Colorado glides past Oregon in tough game

There is a certain glimmer in a coach’s eye after his team overcomes adversity and plays like he has known they are capable of playing for such a long time, especially when the victory comes in March.
“That’s what basketball in March is all about,” said CU men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle after the Buffs’ win over the University of Oregon on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Boyle was proud of his team’s 63-62 upset win over Oregon, which takes them into the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Boyle said the Pac-12 Tournament is a chance at redemption, to once again prove people wrong.
“These guys are here on a mission,” Boyle said. “I like the focus of our team right now.”
Even with the Buffs being keyed in, the Oregon Ducks did not give this game up easily.
Colorado was leading the Ducks 58-50 in the final minutes of the game. CU had played well, forcing the tempo and style of game in their favor. Cruising turned into coasting, however, as Oregon went on a 10-0 run the joyride came to a sudden holt with the Ducks regaining the lead.
“We had a nice lead there going down the stretch, and they overtook it,” Boyle said. “Our guys kept our composure and made plays when we had to.”
Freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie put the ball on the floor with 15 seconds to play. He went right, found a lane and drove to the hoop aggressively. Two post defenders flew at Dinwiddie, altering his shot as to not get blocked. The ball hit off the backboard, then the rim, and then floated in the waiting arms of sophomore forward Andre Roberson who laid the ball in the hoop.
“I just felt like when I saw Spencer go, I just crashed the board like I normally do,” Roberson said. “It fell into my hands and I got it up.”
Colorado’s dramatic win tested the Buffs. Throughout the season, coach Boyle has been preaching to his team to play their game and to finish. They satisfied his requests in the most crucial of times, keeping the team’s NCAA tournament hopes still alive.
“So we wanted to maintain our aggressiveness, and we lost that a little bit,” Boyle said. A slower tempo to run the clock put the Buffs out of rhythm late and forced them to make necessary plays to win. “There’s no question. Oregon got the momentum back and made some shots, but our guys bucked up when they had to.”
With the win, Colorado now is one game away from a spot in the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament Championship game. The Buffs will take on Cal on Friday at 9:30 MST. CU has split the season series so far with the Golden Bears.

Colorado upsets Cal; advances to Pac-12 Finals

Los Angeles: A windmill, woodwinds and a whirlwind win for the Buffs and Colorado fans.

Senior guard Carlon Brown’s windmill dunk with 58 seconds remaining in the game put a giant exclamation point on an upset victory over the No.2-seeded University of California. The Buffs band, C-Unit student section members and thousands that occupy BuffNation rose to their feet and chanted, “One more day!” as the buzzer sounded and the Buffs took home the historic 70-59 victory.

Colorado is headed to the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game against the University of Arizona today at 4 p.m. MST with an invigorated spirit.

“I told the team tonight I think we found our heart,” said CU head coach Tad Boyle. “I really do.”
Colorado looked tired even before the ball was tipped as this was their third game in three nights. But there was no way that they were going to let Cal breeze their way into Saturday’s championship game.

“Right now we have a team that’s really mentally tough, and guys are playing banged up and through fatigue,” said senior forward Austin Dufault, who scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. “Tomorrow I think we’re going to be playing on a lot of adrenaline, and that’s really what’s going to have to fuel us.”

Boyle pointed to his seniors, and they stepped up throughout. Brown, who was stiff and had his knees swell up on him the night before, was a huge factor. He made several key plays both offensively and defensively late in the second half.

“Carlon’s playing with a sense of urgency right now that I love,” Boyle said. The University of Utah transfer has eased into his role as a leader and others are looking to him, now more than ever, to be the big guy in critical situations. “I think it’s really infected our team.”

CU will go to the conference title game for the first time since 1990. The Buffs have knocked off the University of Utah, the University of Oregon and now Cal; the latter two are both bubble teams.
But while, according to experts, Colorado may still be on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament, Boyle doesn’t want to overlook the matters at hand.

“I don’t want to talk about bubbles, I don’t want to talk about the NCAA Tournament,” Boyle said. “We want to just come here and get the job done.”

A task that, at this point, seems more probable than possible. Expect the Buffs to be ready to fight.
“We just want to come out and compete and lay it on the line and play Colorado basketball,” Boyle said. A win would leave no doubt, and assure Colorado of at spot on the dance floor. “If we can do that, we’ll live with the results.”

