Basketball on the Front Range looking up

[Buffnik]

Not only are our Buffs making noise, but I'm pretty impressed with the teams on the I-25 corridor.

Colorado: 11-4 (3-0), 1st place in the Pac-12
Air Force: 9-4 (0-0), MWC
CSU: 10-4 (0-0), MWC
Denver: 13-3 (3-1), 2nd in the Sun Belt
New Mexico: 14-2 (0-0), MWC
Northern Colorado: 5-9 (2-1), t2nd in Big Sky
Wyoming: 13-2 (0-0), MWC

I'm excited to see this. I see it growing and can definitely see a day when a Christmas tournament in Boulder or Denver could happen and do very well.

 

[SECOBuffsFan]

Plus throw in the Nuggets and basketball has never been better in this area

 

[MtnBuff]

Four of those teams in the same conference (MWC) if you include New Mexico, causes a problem but instead of some of the lame easy wins that don't get counted for tourney consideration (Texas Southern, New Orleans for CU, Texas Southern, Nebraska-Omaha for CSU, etc.) why not have a holiday tournament with all front range teams. You could focus the media attention on local BB programs, fans would get a chance to see multiple local teams, you wouldn't have to travel.

Include CSU, UNC, DU and one of the MWC teams for a four team tourney. If you wanted to go to eight include at least 2 of the MWC teams in opposing brackets along with a couple of the D2 powers (Metro, +1) you could even bring in someone from a little further out in the region like a Wichita State, New Mexico State, or a Big XII school.

 

[Shldr2Shldr]

Four of those teams in the same conference (MWC) if you include New Mexico, causes a problem but instead of some of the lame easy wins that don't get counted for tourney consideration (Texas Southern, New Orleans for CU, Texas Southern, Nebraska-Omaha for CSU, etc.) why not have a holiday tournament with all front range teams. You could focus the media attention on local BB programs, fans would get a chance to see multiple local teams, you wouldn't have to travel.

Include CSU, UNC, DU and one of the MWC teams for a four team tourney. If you wanted to go to eight include at least 2 of the MWC teams in opposing brackets along with a couple of the D2 powers (Metro, +1) you could even bring in someone from a little further out in the region like a Wichita State, New Mexico State, or a Big XII school.

With the 7 nik mentioned and another D-1 school, I think you have a very legitimate tournament. Maybe we do rotate with some of the midwest schools ie: Nebraska, Witchita State, KSU, Kansas

Actually bringing in KU for a tournament would immediately make it a big time tournament, and would give some of the smaller schools some very good exposure, and provide some marquee match ups that everyone could sell to fans

 

[MtnBuff]

With the 7 nik mentioned and another D-1 school, I think you have a very legitimate tournament. Maybe we do rotate with some of the midwest schools ie: Nebraska, Witchita State, KSU, Kansas

Actually bringing in KU for a tournament would immediately make it a big time tournament, and would give some of the smaller schools some very good exposure, and provide some marquee match ups that everyone could sell to fans

Like the Kansas idea, would automatically put the tourney on the national media. The only problem I have with the list that Nik put up is that 4 of those schools are in the same league already. You almost become a promotional piece for that league instead of front range BB. Also I don't know that those schools or that league would be up for having all four in a tourney ahead of league play. With kNU now in the Big 10 they make another excellent addition that I didn't think of intitially. With KU, NU, CU, CSU or AFA, UNM or Wyo, DU, UNC, +1 you would have a fun tourney that would grab the attention of the media and likely pretty close to fill the Pepsi center if you wanted to hold it there. If the MWC doesn't want two schools in the tourney bring in Wichita State.

If you couldn't get KU every year rotate them with KSU and Oklahoma which have strong fan based in the region. Also getting Nebraska which has huge support in the area every year may be easier but again if they don't want to commit every year some other Big 10 schools also have a lot of fans in the region and would likely be willing to come in like Iowa.