Team Colorado eliminated in The Tournament

The Colorado Buffaloes alumni are out of the running for the $2 million grand prize. Team Colorado was defeated in the second round of The Tournament (TBT) by Eberlein Drive, 83-76.

Team Colorado was an experienced TBT squad that was bolstered by the trio of Marcus Hall Richard Roby and Chris Copeland. With other contributors such as Marcus Relphorde and Austin Dufault, the Buffs alumni came into this competition as one of the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, though, they ran into a loaded team that included four former NBA players, most notably Lou Amundson and Donald Sloan.

Team Colorado started this game even at 10-10, but Eberlein Drive went on a 22-0 run to dominate the play early on. The Buffs recovered some, but still trailed by 12 both at halftime and after the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it seemed that Marcus Hall was ready to take over the game as he had so many times in the past several summers. He and Relphorde hit clutch shots, Shannon Sharpe made key defensive plays and suddenly they were down just 3 points. Just as they made this a one-possession game, Eberlein Drive hit two clutch threes and built an insurmountable lead.

It was a rough end for the Buffs alumni. If there was any one reason they lost, it would be because they shot a putrid 9-17 from the free throw line. They missed most of those in the final stretch when they were within one or two possessions of a tie game.

I’m not sure if Team Colorado will compete in TBT in 2019. If this was their final run at the grand prize, it would be upsetting to see them end this way, especially because they had a 21-point lead in the championship game in 2016.