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PITTSBURGH 77 - COLORADO 48
You've seen that scoreline a lot over the last few months. *Coach Boyle, in all of his wisdom, has refused to let the memory of that painful day in Orlando, FL die, even posting that score throughout the program's offices. *'We can't let that ever happen again,' is the message. *It's not about shaming the kids for a rough afternoon on a national stage, just emphasizing that simply making the Tournament is not the goal; doing something with that Dance ticket is just as expected now as earning the trip.You see, His Tadness has promised to 'keep it real' with the team, the fans, and the media. *That constant reminder of how last season ended is just part of the effort. *He's been particularly blunt this summer about the team's shortcomings, and what that could mean going forward. *The simple fact is that the 2013-14 Colorado Buffaloes didn't live up to their potential. *There were extenuating circumstances, to be sure, but a 5th place finish in the Pac-12 and a humiliating second round exit in the NCAA Tournament was not how last season was supposed to go. Naturally, given the sputter across the finish line, there are going to be questions, and Coach Boyle has been quick to posit a number of solutions.
BuffNation was treated to the highs and lows of this sport in '13-'14. *At one point last year, CU was the #15 team in the country, and viewed as a potential challenger to the Arizona Wildcats for the league title. The early efforts against Kansas and Oregon were some of the best, most entertaining basketball I've ever seen this program produce. Then, in an instant on a road trip to Seattle, everyone was treated to a lesson on impermanence. *Success is, of course, fragile, and should not be treated lightly. *Even the best teams need to be prepared to respond to dire adversity; nothing is just handed to you at this level. *But the team wasn't ready to deal with the stress. *While struggling to come to terms with a traumatic injury to one of their star players, they began to lose their way, and some truly ugly basketball followed. *The Buffs would tussle with the .500 mark the rest of the year, as, what was once a season filled with promise, turned uncomfortable. They still made the Tournament, to their credit, but what should've been a happy month for the program turned sour in a hurry.
Luckily, the disappointing end to last season is not the final word on the matter. Those '77-48' signs will come down on Friday, just as the curtain rises on the 2014-15 basketball season, and the focus will become about the present, rather than the regrets of the past. That's what 'keeping it real' is all about. *Ignoring the past - passing it off as a blip, or a result of some miss-fortune - is not going to prepare the team properly for the coming winter. There's still a lot of talent on this roster, a group that has a world of potential to capitalize upon. *They need to meet last year's mistakes head on, learn from them, and then move forward.
Believe me, as frustrating as last season was, there's a lot of promise on the horizon for 2014-15. *CU is legitimately one of the three or four best teams in the Pac-12, and look to be on the precipice of making program history by surging through to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-consecutive time. The Buffs are as deep as ever this year, and as experienced as they've been since the start of the #RollTad era. Behind this group, the program will continue to rack up the wins, the CEC will continue to be sold out, and the banners of the University of Colorado will continue to fill the national consciousness. The state of this program continues to be strong.
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In this virtual tome, I will attempt to 'keep it real' about the 2014-15 University of Colorado Men's Basketball Team; previewing them from a variety of aspects, and predicting whether they will be able to make that return trip to the NCAA Tournament.*I'll look at the roster, profiling the players, and discussing how the coaching staff will look to deploy the best returning depth in the conference. I'll look at the schedule, touching on both the non-conference and conference slates, and announce my baseline win projection for the campaign. *Finally, I'll look at the Pac-12, noting how our rivals are dealing with a metric ton of roster turnover. Usually, I'd close with a look at the upcoming recruiting class, but CU doesn't have one, yet, so that discussion will have to wait...
Those of you who have been here before know that the word 'massive' in the title is not a misnomer. I'm long-winded to a fault. Consider yourselves warned. If, with that understanding, you're not dissuaded, if you love Colorado basketball too much to let a thing like 'TLDR' get in front of a good time, then grab a beer, strap in, and click below for the preview...
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Originally posted by The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo
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