This is going to be a pretty brief kicking the tires because it's a midweek game and I'm still slogging through my 60-page paper. Not that I'm complaining. Well, yeah, I am. Sorry.
Anyway, the Cats actually get a midweek game after being off last Wednesday. Here is all the vital information for tomorrow's game.
Opponent: Colorado Buffaloes
Record: 9-8 (1-2)
RPI (Pomeroy): 133
Pomeroy Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 104.0 (122nd)
Pomeroy Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 98.7 (135th)
Leading Players:
Reggie Richard Roby: 16.3 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, 49.8 FG%
Marcus Hall: 12.4 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 3.9 assists per game
Colorado is in its first year under former Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik. No, I don't know where that name originates from either, but if I ever pick a Big 12 All-Name team, he will be the coach.
Anyway, the Buffs play a much longer rotation than Texas A&M does, with no fewer than eight players getting a start at some point this year. They have decent scoring depth, with three players averaging double figures and another (Cory Higgins) at 8.3 points per game. Unfortunately for the Buffs, that relative balance doesn't add up to much, as they rank dead last in the Big 12 in points per game (64.2 per). They only make 45.9 percent of their field goals (ninth in conference) and 34.9 percent of their three-pointers (eighth in conference).
While tomorrow's game will be on the road, the Buffs had better hope the thin mountain air provides them some home-court advantage, because their crowd won't be much of a factor. The Buffs are averaging 4,342 fans per game...and that sounds like quite a bit of a stretch. Given the fact that western Kansans travel fairly well to this game traditionally--some of them are closer to Boulder than Manhattan--and the weather tomorrow in that area should be decent, the players should feel fairly comfy at the Coors Events Center. Let's hope that translates to a solid performance on the court.
Y'all are probably getting tired of hearing this, but this is another important test for this team. Earlier in the year, this team took a four-game winning streak on the road to play Xavier, and ended up with a 26-point loss. Now obviously Colorado isn't Xavier, and the Coors Events Center isn't U.S. Bank Arena, but the main problem in the Xavier game was the utter lack of focus and effort we saw. This team has already won on the road in conference against a much tougher opponent (Oklahoma) in a much tougher venue (Lloyd Noble Center), so there's no doubt we should head to Boulder and take care of business tomorrow. But Frank Martin needs to get these guy's attention so they realize you have to bring it every single night in Big 12 play. We have a great start to conference play, but all the goodwill we've earned thus far would be evanescent if we lay an egg in the Flatirons.
I felt like switching things up a little bit this time on kicking the tires, so instead of a photo and a caption, you get a YouTube video. Those of you who watched the Nebraska-Colorado football game this year will probable remember this.