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Recapping your Colorado Buffaloes' Athletics, Women's NIT, Men's NCAA Tournament, and Football Offseason News, Links, and Stories
"Our rebounding was fantastic," CU head coach Linda Lappe said. "That's been a staple of ours all year, outrebounding opponents and I thought we did a nice job getting extra possessions and making (USD) play defense for sometimes 60 seconds at a time."
All five of Colorado's starters had at least five rebounds. For good measure, sophomore Rachel Hargis came off the bench to grab seven boards. Jeffery had an outstanding all-around game making 10-of-19 from the floor with three assists and three steals in addition to her eighth double-double of the season.
"We're a year better than what we were last season," said Bieniemy, who also coaches the Buffs running backs. "We as a staff have grown tremendously, grown in the system together. There's a better understanding from each other of what we want and how to do it. And communication is so much better with our players in getting what we want out of them."
Bieniemy and his offensive staff went into spring drills with the goal of having the Buffs emerge with a "complete understanding about our offense in the second year, understanding concepts in the run game and what our goals are. And right now, it's so far, so good. Our kids are much better, but we have a long ways to go. But we're playing with more confidence, playing faster because they know what to do.
"Now we're teaching and coaching football, rather than having to worry about a lot of different aspects of taking over a program. From that standpoint it's been fun. The developmental process has been good, but we've got to keep grinding, keep working on the little things to help take this team to another level."
The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo: Quick Post: On CU's new reputation
I don't know if you noticed, but we're suddenly a school that travels well. At least that's the message that's been floating across the country over the past two weeks. It all culminated in Albuquerque, where enthusiasm surrounding the hoops program's first conference title in over 40 years combined with a short trip down I-25 to fill the Pit with Black & Gold.
That formula almost helped propel the Buffs into the Sweet Sixteen. The presence in New Mexico only followed on the heels of the heart of the C-Unit being shipped out to LA, where they were seemingly the only group at the Staples Center interested in making noise. As a result, TruTV/TNT constantly showed the C-Unit celebrating, announcers in both LA and ABQ couldn't help but mention it, and bloggers and journalists from across the sporting world commented on it.
The University of Colorado was suddenly a traveling force to be reckoned with.
After the jump there's a link you can't click...it's un-clickable!
Clarinets can be quite pointy – Campus Union
Bass, who can be seen here (far right) in commemorative gif form, was suspended by the team for enthusiastically plowing through two members of Toledo’s marching band last November, and is now facing a pair of assault charges, one a felony. If we ran the zoo, we’d settle this on the field by letting the two victims take a swing at Bass, then make everybody shake hands and part as friends. Bass wouldn’t be getting off easy. Let us not speak of what a bassoon can do to a human body.
5 Southern Miss band members lose scholarships over chants – USATODAY.com
"The students have been forthcoming, cooperative, contrite and sincerely remorseful," USM Vice President for Student Affairs Joe Paul said in a statement. "They acted rashly and inappropriately, and now see the gravity of their words and actions."
A university investigation determined that the five were ones chanting, 'Where's your green card," while KSU point guard Angel Rodriguez shot free throws late in USM's 70-64 loss to the Wildcats in a first-round game.
In case anyone was wondering, the threshold of what can be said before band members are reprimanded is far more stringent than it used to be.
3-point shot: Will Boyle head to Nebraska? - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN - This blurb is seven different kinds of absurd, which I why I clipped it and then broke the link. You can't click it, morally and literally.
1. Nebraska has reached out through a third party to see if there is interest from Colorado coach Tad Boyle, according to sources. Boyle would be a fool not to listen, but he should stay put as long as it’s not crazy money. CU should bump him up since in two seasons he has taken the Buffs to the NIT Final Four and on the doorstep to a bid, to the Pac-12 tournament title, and now to the third round of the NCAA tournament. CU is on the rise in the Pac-12 while Nebraska has a long road ahead in the Big Ten.
