Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Late Surge Could Pay Off For Buffs
March 05, 2010 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
But with an impressive mini-run over the past two weeks, the Buffs have positioned themselves on the fringe of postseason participation this season. Winning what amounts to a pair of "elimination games" in their next two outings, with both most likely against Texas Tech, could get them in this March's fray.
Round One against the Red Raiders comes Saturday at the Coors Events Center (2 p.m., Altitude). Round Two could occur next Wednesday in Kansas City's Sprint Arena on the opening day of the Big 12 Conference's postseason tournament.
Currently, CU is in eighth place (5-10) in the league standings, with Tech a game behind (4-11) in ninth. Saturday's meeting, depending on the outcome, could solidify those positions or cause a seeding flip-flop. Either way, it could pair CU and Tech in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 first-day Big 12 game.
Equally important is the Buffs' 14-15 overall record. Defeating the Red Raiders (16-13) Saturday would push the Buffs back to .500 - a plateau not visited since early February. Reaching .500 is vital for a possible NIT bid, but CU can't get there without winning Saturday and winning at least once in Kansas City.
Founded in 1938, the NIT features a 32-team field. But this could be a fall-back scenario: The fledgling College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament selects a 16-team field - and that three-year-old tourney could benefit the Buffs. Oregon State got in the 2009 CBI tourney with a 13-18 record, played five games and won the tournament to finish 18-18.
Of course, the only scenario CU coach Jeff Bzdelik only has eyes for now involves Tech's visit on Saturday: "I just worry about Saturday as a game that's next on our schedule and very important in a lot of ways."
But be assured of this: he needs no briefing on the various requirements for his team to make a postseason appearance, which would further underscore the improvement underway in his program.
"If we get another 'W' on Saturday, that would mean we've won four of our last 6 in conference," Bzdelik said. "That's tangible evidence we're getting better."
DOUBLY TOUGH? If the most likely seeding scenario plays out and CU meets Texas Tech in Kansas City, how difficult is it to defeat a team in back-to-back games?
Two thoughts, the first courtesy of junior forward Casey Crawford, the second from senior guard Dwight Thorne II:
Crawford: "I disagree with that (the degree of difficulty). When we beat Tech on Saturday, it's going to kind of provide that much more (information) for us in the first round; we'll know what they're good at, what they're not good at.
"It'll be the same for them knowing us and make for a little more even matchup in the first round. But I feel that we're desperate, very, very desperate, for the postseason. So it doesn't matter."
Thorne: "It's always hard to beat a team twice. In high school, we beat a team three times in the regular season (then) lost to them in the regional finals of the state . . . . It's tough to beat a team more than once, especially at this level we're at."
WIN OUT, DON'T WORRY: Crawford, whose deluge of treys - he hit half of CU's season-high 12 - helped bury Nebraska, 81-68, on Tuesday night, has his own scenario for CU making an immediate postseason appearance.
"We're not focused on just getting one win, we're focused on getting more than one, winning the Big 12 tournament," he said. "We want to keep winning until we lose . . . but I feel like if we win two or three more games we'll make a strong bid for the NIT."
The 6-foot-9 Crawford has been instrumental in CU's modest two-game winning streak. The game before he delivered his three-point barrage in Lincoln, he hit two of four treys in a 75-72 win against Iowa State and tied a then-season high of 10 points for the fourth time. An even better night awaited: His 20 against the Cornhuskers was a career high.
What's behind Crawford's late-season surge?
There was a recent hear-to-heart session with Bzdelik, but Crawford was non-committal when asked whether that inspired him.
"I don't know . . . I kind of focused on, well, I could go out there and play scared, play timid, play one minute and get taken out of the game," he said. "Or I could go out there, say, 'screw it' and play hard and see what happens.
"I can't go out there and play timid anymore. I've got to go out there when I get my chance and play as hard as I can and just kind of let it loose.
"I've just gone out there (the past two games) and played basketball instead of going out there and thinking so much and being so much like a robot . . . I'm going out there and do what I do. In high school I played well and in the good games I've had before, I've just gone out and played. That's all I can do is go out there and play the game."
His past two performances marked personal improvement and were critical for his team. But Crawford, who graduates in May yet has a year of eligibility remaining, realizes he still has much improvement to make.
Ask him where that starts and he immediately answers, "Post defense . . . I'm usually stronger than the guys I'm playing against, but I need to be quicker on defense - move my feet, get in front and stay in front."
Crawford's feathery touch is fine for shooting three-pointers, but not so good when it comes to muscling up and holding his position on defense. Still, he remains an optimistic, glass-half-full sort. Ask him how life has been in Bzdelik's dog house and he might say, "Hey, life's good; I've got a roof over my head."
"I never get down on myself," he said. "Deep down inside I know what kind of player I am and know what I can do. I know I shoot the ball well, but I know that if left open and given the opportunities, I can knock down shots. I might have surprised some other people (at Nebraska), but I didn't surprise myself."
When a reporter asked teammate/roommate Dwight Thorne II the other day where the Crawford who showed up at Nebraska has been all season, Thorne said, "He's been here, but I'm proud of him . . . he took the opportunity and stepped up and played really well. He's played really well the past two games and that's good for us."
SENIOR SALUTE: Thorne and Trent Beckley, who has not played this season due for medical reasons, will be recognized Saturday on Senior Day.
Thorne "epitomizes a basketball player at (CU)," Bzdelik said. "He carries himself with great class both on and off court, he's an outstanding student and even a better person. He represents the university . . . in a great way."
Bzdelik recounted how freshman standout Alec Burks has been mentored by Thorne - no doubt at Thorne's expense: "Burks brings Dwight up as a person who has helped him in terms of understanding what it's like to play out there, what he might encounter . . .
"For a young man like Burks to give Dwight credit for helping him out - and let's face it, Alec probably took (Thorne's) playing time and his minutes. For him to say that about Dwight just really is a testimony to who Dwight is."
Thorne said Saturday's game is important "not only for me because it's my last home game during the regular season, but we need to win the game to put ourselves in the position we want to be in. I think we all know that. We knew it on Tuesday (before Nebraska) and we played well. We know it going into Saturday."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
