What the Big 12 Means To Hoops

[Goose]

Colorado doesn’t change Big 12 basketball much. Unless it’s just the first domino

The Buffaloes shouldn't impact the Big 12's reputation as the best conference in college basketball. But they do help stability.

theathletic.com

For those that don't subscribe, short version is "CU actually hurts the conference a little bit, but they're a solid team that won't hurt the conference power overall and it may cause them to bring along one of their friends who are really good at basketball"

But the money quote (and this is aimed at people who bitch about our non-conference schedule):

“This hurts them,” the Big 12 coach said, “because I thought the Pac-12 was soft. And I thought Tad Boyle, like even when he didn’t get the best players, his teams out-tough teams. They were one of the teams in the Pac-12 you didn’t want to play. I told (my scheduling guy), schedule anybody from the Pac-12, and Colorado was maybe the one exception. Tad’s teams are tough. He’s a Big 12 dude.”

 

[Buffnik]

Colorado doesn’t change Big 12 basketball much. Unless it’s just the first domino

The Buffaloes shouldn't impact the Big 12's reputation as the best conference in college basketball. But they do help stability.

theathletic.com

For those that don't subscribe, short version is "CU actually hurts the conference a little bit, but they're a solid team that won't hurt the conference power overall and it may cause them to bring along one of their friends who are really good at basketball"

But the money quote (and this is aimed at people who bitch about our non-conference schedule):

That's the challenge in a nutshell. Big 12 hoops have some teams with the talent level we'd face against Arizona. Everyone else is on par with CU or a notch up on pure talent while matching CU's toughness. It's going to be tough. Fortunately, the talent level at CU with our recruiting is on a 3-year upswing.

 

[Scotch]

That's the challenge in a nutshell. Big 12 hoops have some teams with the talent level we'd face against Arizona. Everyone else is on par with CU or a notch up on pure talent while matching CU's toughness. It's going to be tough. Fortunately, the talent level at CU with our recruiting is on a 3-year upswing.

My Dad is going to love this, Bearcat Alum and all. Just like me to Dayton fans he'll be insufferable right back to me if/when Cincy rolls in to Boulder and wins.

 

[Goose]

I do have to say that people are letting their hatred of Arizona blind them on this. You really do need to consider what is the greater good here. And right now, that greater good is bringing that group in to the Big XII and just unleashing them on the pompous ass Kansas fans. This is like bringing Hells Angels to a Focus on the Family event - ignore the fact that both groups suck and just enjoy the carnage.

 

[AztecBuff]

 

[Darth Snow]

Chauncey addressed the football team. @Goose, the full commit to football is here!

 

[Heywood]

I do have to say that people are letting their hatred of Arizona blind them on this. You really do need to consider what is the greater good here. And right now, that greater good is bringing that group in to the Big XII and just unleashing them on the pompous ass Kansas fans. This is like bringing Hells Angels to a Focus on the Family event - ignore the fact that both groups suck and just enjoy the carnage.

I would probably commit hari kari if I ended up in a stadium where those two were playing against each other.

 

[Goose]

I would probably commit hari kari if I ended up in a stadium where those two were playing against each other.

I will be there with a Zona shirt and a KU shirt. I will go up to the KU fans wearing the KU shirt and say "did you hear that Zona fan say that Kansas isn't a true blue blood? And that Boulevard Wheat is pisswater compared to Dos Equis?" Switch shirts, go to the Zona fans, "Did you hear that KU fan say that Arizona doesn't have any basketball tradition? And that Sonoran hot dogs have too much flavor for anyone to enjoy?"

Then, you sit back and just watch.

EMBRACE THE CHAOS

 

[Not Sure]

I feel like this is roughly akin to Missouri going to the SEC in football. A solid team in one conference going up against established heavyweights in a new conference. It really depends on how long we can keep Tad and whether he can elevate the program to that next level.

 

[Bison]

If Kentucky can play football in the SEC surely CU can play basketball in the Big 12.

 

[Goose]

If Kentucky can play football in the SEC surely CU can play basketball in the Big 12.

 

[Denver_sc]

We're going from the worst of the Power 6 basketball leagues to the best.

That's an opportunity to elevate, but the Will has to be there. That's what I question about CU.