Dunk Contest
Carlon Brown and sophomore forward Andre Roberson took to the skies and used huge dunks to spark the Buffs. They aren’t the only ones who rattled the rim in the semifinals against Cal, though.
Asked who had the better dunk, Brown or Roberson…
Austin Dufault: “What about mine (laughing).”
Carlon Brown: “I don’t want to get into all of that. I’m going to let the Twitter Nation be the judge of that.”
These guys have really responded to challenges at halftime over the last couple of nights. They’ve been playing with unbelievable heart and desire.

What road woes?
Coming into the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado had only five wins away from the Coors Events Center. A win against Saturday would mean the Buffs’ fourth of the tournament, nearly doubling their previous away-game total.
“I think we’re a good road team,” Boyle said. “I know our record doesn’t say we’re a great road team, but I think we’re a good road team, and we’re obviously getting better.”

Climb to the top
Preseason polls pitted the Buffs to finish 9th in the Pac-12 Conference. Even after beating that mark and finishing in 6th place in the Pac-12 regular season, Colorado didn’t seem to be satisfied.
“We’ve got a bunch of competitive guys, and they didn’t like where we were picked,” Boyle said. We don’t blame people for doing it, it was fuel and food for us to motivate ourselves.”

Colorado has a date with "destiny"

The beat goes on for the CU men’s basketball team, and it sounds awfully like a heartbeat.

“If you believe in destiny, you believe in the Colorado Buffaloes because it was meant to be,” head coach Tad Boyle said after the Buffaloes’ win.

CU came out of seemingly nowhere to win the Pac-12 Championship that automatically qualifies the Buffs for the NCAA Tournament with a 53-51 win over the University of Arizona Wildcats.

In the last four seasons, the Buffs basketball program has seen the lowest of lows and, now, the highest of highs. Almost a year ago, Colorado had nearly assured themselves a spot in the Big Dance despite not winning their conference tournament. Colorado was confident they were in, then the rug was pulled right from under their feet.

“We dedicated this game beforehand to Cory Higgins, Levi Knutson, Marcus Relphorde, Trent Beckley, Javon Coney and Alec Burks,” Boyle said about the day that was one of the most traumatic events in his coaching career. “These six sat in my home last year on Selection Sunday for their last opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament, and they were snubbed. That inspired us.”

Whether it was inspiration, revenge or just plain unfinished business, the Buffs will be going to their first NCAA Tournament since the 2002-2003 season. But for the four seniors, Austin Dufault and Nate Tomlinson in particular, who played significant minutes as freshman on a nine win team, this win is beyond gratifying.

“It’s hard to explain in words what it means,” Dufault, the all-time leader in games played at Colorado, said. “There have been so many ups and downs for the last four years. But I’ve just treasured every moment at CU for the last four years. The tough ones have only made me a better person along with my teammates. We couldn’t have gotten to this point without going through ups and downs. We just came together today and played through the ups and downs again, and got it done.”

Colorado didn’t make it easy on themselves. The Buffs were forced to win four games in four nights. Each win wore on CU, but in the end, did not hinder their ability to make the plays when they needed to.
“Guys were making plays,” tournament MVP Carlon Brown said. “Guys were making the right reads whether it was passing, scoring and getting in the passing lane. Just a credit to all of my teammates. We just really wanted this and we weren’t going to be denied.”

Colorado's most formidable tennis duo

         Off thetennis court Winde Janssens and Carla Manzi Tenorio share a giggle and theyknow exactly what the other is thinking. On the court it’s not much different,minus the giggle part, sometimes.

         “We play well together, as a team,”said Janssens Then Manzi Tenoria quickly interjects, “We communicated well.”And finally to finish off the question, Janssens said of their play theprevious weeks, “I felt we kept fighting.”

         These court-mates, both sophomores,are not only having fun on the tennis court, but they are winning and quicklybecoming a force to be reckoned with.

          In the previous two matches, both Colorado wins against New Mexicoand Northern Colorado, this duo wasundefeated. The pair won both number-2 doubles matches rather easily, 8-3 and8-5 respectively. Then they split up and made quick work of their competition,each winning both of their matches. (Janssens 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 against UNM and 6-3,6-2 today; Manzi Tenorio 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 versus UNM and 6-0, 6-2 today)

          Janssens and Manzi Tenorio are afairly odd couple. Janssens is from Peer, Belgium, and Manzi Tenorio calls Cali, Colombiahome, only a roughly short 5,300 miles separates the two. Each found their wayto Boulder, Colorado and unbeknownst to everyone,including the coaches, they clicked right away. 