CU Buffs receive third lacrosse commit - Buffzone
Maddy Krause donned her finest University of Colorado garb and parked herself in front of a television last week to cheer for her new school in the NCAA basketball tournament. Krause, a junior at Regis High School, is the first defensive player to commit to play for the fledgling CU women's lacrosse team and the third player overall.
She is related to the second player to commit. Mullen midfielder Ella Stapp is her cousin. And one of Krause's best friends is Cherry Creek midfielder Tori Link, who was the first player to commit last month. Together they comprise "the first three" for the Buffs' newest intercollegiate sports team.
"I have not learned the fight song, but my best friend's dad has been trying to teach me the fight song and all the different customs of CU," Krause said. "I'm just trying to take it all in."
Chucky Jeffery helps CU women advance in WNIT - Buffzone
Chucky Jeffery was dialed in offensively, and the Buffs were tough on defense. Jeffery scored 23 points to lead the Colorado women's basketball team to a 64-55 win over South Dakota on Monday night in the second round of the Women's NIT at the DakotaDome. Throughout the night, CU's top scorer hit big buckets, the last being a layup with 24 seconds left that sealed the win.
"I just stepped up with confidence and was knocking them down," Jeffery said on KKZN AM-760 radio after the game. It wasn't just her shot that was on. Jeffery had her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 rebounds. She also had three assists and matched her season-low with one turnover (just the third time she's had fewer than two all year). "We came in, it was a crazy atmosphere," Jeffery said.
"I knew I had to remain calm so my team remained calm. I just had to remain aggressive in my play, but I had to stay mentally focused. When I don't turn the ball over, I'm extremely focused."
Jon Embree gives CU Buffs a B+ so far this spring - Buffzone
"The kids are a lot better at details," Embree said. "I'm sure they will tell you their comfort level and their knowledge of what we're trying to do is just so much further ahead than it was last year. And they're working.
"You didn't hear this last year, kids talking and laughing and having fun. I think last year they were so worried about showing us what they could do you missed that element of having some kind of fun out there. It also shows they like each other and they're comfortable around each other."
Time and time again in interviews over the past three weeks, Embree has emphasized that he is telling his current players they have to make an impression now because they will have less of an opportunity to do so in fall camp. Defensive back Josh Moten and defensive lineman Will Pericak and Chidera Uzo-Diribe have answered Embree's call. "It's going to be like that every year," Embree said.
"The whole goal is to try to bring in players that are better than what you have and I tell that to the players. I said, 'If they're not, then you're doing your job.' But it's never going to be this, 'OK, it's my job and no matter what happens, it's my job.'"
Spring break: Jon Embree focuses on teaching CU Buffs - Buffzone
"Everybody goes through this around the country," Embree said. "This is a great time to teach and just get individuals better, and whatever you're missing or lacking, you've just got to get after it in training camp as soon as you can."
"Part of it depends on your team," Embree said when asked what kind of spring he prefers. "If you have a young team, like we're going to have, it's probably more ideal this way. When you get more of a veteran team, you'd like to play more football so to speak, with more of those team periods and mix it up when they're live and when they're not live."
Embree said that because the program is breaking in inexperienced quarterbacks, he considers himself fortunate that the overall numbers at other positions happened to be down this year and coaches could afford to make spring ball more about teaching techniques and fundamentals this year.
Sabrina's Crossing - An athlete's life on the road: March Madness Tips Off
I was fortunate enough to play in three NCAA tournaments while at Colorado (with trips to the Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 on the resume). And sure, there were plenty of highs and lows -- with emotions riding high, and stakes just as high -- there were bound to be some memorable moments. Some of the high points: each and every selection show.
We'd gather at Dal Ward to watch the brackets be revealed. I don't know why, but we'd frantically pencil-in our own bracket as the schools were revealed, like that was the last time we'd see a bracket, ever. And you really DON'T know where you're going, or who you're playing until you see it on ESPN -- it's exciting!
Restoring a once-proud NCAA tradition to Colorado. The pictures of Buff teams that came before us, jumping on the scorer's table after a Sweet 16-trip was punched, was a picture we had all seen -- and were thrilled to do be able to do it ourselves! Two times!
Go Buffs!