Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Eager Buffs Set Sights On NYC, The Garden
March 27, 2011 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
He's played in larger, more elaborate venues since, but none that rival what awaits him this week. Now a Colorado junior forward, Dufault is bracing for his first visit to New York's Madison Square Garden, where on Tuesday (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN2) the Buffaloes meet Alabama in one semifinal of the 2011 NIT.
New York and the world-famous Garden, said Dufault, are "a night-and-day contrast" with his hometown and his high school gym. "It's about as opposite as you can get."
And for that reason there might be an atypical first few steps onto the hallowed hardwood come Tuesday. The Buffs' first practice in New York is on Monday afternoon at the New York Athletic Club. Their first glimpse of The Garden, their first footfalls onto its court, will come in an early afternoon shootaround on Tuesday.
"It's always kind of an adjustment period the first few minutes on any court," Dufault said. "But I think that'll probably be magnified at Madison Square Garden. I know Marcus (Relphorde, CU senior guard) has played there before, but I don't think anyone else has. It'll be something that's definitely special, but once the ball's up in the air, you gotta go out and play it. The rim's still 10 feet in the air. The end lines are still the same distance."
In his 21 years, Dufault has made one previous trip to the East Coast, that also courtesy of CU basketball, and coming earlier this season when the Buffs played at Harvard (Boston).
With apologies to the U.S. Navy, play college hoops and see the world.
"That's the neat thing about college basketball - it takes you to places like New York City," CU Coach Tad Boyle said. "This is something our players will always remember. I want them to take it all in. We'll schedule some things for them to do educationally and we'll allow them some free time to get out and experience the city.
"We're staying right in Times Square. You have to find that balance - staying focused, remembering what you're there for, but you have to understand it's an educational experience for them."
Dufault and his teammates are among 135 CU charter passengers leaving for New York late Sunday afternoon. Monday's itinerary includes a visit to the New York Stock Exchange and press conferences for the four coaches involved - Boyle, Alabama's Anthony Grant, Washington State's Ken Bone and Wichita State's Greg Marshall. The two WSUs play in Tuesday's first semifinal (5 p.m., MDT, ESPN2).
CU (24-13) and Alabama (24-11) is the pair of surviving No. 1 seeds, while Washington State (22-12) is a No. 2 and Wichita State (27-8) a No. 4.
Boyle and his senior leaders are not overly concerned about the Buffs losing focus in a city as rich with distractions as New York.
"I don't think we'll be caught up in it," senior guard Cory Higgins said. "We have a goal in mind, and that's to win the tournament."
Added Boyle: "We'll talk about it, but that's one of the luxuries of having a good group of seniors - they can handle it . . . we've got an opportunity to beat Alabama on a neutral floor in a great, great city on a pretty big stage. For me, it's a one-game tournament - you've got to win to advance."
After last Tuesday night's quarterfinal win against Kent State, the Buffs took Wednesday and Thursday off - a two-day respite Boyle hoped would aid in rejuvenating his team. Higgins and sophomore guard Alec Burks were bothered by a flu bug that visited the team early last week, while point guard Nate Tomlinson was recuperating from a shoulder sprain that kept him out of the difficult Kent State win.
When the team returned to practice on Friday afternoon, Higgins said he was better but not completely rid of his ailment. Tomlinson wore a bandage/ice pack on his left shoulder before practice, but appeared unbothered by the injury during the workout - a good omen for Boyle. Burks also looked to be practicing at full speed.
Because of Tomlinson's ball-handling ability and Alabama's pressure defense, Boyle hopes the recovery is swift. Boyle compared the Crimson Tide to Missouri in its pressing ability and to Georgia in terms of overall athleticism. CU split its season series with Mizzou (W, 89-76; L, 89-73) and lost at Georgia (84-73) in the second game of the season.
No matter how aggressive Alabama's defense, Higgins said, "It's nothing we haven't seen; that's the benefit of the Big 12. It'll get you ready to see all styles of play. We'll be ready for it. But (Alabama) is really athletic and gets after it.
"They're a bunch of athletes who try to get you to make tough shots. We can't get rattled by their pressure and just do what we do. I think we can match up with anybody in the country."
Playing in the Big 12, said Boyle, offers the chance to compete against contrasting styles: "We've seen (pressure) before, but we have to handle their pressure. And we have to limit their second shots; if you don't box them out they'll be tip-dunking on you in a minute."
The Buffs also believe being Big 12-tested is comparable to anything the Crimson Tide experienced in the SEC. "I'll take the Big 12 against any conference there is out there," Higgins said. "I think we'll be pretty well prepared."
Higgins' time at Madison Square Garden, which seats 19,763 for basketball, will mark his final days in a CU uniform. He made a prior visit to the Garden as a ball-boy when his father (Rod) was in the NBA, but he was too young to remember it. In later years, he said he "always dreamed" about playing there. "I never thought it was out of reach. As a basketball player, it's somewhere you'll always cherish playing."
Dufault, meanwhile, has another season at CU, and while he's anticipating this trip, he wants an NCAA Tournament appearance to be next year's March destination. He views reaching the NIT Final Four as merely the initial postseason step for the Buffs under Boyle.
"It's a great experience for us playing this deep into the postseason," Dufault said. "We're on one of the biggest stages in Madison Square Garden. No matter what tournament it is, that's a big stage. For the guys coming back, it's going to be a great experience playing at that level against a good team."
It's the experience of a lifetime, and it's happening a long, long way from Killdeer High School.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
