Colorado University Athletics
MBB Travels to Rainbow Classic
FOR STARTERS (individual)... In his last three games, Cory Higgins is averaging 21.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 2.7 apg., .583 F% (21-of-36) ... Third straight game that Tomlinson, Higgins, Thorne II, Jackson-Wilson, and Dufault have started for the Buffs (5-0 overall) ... Higgins has led the team in rebounds seven times and in four straight ... Austin Dufault became the fifth CU player to score over 20 points in a game ... Higgins leads CU in scoring (17.9), rebounds (6.3), steals (1.8), minutes played (36.6), FGs made (48), FG attempts (94), free throws made (55) and attempts (71), FT % (.775) ... Jermyl Jackson-Wilson has a blocked shot in every game and leads with11 ... Dwight Thorne II is shooting a team-best .557 percent from the field ... Nate Tomlinson has recorded at least three assists in every game played ... Higgins made his last 16 free throws attempted in a row (over three games) ... Thorne has scored in double figures seven of nine games ... Tomlinson has 29 assists and stands in 17th place among CU freshman assists. HeGÇÖs four from tying Dwight ThorneGÇÖs 2006-07 total of 33 ... With under five minutes to play, Higgins is 38-of-49 (.776) over his two-years at the free throw line. This year heGÇÖs 16-of-19 (.842) with under five minutes left. and 8-of-9 under two minutes.
COMPLETE NOTES located at the bottom of page.
FOR STARTERS (team)... The last time CU won three games in three days was the Pepsi Classic in Charlotte, N.C. in 2002-03. CU defeated La.-Lafayette (75-56); at Charlotte (76-74); Loyola-Chicago (76-72) ... Entering the week, CU is shooting .505 percent, sixth-best nationally ... The Buffs are 5-1 when shooting above .500 percent from the field ... In five wins (71.8 ppg.), the team is shooting .507 percent from the floor with three players averaging 10+ ppg. (Cory Higgins 19.2 ppg.) ... CU is 5-1 when shooting over 50 percent from the field (50% at Stanford) ... Entering the week, CU was shooting the sixth best FG% in the nation (.505). The last CU team to finish the season over 50 percent from the field was 1985-86 (24 years), in fact, thatGÇÖs the only time since 1947-48 when percentages were kept.
CU vs. COPPIN STATE... The Tigers have lost eight straight games after winning their season opener against Wilmington University, a Division II school located in New Castle, Del. back on Nov. 15. The only common opponent CSU and CU have will be Kansas. The Jayhawks defeated Coppin State on Nov. 28 in Lawrence, 85-53. Coppin State is predicted to finish sixth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and are coached by Ron Mitchell in his 23rd year at the school.
CU vs. COPPIN STATE... The Buffaloes are 1-0 all-time against the Eagles having defeated them back on Jan. 2, 2001 in Boulder, 91-63. Overall, CU is 5-0 against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
RAINBOW CLASSIC TIMES... CU will play Coppin State, Sunday, Dec. 28 at 10:30 p.m. (MST). If CU wins, they will play at 8 p.m. (MST) against either Buffalo or Pepperdine. If the Buffs lose on Sunday, they will play at 4:30 p.m. (MST). As far as the final day, hereGÇÖs the schedule (barring a Hawaii loss on the first night), all are mountain times:
7th place - 2 p.m.
5th place - 4:30 pm
3rd place - 8:00 pm
Championship - 10:30 pm
BROADCAST... The Colorado menGÇÖs basketball team can be heard live on KKZN AM 760. Mark Johnson and Charles Johnson call the action including the pre- and postgame. Live internet audio of all CU basketball games is available through Yahoo! Sports. ColoradoGÇÖs games will also be streamed live on CUBuffs.com through the BuffsTV subscription service.
CU AT THE RAINBOW CLASSIC... This weekend marks the second time the Buffaloes will be playing in the Rainbow Classic. During the 1996-97 season (Hilo, HawaiGÇÖi), the Buffs went 3-1 defeating Drake (82-80, ot); Auburn (78-72 (ot); Virginia Tech (63-56), the falling to Louisville (92-82)
CU vs. the Field in 2008... CU is 1-0 all-time against Coppin State and against Buffalo, however trails Pepperdine, 4-3 in the series. In the other side of the bracket, CU is 87-33 against Colorado State, 0-2 against HawaiGÇÖi and has never played either Vermont or George Washington.
ON THIS DAY (Dec. 28)... CU is 17-15 on this date in history and 9-9 on neutral courts. They last played in 2002-03 and defeated Charlotte at the Pepsi Classic winning three games in three days - the last time a CU team has accomplished that feat.
CONFERENCE HONOR... Cory Higgins was selected the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 8-14) in voting by a panel of media covering the conference. It is the first weekly honor for Higgins and first conference honor for CU this season. ItGÇÖs also the first Big 12 Player of the Week honor for a CU student-athlete since the 2005-06 season when Richard Roby earned back-to-back honors. Higgins also established career bests in field goals made (11), field goals attempted (16) and 3-pointers made (3).