            “Actually at the beginning offreshman year I guess we were the last two left out so they put us together andwe just did amazing in our first tournament,” recalls Manzi Tenorio. “And thenwe kept on playing together and somehow we started to understand each other andknow what the other one was going to do.”

            Their shypersonalities, fun yet hardworking attitudes and explosive skills make up acrucial piece to Coloradowomen’s tennis program. They continue to grind to get better in the Pac-12Conference that is, again, one of the best in the nation.

            Are theyconfident and excited about the season? Janssens and Manzi Tenorio look addeach other, they probably know exactly what the other one will say. They smile,partially giggle, nod and utter in unison, “Yeah.”

Colorado Signing Day Part 7- Areas of focus

            A team that finishes the season 3-10 is bound to have a few holes. There will be, and are, numerous places the Buffs lacked any real contribution due to a number of reasons.

“When I looked at the board, we had a lot of holes, so I kind of prioritized how we needed to fill them,” said Embree who could have focused on a number of different positions but found his areas of emphasis without hesitation. “This year it was defensive back and D-line.”

Colorado graduated eight players from both those positions, 5 of whom were starters: Curtis Cunningham, David Goldberg, Josh Hartigan (the previous three from defensive line), Anthony Perkins and Travis Sanderfeld (both from the defensive backfield).

The focus was fulfilled with strong talent, big bodies and half of Colorado’s entire recruiting class. Fourteen players come in this year with a place, and more so a need for them to play a big part of the Buffs defense. Yuri Wright and Kenny Crawley in the secondary, along with Tyler Henington, Kisima Jagne and Justin Solis as the front line of the defense are just a few of the big names to watch.

Embree commented that there were no players that he planned to switch their position although it is not rare for that to happen later in some athlete’s career. But these players, in particular, come in with a clean slate ready to take the next step in their football careers and aid in the progression of Colorado football.      

“Thanks to the senior class, they don't have to hear about the (road losing) streak anymore, so they don't have to worry about that,” said Embree. The 28 players will come into a system that has only had a year to lay its initial groundwork, but learning on the fly is just something we’re going to all have to deal with. “At the end of it, it's still football.”

Colorado Signing Day Part 6- Embree's first full class

            A good hitter in baseball may watch the first pitch go by before taking his cuts. Embree didn’t have that luxury last year when he was hired amid recruiting. Now with a full cycle to compete for the top talent in the land he found himself knee deep in recruits that he hopes will turn the Colorado program around.

“I'd say about 75 percent, 80 percent of them have an opportunity to come in and earn some playing time, special teams or regular,” said Embree, which speaks to the talent of the class as well as the departure of a plethora of seniors.

            Colorado graduated 28 seniors, meaning the 28 recruits Embree signed will be forced to come in right and play.The overall youth of the team will be evident, and growing pains are going to happen.

“I'm sure there will be some mistakes that are made because of their youth, but also there is not just youth in this class, there is talent,” said Embree. “Hopefully the youth shows up in practice and the talent shows up on Saturday.”

With mistakes their will be obvious places for growth and advancement. But that’ll give a coaching staff riddled with NFL experience the ability to mold this raw talent. They’ll be able to set them on the right path, coach them up in the areas they need most and help the talented class reach its fullest potential

“The good thing about young is they grow up,” said Embree, the head designer and leader in the overall direction of Colorado football. “I actually have thought about that, about how young we possibly could be.  It's good and bad.  The good is they don't know any better.  There are no bad habits.”

Although a lot of the criticism of this class will likely come later on, when the 28 players put on the Colorado uniform, it is hard not to describe Embree first full go-round of recruiting a success. The Buffs did what they set out to do, and will be rewarded for there hard work in the falls to come. But as the ultimate perfectionist, there is always something more CU could do.

“I think we can be better in recruiting,” said the head coach. As the pistons of the recruiting machine continue to move and coaches, including Embree, reposition themselves to snag a player that will make all the difference. “I believe the dynamics in our conference, things change.”

Colorado Signing Day Part 5- Recruiting teammates

            College is a scary proposition, but so is college football. Combining the two would make any high school athlete feel genuinely sheepish stepping into a Pac-12 school, on both the academic and athletic fronts.  

