cubuffs preview -
https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/3/23/mens-basketball-buffs-ready-for-marquette-in-ncaa-second-round
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Buffs Ready For Marquette in NCAA Second Round
By:
Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Colorado coach
Tad Boyle and his Buffaloes had precious little time to savor their heart-stopping 102-100 win over Florida on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The 10th-seeded Buffs (26-10) went back to work Saturday morning, preparing for Sunday's 10:10 a.m. (MT) second round matchup (CBS) with No. 2 seed Marquette (26-9) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The game will be CU's third in five days and sixth in the last 11. Colorado opened the NCAA Tournament with a 60-53 win over Boise State on Wednesday, then followed with Friday's victory, a game that wasn't decided until
KJ Simpson hit the game-winning basket with barely a second on the clock.
"We're used to these quick turnarounds," Boyle said at Saturday's press conference. "In the Pac-12, we play a lot of Thursday-Saturdays, sometimes a Friday-Sunday-type thing, so you're used to those two games back-to-back against a different opponent with one day of prep. So this is no different than what we've been doing since January."
Boyle and his staff spent Friday evening watching film and getting a jump on scouting reports. The Buffs held a brief practice Saturday before heading back to the team hotel to dive into the scouting report.
"(Sunday) right before or after our pre-game meal, we'll show them a little bit more film and prep a little bit more," Boyle said. "Then we'll let the guys go out and do their thing."
Marquette opened the tournament with an 87-69 win over Western Kentucky and will present as tough of a challenge as the Buffs have faced all season. The Golden Eagles recorded non-conference wins over Illinois, UCLA, Kansas and Texas, then finished as Big East runners-up to UConn in both the regular season and conference tournament. They spent most of the season ranked in the nation's top 10 and entered the tournament ranked No. 8 in both national polls.
"The scouting report is going to be critical that our guys digest that and understand how good these guys are," Boyle said. "They're a No. 2 seed for a reason."
Coach Shaka Smart's Golden Eagles boast a balanced attack — four players average at least 12.0 points per game — but there's no doubt the offense revolves around guards Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek.
Jones averages 17.3 points per game while shooting at a 52 percent clip from the floor. Kolek, who returned to action against Western Kentucky after missing six games with an injury, averages 14.9 points and a nation-leading 7.8 assists.
"He's excellent in every category," CU's Simpson said of Kolek. "They have great players. Obviously they have shown that all year. They have a great coaching staff. Florida had great guard play … I just look forward to those matchups. You look forward to those guys that you hear about. You want to play against the best and he's definitely one of the best in the nation at his position and I'm just blessed to be here and definitely just going to go out there and make the most of my opportunity."
Along with excellent guard play, Marquette also boasts a quality big man inside in 6-foot-11 Oso Ighodaro, who averages 14.7 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles apply pressure from every angle. Marquette forced nearly 15 turnovers per game this season — 22nd in the nation — and they excel at converting those turnovers into fast break baskets.
"We have to try to stop them in transition," CU's
Tristan da Silva said. "That's where they thrive. They turn their opponents over a lot. Try to get easy baskets in transition. We got to be on our A game."
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With 26 victories, his year's Buffs have already set a program record for wins in a single season. A win over the Golden Eagles would send CU to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 55 years.
"I'm not sure that it's a sense of pressure," said
J'Vonne Hadley. "I think it's just that we're grateful for the opportunity. It's special. It would be the first time in 55 years, so it would mean a lot to the community in general, especially us, the coaching staff, and just everybody in general. But we're grateful for the opportunity and it's going to be a good game. I think everybody knows that. We don't necessarily have to do anything out of the ordinary like we've been doing the whole year. We got to go out and play our game. They're a good team, great team, credit to them, but we are too."
SPECIAL MOMENT: After Friday's victory, CU's Simpson shared a hug with his mother, who boarded a 3 a.m. flight Friday in order to get to Indianapolis in time for the game.
"That's my rock, that's my everything," Simpson said. "Obviously my parents together, they have done so much, traveling and so much support. It's kind of hard sometimes to always be at every game and I know they were trying really, really hard to come out here and watch us play."
Simpson's mother, Patricia Cornejo, stayed up late Wednesday night after CU's win over Boise State to find a flight to Indy.
"I was looking for her in the warmups immediately," he said. "Just to see her, it was really special. It was just amazing. It just took away all the nerves. … To have that game go the way it did and hit that shot and then have her be there and watch it and then run to her after, it means everything."
BROADCAST: The game will be carried by the KOA Radio network with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke. CBS will televise the game with Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy and Andy Katz.
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Practice day quotes -
https://cubuffs.com/documents/2024/3/23/Quotes_Colorado_Marquette_Practice_Day.pdf
And, a couple Buffzone / Pat Rooney articles -