March Madness is still four long, winter months away. But the college basketball season gets a top-notch jump-start in town this weekend.
The Duke Blue Devils, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press preseason women’s poll, are two-time national runners-up, in 2006 and 1999. And they feature two of the most notable high school standouts to sweep through Colorado in recent decades.
The Blue Devils’ appearance at 7,200-seat Magness Arena at 4 p.m. Sunday will bring with them Abby and Emily Waner, former stars at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch.
And, in an interesting side note, Emily Waner will be playing in front of at least one former coach. The senior guard played a freshman season at Colorado before transferring to Duke. Her former coach at CU, Ceal Barry, will provide color commentary for the FSN television broadcast.
For the Pioneers, it will be their first home matchup against a top-10 team since 2000, when then-No. 3 Louisiana Tech came to town. Denver is winless in 10 tries all-time against teams in the top-25.
For Duke, the season opener is more than a simple early test. It will be an early look at new coach Joanne P. McCallie, a former AP coach of the year who moved from Michigan State to take over in Durham.
Area talk radio call-ins may not be questioning Denver coach Pam Tanner’s every move – in part because she has won an impressive 60 percent of her conference games in 13 seasons at DU. But in North Carolina, the pressure is on McCallie.
Still, the Denver-Duke matchup is a tough one to handicap. It will be the first meeting of the two teams. Denver is 22-9 all-time in home openers. But Duke went 32-2 last season.
Watch for DU’s own local high school standouts, including Alisha Godette (Colorado Springs’ Doherty High School) and Nnenna Akotaobi (Thornton High School). Both players averaged better than 17 points per game in two exhibition games.
And don’t be surprised if the Magness Arena crowd gets buzzing for the two players with “Waner” on the backs of their jerseys.
AROUND THE STATE
A couple of budding stars for the scouts
Colorado College, ranked ninth in the U.S. College Hockey online poll, returns from a four-game road trip to host a two-game set with No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth this weekend. Rumor has it the last time the Tigers took to Colorado Springs – for a two-game season-opening series with Minnesota – Avalanche player development gurus Craig Billington and Steve Konowalchuk attended the game on a scouting mission. Wonder who they were there to see? Take your pick. Maybe it was CC’s Bill Sweatt, one of the best players in the WCHA. This weekend, Duluth brings another impressive player in winger Matt Greer.
Friday: No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 9 Colorado College, 7:37 p.m., at World Arena in Colorado Springs
Saturday: Minnesota-Duluth vs. Colorado College, 7:07 p.m., at World Arena in Colorado Springs
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
The half-empty NFL
For Broncos fans seeing a glass half-full, Denver is just one game out of first place in the AFC West. But for real football fans, the glass is half-empty. Four teams sit atop their divisions with .500 records. And another division leader is a 5-4. This is an extension of bad football. A down year so far for the NFL. For now, it seems like a three-team race. Then again, that’s what they were saying about college football in early October.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Two innings shy of $1.25 million
Sure future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux re-signed with the San Diego Padres for next season. The signing this week is bad news for the Rockies and the rest of the NL West. But it also was revealed that Maddux last season had a player option for $8.75 million. If Maddux had pitched 200 innings, his price would’ve jumped to $10 million. He finished with 198 innings pitched, two short of an extra $1.25 million. Now, that’s a tough break.
ON THE COUCH
Falcons get national attention
Never thought we’d see the day, but Air Force is a 3-point favorite against Notre Dame – at South Bend, no less. But with Irish coach Charlie Weis calling for draw plays on fourth-and-8 from the 24-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining in a tie game (vs. Navy), the line shouldn’t be a surprise. Air Force last played the Irish in South Bend in 2000. It was also the last time the Falcons played on national network television. Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. game from Indiana, on KUSA-9, will get the classy treatment from NBC with Tom Hammond and Pat Haden.
OFF THE COUCH
A run filled to the rim at 37K
The RimRock Run 37K on Saturday, which runs through the Colorado National Monument outside Grand Junction, is one of the best-looking road races in the state. And that’s saying something, since Colorado is full of gorgeous excuses to run. This year’s RimRock will be the last at 37 kilometers. Next year the race becomes a full marathon. And, some of the proceeds go to fund the Mesa State women’s cross country team. Check for more information and photos of the route.