            To combat the problem, or if it happened unknowingly, the Buffs found themselves wrangling in a number of teammates and siblings in this year’s class. Four different sets of teammates, including a pair of twins, with be coming to Colorado and helping each other ease the transition away from home and into the gauntlet that is Division I football.  

“Colorado is a unique program in that we have three kids in-state this year and last year we had two, so there are 25 kids in this class that are leaving home,” said Embree.

Of the teammates, there are Jeromy and Sean Irwin, twins from Cypress, Texas. Also the Buffs signed the proclaimed DC3 from H.D. Woodson High School in Washington D.C. including Kenneth Crawley, John Walker, De’Jon Wilson. And finally two pairs of teammates from the west coast; from Upland, California, came Donta Abron, Marques Mosley and Christian Powell, and from Westlake Village, California, was Justin Solis and Johnny Stuart.

            But what does not get talked about enough is the popularly wrong consensus of a seemingly trivial fact that these student athletes are leaving home for the first time and they are also prone to getting home sick. So Embree is more than just the football coach for many of these student athletes.

“They can say all they want, they're all tough, and then they're in my office on my couch talking about momma and the dog and everybody else that they miss,” said Embree, who treats and takes care of all 105 players like their his own kids. “They all go through it, so it will help having other teammates.”

            Being around a familiar face will likely calm the nerves of several of the players. And the camaraderie brought together by fighting for a sole cause, with 28 new faces and personalities will be an interesting dynamic.

“They’re really good kids,” said Embree. “That locker room downstairs is about to change.”

Colorado Signing Day Part 4- Good grade in a good Buffs class

            Some analysts, and experts, ranked the Buffaloes class as high as 27^th in the nation. That’s nothing to scoff at, especially for a program that has only won 11 games in the last three seasons combined.

            “The sooner the better, but I expect us to be able to put together competitive classes, and the thing I'm really proud about with this class is that our current kids did a great job helping recruit these kids,” said Embree who has been adamant about the prospect of prospects in his first year. “The name of the game is with this class, I want to bring somebody in who can beat these guys out.” 

            If competition breeds more focus and faster improvements then the Buffs are right where they need to be. No one player’s position is secure come spring and fall camp. And Embree is building depth with his first two classes that will continue to push the returning players, even starters.

“This class got along great with the kids that are here,” said Embree. He’s also already mentioned the class of 2013 and 2014, which is crucial component to a new mentality in Boulder. “I expect them to be the same way with next year's class, it's important to keep that going.”

A turn-around, a rebuilding will take time, but also the development of young men into supreme college football players also isn’t an instant formula. Some players make it, and make an impact while others don’t. That is just the way of life in recruiting, and projecting a player four years down the road when there are so many unknowns to account for is extremely hard to do.  

“Really at the end of it, you judge your class in four years,” said Embree, where four years in the life of college football is an eon. “I wish they'd rank you then.  You can see who stayed, who performed, who gets injured or maybe academics, some people don't make it.”

Embree can’t predict what the Colorado football program will look like in a quadrennial, but he has definitely plan or blueprint set for his black and gold.

Colorado Signing Day-Part 3, No Colorado love

Much like Embree’s first tumultuous season as head coach, one with seemingly more downs than ups, his first complete recruiting cycle didn’t finish without a few regrets. There are always a few fish that inevitably get away. 

But what Embree didn’t expect, especially in his first year when the changes around the program were more transparent close up, is that this bait would not work as well as it did inside the state of Colorado.  

“We didn't do a good enough job,” Embree said of his ability to keep kids at home. “We got three kids. We missed on some of them.”  

            The trio that the Buffs signed included Tyler Henington, from Mullen, Clay Norgard, from Mountain Vista and Derek McCartney, the grandson of former Buffs coach Bill McCartney. Several others in the state were undecided until the final moments but in the end chose to leave Colorado and play football elsewhere.

“When I say 'we', I mean 'me'. I've got to continue to try and figure out what it is that we need to do,” said Embree taking personal accountability for all things surrounding the program. “We'll continue to work at it and we'll keep doing our best at it and eventually it will turn."

This is the second year in a row that Colorado had a disappointing showing at home. Last year the only two Colorado-native recruits to come to Boulder were Brady Daigh and Marc Mustoe.    

