Boulder – Half an hour before their Colorado teammates regrouped for practice Monday, Chris Copeland and Richard Roby went at each other in a spirited one-on-one session.
There’s another game to be played Wednesday, even if the NIT home game with Old Dominion isn’t the Buffs’ choice of postseason tournaments.
“That’s a good sign. That tells me they are trying to get prepared for the next game,” CU coach Ricardo Patton said.
CU’s NCAA plans were dashed long before Sunday’s NCAA bracket announcement.
“There’s always hope, but realistically we knew our shot was kind of messed up,” Roby said.
A bubble team going into the Big 12 Tournament, CU was blown out, 86-53, by Texas A&M, which got a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The CU players still are trying to cope with a season that appeared much more promising.
“We have 10 seniors,” said Roby, the Buffs’ first-team all-Big 12 sophomore guard. “Guys like me have a couple of years to get there. There’s hope for us. But I’d rather have a chance to play in the NCAA.”
One of those seniors, forward Andy Osborn, said, “It would be great to play there. If we were playing somewhere in Montana in the NCAA, it would be better than going to Maryland and playing in the NIT (second round).”
If the Buffs get past ODU, the Colonial Athletic Association’s fourth-place team, CU would travel to Maryland on Monday, assuming the top seed in the bracket beats the winner of the Manhattan-Fairleigh Dickinson play-in game.
“It would definitely be fun to go there and play, Roby said. “It’s a great basketball school. It’s in the ACC and I’ve never played an ACC school.”
Footnotes
Roby said he is weighing a decision on whether to enter the NBA draft. He’s considering testing the waters at the predraft camp in Orlando, Fla.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
