So that’s what all the talk was for
By Michael Krumholtz
They were all saying the same thing. Newspapermen, TV anchors, and radio hosts billed this game as a “can’t miss” showcase. In the weeks leading up to the latest edition of the Front Range rivalry, some were calling it the “most important game in series history.”
As far as advertisements go, the high-profile product delivered for the Buff demographic. Colorado beat down previously undefeated Colorado State, 70-61, amid a black sea at Coors Events Center. A reported 11,708 fans decided to see what all the hype was about, marking the highest tally in arena history.
What came to decide the outcome were Spencer Dinwiddie’s out-of-mind shooting and the quick-to-react team defense that tamed the Rams’ from going on many runs.
"The one word we had on our board was ‘Dictate,’" said coach Tad Boyle to reporters after the game. "We wanted to make them know they were in for forty minutes of in your face type basketball."
This type of affair is not surprising to those familiar with these teams’ histories. But as both are receiving serious AP Top-25 consideration and are only months removed from being in the NCAA tournament, the nation got a peak into how intense the annual battle is. Last season’s one-point loss in Fort Collins remained on this team’s mind and Boyle reportedly showed them replays leading up to Wednesday’s showdown.
They got the message. They held CSU to 35 percent from the field and forced 13 turnovers, despite being outrebounded by the team that leads the country in rebounding differential.
Five senior starters couldn’t hold back the explosive athleticism that CU unleashed on them with the abrupt momentum of bowling balls rolling downhill. Before they knew it, the Buffs took a 15-2 lead. And the heavy balls kept falling in dense clusters upon the Rams. Because of sticky defense and clean shooting, CU piled up a 20-point halftime lead. But it was never a formality. Not in this rivalry.
When CSU climbed within three around the second half’s 6:00 mark, a great fear settled over the place. After placing a seemingly insurmountable lead atop their state rival, CU came face-to-face with the pressure that comes from questioning those things people are taught to never question about themselves.
"We didn't lose our composure and we didn't panic," Boyle said. "It was 54-51…we started guarding."
CU’s leading scorer Dinwiddie dropped a career-high 29 points, living up to some self-imposed hype. Earlier in the week Dinwiddie called CSU the “little brother” when talking to the Denver Post. After the game, Rams head coach Larry Eustachy told reporters that his team got “pushed around by guys who talked in the paper and backed it up.”
André Roberson nabbed his fourth straight double-double and, defensively, he clogged the Rams’ lanes all night, often blanketing forward Pierce Hornung.
All the hoopla concentrated on Wednesday’s spectacle came to be well earned. And what’s more – the hype will be even larger when CU travels to Kansas to play the Jayhawks for an ESPN audience.
By Michael Krumholtz
They were all saying the same thing. Newspapermen, TV anchors, and radio hosts billed this game as a “can’t miss” showcase. In the weeks leading up to the latest edition of the Front Range rivalry, some were calling it the “most important game in series history.”
As far as advertisements go, the high-profile product delivered for the Buff demographic. Colorado beat down previously undefeated Colorado State, 70-61, amid a black sea at Coors Events Center. A reported 11,708 fans decided to see what all the hype was about, marking the highest tally in arena history.
What came to decide the outcome were Spencer Dinwiddie’s out-of-mind shooting and the quick-to-react team defense that tamed the Rams’ from going on many runs.
"The one word we had on our board was ‘Dictate,’" said coach Tad Boyle to reporters after the game. "We wanted to make them know they were in for forty minutes of in your face type basketball."
This type of affair is not surprising to those familiar with these teams’ histories. But as both are receiving serious AP Top-25 consideration and are only months removed from being in the NCAA tournament, the nation got a peak into how intense the annual battle is. Last season’s one-point loss in Fort Collins remained on this team’s mind and Boyle reportedly showed them replays leading up to Wednesday’s showdown.
They got the message. They held CSU to 35 percent from the field and forced 13 turnovers, despite being outrebounded by the team that leads the country in rebounding differential.
Five senior starters couldn’t hold back the explosive athleticism that CU unleashed on them with the abrupt momentum of bowling balls rolling downhill. Before they knew it, the Buffs took a 15-2 lead. And the heavy balls kept falling in dense clusters upon the Rams. Because of sticky defense and clean shooting, CU piled up a 20-point halftime lead. But it was never a formality. Not in this rivalry.
When CSU climbed within three around the second half’s 6:00 mark, a great fear settled over the place. After placing a seemingly insurmountable lead atop their state rival, CU came face-to-face with the pressure that comes from questioning those things people are taught to never question about themselves.
"We didn't lose our composure and we didn't panic," Boyle said. "It was 54-51…we started guarding."
CU’s leading scorer Dinwiddie dropped a career-high 29 points, living up to some self-imposed hype. Earlier in the week Dinwiddie called CSU the “little brother” when talking to the Denver Post. After the game, Rams head coach Larry Eustachy told reporters that his team got “pushed around by guys who talked in the paper and backed it up.”
André Roberson nabbed his fourth straight double-double and, defensively, he clogged the Rams’ lanes all night, often blanketing forward Pierce Hornung.
All the hoopla concentrated on Wednesday’s spectacle came to be well earned. And what’s more – the hype will be even larger when CU travels to Kansas to play the Jayhawks for an ESPN audience.