Embree has made a consummate effort to recruit with the state, and keep the good talent, that happened to beat the Buffs a time or two this past season, on their side. But as Colorado begins its imminent climb it, a restoration of sorts, the ability to recruit the state will be much easier.  

            “As we get more successful, I hope that translates first off on kids wanting to stay home and be a part of it,” said Embree.

Colorado Signing Day-Part 2 Wright or Wrong

     It was rather fitting that almost 140 characters into the signing day press conference Embree was talking about controversial corner back Yuri Wright. Hejust happened to go in reverse alphabetical order, but nonetheless the recruit that had drawn so much attention, nearly more nationally than locally, was first on the docket.

     “He touched a hot stove,” Embree said of Wright. Wright was recently expelled from Don Bosco Prep school after sending out several vulgar and profane tweets.“I'll be surprised if he touches it again. He's very remorseful.”

But while other schools that had interest in Wright, big schools along the likes Michigan, pulled their scholarships, Colorado and Embree remained true to their word. In a stand that spoke louder than any yell he could muster, and Embree sure knows how to do just that, he conferred in Mike Bohn, Colorado athletic director,and Chancellor of the University of his intentions to continue after one of the most talents ball-hawks in the country.

“I didn't have any reservations,” said Embree.

Embree is sharp, passionate, and he loves a challenge so it was no surprise he was willing to take a chance on Wright.

           “Sometimes it's a hard lesson and yet at the same time I don't think it's a reason to not allow a kid an opportunity to improve himself,” said Embree. The coach is also willing to teach the athletes how to be men off the field as well. “It has nothing to do with football.”

           Whether you call it a second chance or risky bet, Embree is willing to push this through. If not completely tech savy, although he is on Twitter @JEbuffs, the head coach is aware of the way things are and how his players communicate and interact with players, friends, fans and others across a multitude of platforms.

“I have shared that with our team, about the responsibility that comes with social media.  I don't want to ban them because that train has left the station,”Embree said. He doesn’t necessarily embrace all the antics of his players, but he will have to keep some in check. “That's part of them, and growing up is learning some of these lessons.”

Is the altitude actually a hindrance?

Why can't the Buffs win on the road? What makes leaving the city of Boulder so unlucky for Colorado? Does their bus to the airport put bad mojo on them?

We can rationalize it anyway we like it, and somehow all these profetic solutions make sense but end up dissolving, like a sugar cube in warm mug of coffee, right before our eyes. We need to run the ball more, we do, we somehow lose. We need to hit more three-pointers, swish and swish, but tack on another L.

Here's a thought; could altitude training be our downfall? Can the same physical, and as it turns out, psychological factor that taints our opponents on their arrival in Colorado be also plaguing the Buffs minds and bodies when they leave?

As a Colorado native, and people from this Mile High state can likely attest, I've been far and away immune to the psyche of "altitude". The fact that we have less oxygen molecules (in parts per million with normal, sea-level air) is no longer an interesting tidbit, it's as played out as your third fortune cookie.

So when a player of an opposing color comes in and hears the announcer blurt out the oh-so-common phrase, "Welcome to 5,430 feet of Rocky Mountain High altitude" it has an effect. A sense of doubt, even minuscule can play a factor. One that gives the Buffs an advantage, even if it just for a second or step in Colorado's favor. It's no longer about skill, talent or athleticism but rather an intangible bonus that only the Buffs have.

But when the Buffs leave Boulder they are not usually accompanied by this comfort. They are on their own, without altitude and that edge that makes them so potent at home.

They don't, and shouldn't, think about it. Colorado has trained in a tougher atmosphere, even if a aerodynamics major will tell you otherwise, and that can be an err of arrogance that is their downfall. A placebo that is swallowed without hesitation. But the Buffs are no longer in their element, while it's only a hundred molecules of difference, it is that little bit extra that doesn't exist at sea-level. Colorado can't help them, and in turn they are unable to help themselves.

The Buffs can't win away from home, but away from Boulder and altitude they are actually leveling the playing field.

Chucky Jeffery gets to 1,000 points

“Coaches helped me evolve a little bit, I'm a scorer now,” said Colorado Buffaloes guard Chucky Jeffery who, after just two and a half season in Boulder has transformed into a leader for the Buffs and a big-time scorer.

Jeffery scored 18 points in a loss to Oregon on Saturday night to push herself over 1,000 for her career. She is only the 24^th Buff to collect that many points in a career.