I think what CU needs to do is have 3 Associate Athletic Directors. One for football, one for court sports, and one for field sports. The person in RG's position should be a CEO focused on big picture and navigating the politics of university and booster support while managing his AADs (including others in charge of things like licensing & events).

That's great, but, uh, who's Will?

 

[Goose]

That's great, but, uh, who's Will?

It was a typo. He meant CWill.

 

[Buffnik]

That's great, but, uh, who's Will?

I should probably turn off auto-correct. Capitalize words when they are also names is one of the annoyances I don't always catch & edit. Another is that it always changes "its" to "it's" on me.

 

[Hidden Fees]

I wonder who they will pair us with in our first B12/$EC challenge?

 

[Bison]

I wonder who they will pair us with in our first B12/$EC challenge?

Hopefully Arkansas. Rocky Mountains versus Ozarks.

 

[DBT]

TL;DR: We're ****ed.

Longer version - we're REALLY ****ed. We have no recruiting hotbed to pull from. If we're going to go with one geographically, it'd be either Cali or Texas. In the P12, it was Cali which made sense because we have conference games and the footprint and all of that stupid BS. That's out the door with this move. So we're looking at Texas. We are, without a doubt, the least desirable hoops job in the new Big 12. We are in, arguably, the best hoops conference in the nation. And unfortunately, for some reason, the B12 doesn't get the respect that B1G hoops does, so going 7-11 in conference won't get you a tourney invite in the B12 like it will in the B1G. So we now have no recruiting niche nor do we look like a bubble team most years. So we're back to hoping that we catch lightning in a bottle, go on a hot run and can somehow manifest that into some sustained success. All on what will probably be the cheapest basketball budget in the entire conference.

I'm also very concerned about what this means for Tad. Tad has had breadcrumbs that he will retire too early instead of too late. How does he feel about this move? Does he want to completely change his recruiting strategy and everything else associated with this move? Or does he say "I have a multimillion dollar home in Boulder, my kids are out of the house, it's time to start living life and stop caring what 17 year olds and 35 year olds think"?

What does this mean for women's hoops? I'll be the first to admit that I'm not real smart there, but JR is finally getting this train going. Is the move going to help her? Hurt? I don't remember her necessarily hitting SoCal hard, so maybe she's ok recruiting wise. But talent level of the conference - how does that effect us?

And for the record, before any of the typical dumbasses pop in (and you know who you are) - if this move is the right one for football and Deion, it's the right move for the athletic department as a whole. Football is what makes the money - especially here. But there's going to be some collateral damage here. And it's going to hit hoops hard.

Enjoy this season. It should be a fun one - possibly even S16. But it may be our last chance for a bit until Deion gets things rolling and the AD starts printing stupid money off of football and they can finally come back to fix what they broke with basketball.

DOOM!!!

 

[Scotch]

I will be there with a Zona shirt and a KU shirt. I will go up to the KU fans wearing the KU shirt and say "did you hear that Zona fan say that Kansas isn't a true blue blood? And that Boulevard Wheat is pisswater compared to Dos Equis?" Switch shirts, go to the Zona fans, "Did you hear that KU fan say that Arizona doesn't have any basketball tradition? And that Sonoran hot dogs have too much flavor for anyone to enjoy?"

Then, you sit back and just watch.

EMBRACE THE CHAOS

I'll be there with you brother, I ain't scared, it'll be fun.

however.....

If you really want to live dangerously, just tell a New Mexican that Colorado green chile is better than their's. Might want to have your running shoes on.

 

[Buffnik]

I'll be there with you brother, I ain't scared, it'll be fun.

however.....

If you really want to live dangerously, just tell a New Mexican that Colorado green chile is better than their's. Might want to have your running shoes on.

Truth. It's pretty much all they've got. Best to let them have that one even though CO does a better job of utilizing the ingredient.

 

[Scotch]

Truth. It's pretty much all they've got. Best to let them have that one even though CO does a better job of utilizing the ingredient.

I love New Mexican food full stop. Its Amazing! And the Mexican style lagers down there are money. But I'm a Coloradoan so "HERE COME THE ASSHOLES!!!!" Our green chile is so waaaaay better!!!