Defense through the years... Over his six years as a collegiate coach and two-plus seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Jeff Bzdelik has installed playing defense as a major part of the game. HereGÇÖs a look at his teams over the years. The 2005-06 season at Air Force was a nationGÇÖs best of all 970 collegiate schools in Division I (326), D-II (265), and D-III (379).
1986-87 UMBC 70.1 ppg. (28 gms)
1987-88 UMBC 78.0 (28 games)
2002-03 Denver (NBA) #92.4 (82 games)
2003-04 Denver (NBA) 96.1 (82 games)
2004-05 Denver (NBA) 97.4 (28 games)
2005-06 USAFA *54.7 (31 games)
2006-07 USAFA **56.0 (35 games)
2007-08 Colorado ^62.4 (32 games)
2008-09 Colorado 62.2 (9 games)
* - nationGÇÖs best
** - runner up nationally (Princeton 53.3)
^ - lowest in CU history 46 years
# - franchise record (shattered mark by more than five points)
LAST GAME RECAP... Freshman guard Nate Tomlinson made a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining and freshman forward Austin Dufault scored a career-high 21 points lifting Colorado over Louisiana-Monroe, 65-62 Tuesday night at the Coors Events Center. The Buffaloes (6-3) have won three straight games and wrapped up a school record eight home games before Christmas. The Warhawks have lost six of their last seven games falling to 3-8.
SUN, BEACH & X-MAS... Colorado is one of eight teams participating in the 45th year of the 2008 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, Dec. 27-30. The Classic, celebrating its 45th year, is the longest running eight-team tournament in the country.
The Rainbow Warriors open the tournament on Dec. 27 against Colorado State at 7:30 p.m. Preceding that game is George Washington and Vermont at 5:00 p.m. On Dec. 28, Buffalo and Pepperdine meet at 5:00 p.m., followed by Colorado and 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Coppin State at 7:30 p.m. The first-round winners advance to the tournamentGÇÖs championship rounds, Dec. 29-30, while the losers will play in the consolation rounds.
This will be Colorado StateGÇÖs third appearance in the Classic. Colorado and Pepperdine will each be making their second appearances. CU finished third in the 1999 Classic and Pepperdine finished fourth in the 2003 edition. Buffalo and Vermont will be making their inaugural appearances in the tournament, as well as Coppin State.
The Rainbow Warriors have captured five of the last seven titles, including four straight from 2001-04. Last year, Saint MaryGÇÖs of the West Coast Conference captured the championship with Hawai?i finishing in eighth place.
Rainbow Classic History Notes
-Since 1964, 153 teams have participated in the annual Rainbow Classic.
-Host Hawai?i has won the most championships (11), including four consecutive from 2001-04.
-North Carolina ranks second to UH with three titles, followed by Purdue and Illinois with two.
- Hawai?i is 72-60 (.545) all-time in the Rainbow Classic.
- Hawai?i has reached the championship game 19 times in 44 years. The Classic boasts a rich history of all-time great players, including "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan.
HAWAII BOUND...AGAIN... The Buffaloes will be making another trip to the Hawaiian Islands playing in the 2009-10 Maui Invitational in Honolulu. It will be CUGÇÖs first-ever appearance in the Maui hosted by Division II college Chaminade, and sponsored by EA Sports. The Buffaloes will be one of eight schools participating in the 26th edition of the tournament. Joining CU next year will be Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Maryland, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.
MORE TEAM NOTES... Against PV A&M, CU tied a season-best 28 FGS made (the other Colorado State, Dec. 10) ? CU had a team-high 21 assists against PV A&M and a season-best 37 rebounds and 32 defensive rebounds ? Colorado did not allow a single Prairie View A&M player to reach double-figures in scoring; the last time that happened came against Villanova at Honolulu (Rainbow Classic, Dec. 27, 1999) ? CU has placed four players in scoring double-digits in five of nine games (except Stanford, TCU, PV A&M, ULM) ? CU has scored at least 70 points in five victories ? CU shot 50% from the field in both halves against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Harvard, Lafayette, CSU - all wins ? CU recorded its least number of turnovers (8) vs. Colorado State, their lowest seven turnovers against Baylor on Feb. 27, 2008 ? The Buffs grabbed a season-high 10 offensive boards at Stanford (Nov. 29) ? CUGÇÖs 11 steals against Lafayette (Nov. 25) were the most thefts since getting 13 at NCAA Tournament bound Kansas State last year (March 4, 2008) ? The Buffs made 10 three-pointers against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 14). The 10 treys the most since making 10 against Oklahoma State (Feb. 3, 2007).
3-Point Streak... Dating back to the 2001-02 season, CU has made a 3-pointer in 204 consecutive games. Last time they failed to make at least one trey was Jan. 16, 2002 against Iowa State in Boulder. The Buffs won 63-61.
VOLUNTEERS... One Saturday, Dec. 6, the CU menGÇÖs basketball team and more than 150 community volunteers teamed up to deliver gift baskets to nearly 1,000 low-income families. The CU menGÇÖs team visited the Golden West senior residence in Boulder. The program was associated with RSVP of Boulder County.
FTs WHEN IT COUNTS... Sophomore Cory Higgins is the teamGÇÖs most experienced from the free throw line with under five minutes to play (including OT) making 38-of-49 (.776).