“It feels good to get 1,000 points,” said Jeffery of the feat. “It's very humbling and it makes you hungry for more.”

The junior guard from Colorado Springs, Colorado (Sierra High School) has been a staple in the Buffaloes backcourt since her arrival on campus in 2009. In only her second game in Boulder she recorded double figures in points with 11. As a freshman she averaged 9.3 points per contest, which was third on the team.

Coming into her sophomore year her role as leader and scoring came natural. She averaged 13.5 points per game, second to only Brittany Spears. After two complete years in Boulder, Jeffery continued to be on the rise just like the entire Buff team.

“You just have to keep playing and keep working hard and come every day with a positive attitude and that will get you through most of the time,” said Jeffery who knows that this accomplishment is far from an individual milestone. “Depend on your team mates and coaches. The more you reach out the more comfortable you'll be getting over that little hump.”

After the graduation and departure of Spears, Colorado’s all time leading scorer there was only one player that could fill her shoes. Jeffery is 7^th in the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 15.1 points.

But while Jeffery isn’t sneaking up on anyone her team is. The Buffs came out of the gates fast and were off to one their best starts in the programs history. Colorado started 12-0 but they have fallen off slightly in the tough Pac-12 Conference.  

“We have the last 5 of our 7 games on our home floor and we couldn't be in a better position than right now,” said Jeffery who remains confident about the imminent future. “We have to come out aggressive, pushing the ball, playing defense and getting back to ourselves. Hopefully we get some wins out of that.”

Journalism limbo; Don't sell my education short

My education is in limbo, and it seems like the school I attend is setting the bar way too low.

I will be the first one to tell you that what is happening to the University of Colorado's journalism school is a travesty. The students that attend, have graduated and will graduated from the much less accomplished sounding 'Journalism Program' probably won't be given the same foothold in the industry as those at other institutions of higher education. But, although the process and utilities that CU has there are still very good and well-rounded "journalists" coming out of Boulder every semester.

Over the course of the last week we have seen two of the most disturbing events get blown out of proportion.

Rob Lowe reported via Twitter, "Hearing my fave, #18 Peyton Manning will not return to #NFL. Wow. #Colts." And the shock-wave rippled throughout the social media giant. Some people believed while more others found the information as an interesting note that could not be corroborated and thus was just another so-called-official report.

It started a storm that if you weren't paying close enough attention to you could have easily missed it. People, the average person was aware of what was being presented in front of them and they, in a matter of moments, were able to decipher the trustworthiness of the news and the source that it came from.

Then only days ago CBSSports.com reported, without a credible source in the real article mind you, that Joe Paterno had died. People could not handle the news, or were unable to take it in rationally. Twitter became overwhelmed with this article and fact, that later turned out to be wrong. They family spokesperson of the Paterno family said this information was "absolutely not true." And as the story turned on its head it only began to gain steam. You didn't know what to believe and who was saying what.

Social media is useful, it can be informative and it continues to push the bounds that traditional media outlets have been slow to move on. It is a transformative tool much the way the radio and television waves expanded the information platform. But that is where it stops. There is no credibility on a Twitter service; the little blue check is no overbearing cover for things that may or may not be true.

It can spread information like wildfire and burn the entire forest down, and for that we cannot ignore it. But we can tear down and trample over the same forest by looking and believing in information that is not true.

The world needs good, hard-working journalist. They have to be there double-checking and triple-checking with facts and sources. So don't sell my education short.

Sportsmag Packages 11/11/11

Sportsmag Packages.

Jon Embree's team is young but on Saturday it will be all about the seniors. Twenty-eight senior will graduate after this season but they have left their legacy here in Boulder. Embree asked the underclassmen to write letters to the seniors, and how they turned out... you'll just have to watch and see.

The Pac-12 is the 'Conference of Champions' and the first two ever champions to be crowned in the new conference were both from Boulder. The men's and woman's cross country squads swept the field in Tempe and are excited for the opportunity to take this momentum with them into the NCAA Nationals.

Amy Barczuk was invited to play at the U-23 National Soccer Camp. The junior is an up and coming star for the Buffs with the potential to play for the stars and stripes in the future. But her journey has come with hard work and a lot of family support.

A Streak of 3-D

“There was no interference from that…. Um…. Yay-hoo,” said the referee following an incomplete pass by Tyler Hansen on third down.

