We could repost that
Kansas diddy we discussed a few weeks ago. Recognize the magnitude of playing
another top-10 team with whom the Buffs have history. Remember when Colorado was a part of the
Big-XII? Alas, this game shouldn’t be about that. It’s not about any of the peripheral pieces that get
us giddy in the stands or fired up or whatever it is we feel when the team that wears our colors is
successful. Sure we want our team to win but I’m struggling to piece together a major story line in this
one. Certainly not one that holds a candle to what we saw on 12/7.
Except for those guards.
The Smart one and the Mayoral one. I like this one. I like this matchup because it’s everything that
Dinwiddie loves. I won’t soon pretend I know a lot about Marcus Smart aside from the fact that he’s
arguably the best player in the country. While that’s saying a lot, I have a lot more familiarity with
Dinwiddie. And Saturday’s game is precisely why Spencer Dinwiddie plays sports. I mean, it helps that
he’s a gifted 6’6” point guard, but here’s a kid we’ve celebrated as brash, confident, and charismatic.
He can belittle you with a smile (Colorado State) and he can declare his team the “cream of the crop”
without upsetting anyone (P-12 Media Day). The Mayor, as he’s known, is acutely familiar with his
talents and what he’s going to use them for.
In a conversation with
JG, we conjectured whether this was the type of game that would fire him up to
silence the critics. Such is the case for so many athletes, using their platform and subsequent success
(if that becomes the case) to spout off about all the haters and critics. If it were me, I’d be quick to
thank all my supporters first and foremost. But that’s just me and now let’s gets back on track after that
personality tangent. In discussing this athlete characteristic with JG, we sort of came to the conclusion
that there really aren’t many Dinwiddie detractors. He’s very talented and it’s widely recognized. Sure
he could get a little more aggressive (play SMARTer) but ultimately the kid is a gamer.
And what we concluded is that we want this to be his game as much as he does. He doesn’t have
anything to necessarily prove but we want you and them and everyone else to continue to recognize
that he’s a great player. This is a big game for the Buffaloes but I see this as a coming out opportunity
for Spencer. Not that he isn’t already big but the focus of the Kansas game was program-centric. Any
game that Marcus Smart is a part of places the focus squarely on him. The antidote to such – and not
that there needs to be one – would be for a similar guard to outshine the All-American. If there’s any
guard in American that I can imagine doing such, it would be the 6’6” Dinwiddie. He’s big enough, strong
enough, and confident enough to take his game to the best player in the nation.
Does he need to do any of this?
No. But having watched the kid from afar for two seasons now, it seems
like he’s been chomping at the bit for this one. He likes sports.
And so do I.
