Team Colorado shines in first weekend of The Basketball Tournament

For the second time in as many years, Colorado alumni are competing together in the Basketball Tournament as Team Colorado. A quick preview piece/explanation of the tournament can be read here.

Over the weekend, Team Colorado were victorious in their first two games of the competition. Their first game was Saturday against the Jerusalem-based Shaare Zadek. Team Colorado relied heavily on the prolific yet efficient scoring of Marcus Hall — he scored 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting — and won 78-73 after staving off a late comeback attempt. (via Flickr:)

In the second round, Team Colorado was matched up with Skinner’s Frate Train, a team made up of Boston College alumni. I’m tempted to offer a Boston College joke here, but I think they’ve had enough suffering. Anyhow, the Buffs relied once again on the skilled shooting of Marcus Hall — he had 31 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including 6 of 8 from deep — and pulled away late with a 94-85 victory. After a forgettable game the day before, Richard Roby was back to his bucket-getting self as he had 23 points. (via Flickr:)

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Sometime after or between their games, Team Colorado backup guard Shannon Sharpe found time and energy to play in the Drew League. There, he ended a man’s life with the nastiest dunk of the year.

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Next up for Team Colorado will be Team 23. Last summer, Team Colorado entered play as a 4-seed in the West Region, but as luck would have it, lost in the first round to Team 23. Led by star guard Davin White, the Arizona-based squad thrashed everyone they played — including and especially Team Colorado — before losing a heart breaker in the tournament championship. This year, Team 23 entered the tournament as the top seed in the West and represent the next test for the heroes in black and gold.

Team 23 may be even better than they were last year, and though they aren’t surprising anyone again, it will take a near perfect performance to upset them. Team Colorado can’t rely on Marcus Hall shooting like an honorary Curry. They’ll need Roby to perform to his potential, and at the very minimum, Austin Dufault and/or Marcus Relphorde will have to generate points inside.

This game will air on July 21 or 22, on ESPN2 or ESPN3, at 12, 2, 5 or 7. If you think I’m trolling, know that (1) I would, but (2) almost everything is TBA.

If Team Colorado gets past Team 23, they will play on July 23 against Few Good Men (Gonzaga Alumni) or Team Utah (Utah Alumni).

The Ralphie Report will continue to keep you updated as to Team Colorado’s results, who they will be playing next (if at all), and when and where those games can be watched.