While all the fans at the game were disappointed, the popular voters at home were thankful even noticeable grateful that he still had his clothes on. What could have been a disaster in the second-EVER 3-D broadcast turned out to be nothing more than a meaningless prank.

The streaker, if we true fans can even call him that came onto Folsom Field could have single handedly (I refrain, too easy of a joke) made ESPN question its production value. And how could a little thing, a small infraction like that, have such big implications for the largest network in the sports arena?

All kidding aside, 3-D television doesn’t seem to be the next new thing. It won’t sizzle, but it won’t take off either.

Fans at home, and sometimes people even at the stadium get caught doing it, watch the two-dimensional version of the contest to their bemusement. There is no reason to think that people will want to bring this into their home; it may be an interesting improvement of technology but only a step forward to something more dramatic.

The ‘Wall-E’ shaped cameras may start to replace fingerprint covered binoculars. People will come back, they can’t stay away. HD, 3-D or Heavy-D (R.I.P. and he will be missed), by Dwight’s dimension definition, they paved the way and yet there is more to come.

A Speechless Embree

What can you say? What is there to say after your team, your alma mater loses by more than 30 points for the third time in four weeks?

“We have all talked about it, but it’s been all talk and no action,” said head coach Jon Embree after an all-too regular performance by his Buffs in Tempe, Arizona.

Embree has said the right things from the beginning of his tenure in October. Players and staff utter a statement of quality control improvements, but the translation to the field is worse than the instruction manual to a Chinese knock-off mahogany bookshelf. Fans are starting to get restless, and we can only get senses of what’s going on inside the locker room.

 “There are some guys who are just okay with wearing the jersey. That’s wrong and that’s what has to change,” said senior captain Tyler Hansen who showed his true grit and fire coming back after a concussion a week prior.

And that feeling seems to be a mutual one from everyone involved, and is trickling down from the man in charge. “The other ones that just want to be on the team, be around if it goes good and then decide to jump in the water when it’s not going good. We will just have to keep weeding them out,” said Embree.

Embree is realistic, optimistic and he seems to be truly aware of his team.

“You can find a million reasons why you can’t, the goal is to go out there and find the one reason you can and go out there and do it,” said Embree who, even after everything that could have easily torn down a lesser football coach, is still on the straight and narrow.

Embree wants, nay, demands big things of his players. He can articulate all he wants right now, but it will be interesting to see what happens when he gets players that care as much as he does. The coach may be naïve, inexperience and willing to take the criticism if it means success.

An image, or win in the Buffs case, could speak a thousand words but I doubt ‘satisfied’ will be one that Jon Embree uses.

Colorado's newest golf haven

When you unearth some of God’s green Earth on the links (even if fescue is nowhere natural in those back nine regions) you must replace your divot. It’s a reparation for your unruly and, more often than not, off-planed flailing of a golf swing.

But today in Erie, Colorado the University of Colorado golf teams will break this sacred code of the golfing world.

The 15^th and most devastating club in the bag won’t be a Jack Nicklaus 1-iron, but rather a shovel. They will be literally spearheading a new era in for the Buffs in the Pac-12 Conference, which is regarded as the best conference on both the men’s and women’s sides in America.

Today, they will initiate the process of building a 5,700 square foot practice facility located next to the practice range at Colorado National Golf Club. (Article on cubuffs.com) It will incorporate a 2,000 square foot short game room, several hitting bays and a state-of-the-art video system that will allow the Buffs to fine tune their skills all year round.

The George Boedecker, Jr. Golf Practice Facility is just another advancement that Colorado is doing to help their athletes prepare to perform at the highest level. The University continuing is solidifying numerous areas, not only in golf, that have lacked the necessary updates and renovations.

Colorado is making a genuine effort to bring the athletic department as a whole to the level and prestige it rightly deserves.

The women’s golf team, who is ranked within the top-25, and the men’s team, who unofficially won two tournaments in the fall season, will greatly benefit from this new addition. This building will just scratch the surface on the promising things to come for many Buff golfers in the Pac-12.

Buffs ill-timing proves costly in loss to WSU

Jon Embree doesn’t understand losing.

“I hate losing and I’m competitive and I expect these guys to win every time we go out there,” said the former Buff tight end and now head coach.

The way Colorado let a 10-point lead slip out of their grasp in the final minutes of play is beyond him.