 

[Goose]

I'll be there with you brother, I ain't scared, it'll be fun.

however.....

If you really want to live dangerously, just tell a New Mexican that Colorado green chile is better than their's. Might want to have your running shoes on.

I’m an asshole but I’m not a liar.

 

[Birch1]

I’m an asshole but I’m not a liar.

 

[Buffnik]

I love New Mexican food full stop. Its Amazing! And the Mexican style lagers down there are money. But I'm a Coloradoan so "HERE COME THE ASSHOLES!!!!" Our green chile is so waaaaay better!!!

If you took the chiles out of a dish of New Mexican food it would have zero flavor. I think you just like chiles prepared right.

 

[Scotch]

If you took the chiles out of a dish of New Mexican food it would have zero flavor. I think you just like chiles prepared right.

 

[Bison]

Men’s basketball: CU Buffs set to join nation’s premier conference in Big 12

The move from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big 12 is a return home of sorts for Colorado, which competed in various incarnations of the league from 1948 through the 2010-11 academic year.

www.buffzone.com

Job got harder but better according to Tad.

 

[Buffnik]

Men’s basketball: CU Buffs set to join nation’s premier conference in Big 12

The move from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big 12 is a return home of sorts for Colorado, which competed in various incarnations of the league from 1948 through the 2010-11 academic year.

www.buffzone.com

Job got harder but better according to Tad.

I think Tad's right about this move not having significant impact on our ability to recruit in LA where we were doing almost all our CA recruiting. For that, the impact was losing the pitch that they'd get to play in front of friends and family a couple times a year - and that was already lost as soon as UCLA & USC announced they were leaving the conference.

 

[Bison]

I think Tad's right about this move not having significant impact on our ability to recruit in LA where we were doing almost all our CA recruiting. For that, the impact was losing the pitch that they'd get to play in front of friends and family a couple times a year - and that was already lost as soon as UCLA & USC announced they were leaving the conference.

And we got MKIV from Minnesota. Tad needs to keep recruiting across the country regardless of conference affiliation.

 

[Scotch]

I think Tad's right about this move not having significant impact on our ability to recruit in LA where we were doing almost all our CA recruiting. For that, the impact was losing the pitch that they'd get to play in front of friends and family a couple times a year - and that was already lost as soon as UCLA & USC announced they were leaving the conference.

Build up the program's profile enough and that stuff doesn't seem to matter as much(Hi Gonzaga). The more I look at who is already there and the potential add-ons the more I'm liking this move. Feels like there is a real opportunity here.

How will the new Big 12 stack for the Ladies? I know Baylor is usually good, sorry to say I'm ignorant here.

 

[Buffnik]

And we got MKIV from Minnesota. Tad needs to keep recruiting across the country regardless of conference affiliation.

Sure. CU basketball, based on location, is very well positioned to recruit nationally. I think Digger talked about that when he visited for Gameday. We should be pulling from Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, SF/Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles AAUs in particular in addition to Denver/ Colorado Springs.

The Big 12 positions us much better to get there. The Pac-12 relationships don't end with those footprint AAU programs because we're going into a new conference and Big 12 basketball opens up so much more with more exposure & a higher level of competition.

The other thing not mentioned in this thread or anywhere else I've seen is the importance of the Nike relationship in recruiting and the Prime Effect now that Nike has done a new deal with him and CU is one of its flagship schools again. That impacts basketball recruiting in a significantly positive way.

But to make it all come together, Tad needs budget and he needs NIL support. That is what concerns me.

 

[Buffnik]

Build up the program's profile enough and that stuff doesn't seem to matter as much(Hi Gonzaga). The more I look at who is already there and the potential add-ons the more I'm liking this move. Feels like there is a real opportunity here.

How will the new Big 12 stack for the Ladies? I know Baylor is usually good, sorry to say I'm ignorant here.

Last year, the Pac-12 was better. In general, taking a quick look, recent years show the SEC as a clear #1 with the Pac-12 and Big 12 being about even as the #2.5 with the B1G and ACC pretty even after that and the Big East #6.

In a scenario where the Big 12(13) became the Big 16 through Oregon, Arizona and UConn we'd almost certainly be the #1 hoops conference for both Men's & Women's Basketball.