBuff – That’s an interesting question. CU is never going to be a Duke or a Kansas; constantly top-10, attracting more talent than it can possibly find minutes for. What CU can be, however, is a top-40 program that sends teams to the Tournament more often than not. There’s not really a regional rival for CU in the sport, so there’s room to grow and thrive should the will and finances continue to be there.
A few years of focused leadership have already shown us how “easy” it is to get a program headed in the right direction. It can also be washed away as quickly with a string of bad luck. Some facility upgrades, a good coach, and one diamond-in-the-rough prospect have begun to turn heads, it’s now a simple matter of maintaining momentum.
Once again, thanks to everyone who helped with this roundtable. I highly recommend following all of these people on twitter, reading their blogs and joining their facebook groups. I also want to thank everyone that took the time to read & comment on each of these. Now I hope to see all of you tonight at the Coors Event Center as our Buffs take on Fort Lewis.
GO BUFFS!
For more info, make sure you check out the following:
* Buffnik’s Twitter feed
* Goose’s Twitter feed
* The Ralphie Report
* The Ralphie Report on Twitter
* The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo
* Rumblin’s Twitter feed
* Tyler Ziskin’s Twitter feed
* Fans & Students Who Support CU Buffs Basketball
* CUBuffs.com
* CU Buffs on Twitter
* CU Men’s Basketball on Twitter