Embree came into Boulder knowing that taking over one of the worst stretches in CU football history was going to be tough. But I don’t know if he thought it was going to be this hard.

“When are they going to get tired of losing?” said Embree who has not strayed away from the Buffs ineptitude to close out a ballgame, “When are they going to get tired of finding a way to lose because you know what, this staff, we’ve been here for five weeks and I’m tired of it.”

But it’s the way the Buffs lost this game, which also happened to be their very first in the Pac-12 that can make any black and gold fan need some high-quality antacid.

The Cougars blocked a Will Oliver field goal attempt early in the first half, which ended up being the winning margin for WSU. Throughout the game the Buffs were able to play Embree’s ‘physical’ game. CU’s offensive line found a rhythm and pushed Rodney ‘Speedy’ Stewart easily 100-yards on the ground.  Then, like looking in a mirror of years past, the Buffs proceeded to squander a 10-point lead with just over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

“‘When is it going to be enough? When is enough, enough?” said Embree as his almost lost gaze turned into something more along the lines of disgust, “You put in all of this work, you do all of this stuff that you have done from spring ball to training camp for this? This is what we did the work for? So when is it enough?”

This mentality change is slowly working its way around the Colorado locker room, but there is one man ready to make it a full-on epidemic.

“It starts with Jon Embree, no one else.”

Colorado not close at the Horseshoe

Heading into Ohio State, and the biggest stadium most of these players have ever seen, the Buffaloes had the opportunity to change many people's minds about this program. The game was televised nationally; no blackouts anywhere except for a couple frat houses.

Colorado’s newest coaches have said everything right since they were appointed in October. They even looked, and felt the part. (Not this.)

But, as Jon Embree has said several times in several different situations, ‘there is a difference from saying something, and then proceeding to go out and do it’ (I’m paraphrasing here). So when he said that this time was going to be a ‘physical team that runs the ball’ I completely believed him.

Then the Buffs got the ball for the first time.

“We have been awful starting games,” said Embree. The first three plays were all throws and were all unsuccessful; they used 21 total seconds and gave the ball right back to the Buckeyes  “We script plays and we go through it and we give them the looks and we practice it.”

The Buffs want to be physical program, in a name-sake game and that’s how you open the game?

If you are losing, and you need to score in a hurry I can completely understand the philosophy of throwing the ball numerous times. But if there is more than 30 minutes left in a game, so before half time, you cannot disregard everything you ever preached.

In the first half Colorado snapped the ball 23 times; 18 passes and only 5 runs. In those five prescribed running plays none lost yards and they averaged over 4 yards per carry. (‘Four yards a carry’ is something Embree has also stated previously.)

Colorado wants to return to playing good football, but you can’t just say that to win games.

Jim Gray Speaking at the SJMC Graduation

Oh how the times have changed.

Four years ago I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had some ideas but none that I could legitimately say we’re in the works. Times have changed and so have I; it’s rather crazy to look at what’s all happened.

Let me first start with a story.

I’ve always talked about getting someone big in the sports broadcasting world that has graduated from Colorado to speak at our graduation. So the names of Rick Reilly, Chris Fowler and Jim Gray have always made their way to the front of our minds.

And on Tuesday after coming back from the Rockies game with some of my friends we were joking about have our commencement called ‘THE GRADUATION’ with Jim Gray speaking at it. (In pun of his interview with Lebron James proclaimed ‘The Decision’.) So I tweeted that out to all 118 of my followers. Half joke, but also half for real.

‘THE GRADUATION! for the SJMC at the University of Colorado.... We want Jim Gray to give our speech can we make it happen @espn @NBCSportsPR’

And the very next day I get an email from my internship coordinator at CBS. He said that I needed to come in and fill out some paperwork, and also that Mr. Jim Gray called the station looking for me.

I was excited and hesitant. I didn’t know if the guys at CBS were messing with me or if this was real. But I called the number they gave me, and left a message at the ‘Office of Jim Gray’. (Which was already the best moment of semester, and I was just talking to a machine.)

And today I received a call from the man himself. (Slightly surpassing the last high moment.) He was happy to come give the speech at our graduation commencement, and he was excited that I reached out to him to talk to him. We talked for about 20 minutes in casual conversation.

Coming into college I would have never thought this would ever happen to me, but today I talked on the phone with Jim Gray. And I can’t thank him enough. See you on May 10^th Jim Gray; I’ll be the one in the black robe and funny looking square hat.