NIWOT — The biggest surprise of Colorado’s watch party for the NCAA Tournament wasn’t seeing “UNLV” flash on the TV screen as the Buffaloes’ first-round foe. Matchups, after all, are always a guess.
But before Sunday, Colorado players — and some coaches, for that matter — had no idea that CU’s destination, Albuquerque, lists an average elevation of 5,314 feet.
That almost matches Boulder’s 5,345 feet. As the joke goes, Albuquerque could very well have been dubbed the “Mile High City,” but Denver apparently had a more aggressive public-relations department.
Albuquerque is desert, but it’s high desert.
“Nice. I didn’t know Albuquerque is that high; that’s great for us,” CU senior point guard Nate Tomlinson said after a roar erupted from an excited gathering at the home of coach Tad Boyle when “Colorado” was shown early during the Selection Sunday telecast.
“Playing at altitude is going to help us,” Tomlinson said. “That’s cool. We’ll like to run. We want to run. Any advantage we can get (elevation in Las Vegas is 2,030 feet) in the NCAA Tournament we’re going to need.”
Earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the Pac-12 Tournament champion, Colorado (23-11) was given the 11th seed in the South Regional and sent to Albuquerque. On Thursday, the Buffaloes will play in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2003 against sixth-seeded UNLV (26-8), one of four Mountain West teams to make the 68-team bracket. Game time is set for 7:57 p.m. (TruTV).
The Colorado-UNLV survivor will face the winner between No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 14 seed South Dakota State on Saturday.
Boyle said he has only seen “bits and pieces” of UNLV on television but “talented, athletic, explosive” come to his mind. “They beat North Carolina, which not many teams have done this year,” he said.
Colorado should be thankful for being assigned to Albuquerque. The NCAA Tournament selection committee put the Buffs at a site that’s in relatively close proximity (475 driving miles) to Boulder, compared with other locations for opening rounds. It rarely seems to work out that way.
The selection committee has stated that it extends geographical advantages only to teams seeded in the top four or five lines. Colorado State, for example, also is a No. 11 seed but was shipped to Louisville, Ky.
“This makes it easier for our fans to go watch us play,” Boyle said. “(The Pit) is a great college basketball environment. I want our students to drive safely down to Albuquerque and have some fun. Hopefully, we can play two days down there and not just one.”
Colorado players said they have caught some UNLV games on TV.
“I’m excited,” senior forward Austin Dufault said. “It didn’t really register until I sat in the chair and watched the Selection Show. As soon as I saw our name, I was anxious to see who our matchup would be. Then you start to get nervous again, getting mentally prepared for the next game.
“I think Albuquerque is a good spot for us. Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of fans. And playing UNLV will be a pretty good matchup for us. A lot of the guys think that’s a team we can definitely beat, but we definitely respect them. They have a lot of great players. We look forward to the matchup.”
UNLV junior guard Anthony Marshall concurred that the matchup looks like a good one. Both teams like to get out in the open court. It should be a spirited game and fun for the fans.
Of course, the Rebels hope to use their familiarity with The Pit to their advantage, playing there annually against MWC rival New Mexico.
“We’re very happy where we’re going,” Marshall told reporters in Las Vegas. “It’s not too far (574 driving miles), and people can come down to support us. To get a seed that high is great. We feel like we match up pretty well with them. (Colorado is) coming off a hot streak, winning the Pac-12 Tournament, so they are feeling very confident. We know it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
After last year’s snub of Colorado by the NCAA selection committee, Boyle had initially been reluctant to host another watch party at his home. But the more he thought about it, he said, the best thing to do was to “get rid of the bad karma” by again having this year’s event there. CU banners decorated the front lawn.
Now it’s a matter of CU players avoiding any thoughts of the proverbial “just happy to be here” trap.
“We’re going to talk about that,” Boyle said. “We’re not going to be just happy to be here. We’re playing for a national championship. We have to get that in our mind, get our minds right.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
Life of the 11
With the Colorado and Colorado State men’s basketball teams receiving No. 11 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, here is a look at how No. 11 has fared through the years:
Record in opening games: 42-86 (32.8 percent) against No. 6 seeds.
*Overall record: 64-128 (33.3 percent).
Final Four: Three teams seeded No. 11 have made it to the national semifinals — Virginia Commonwealth last year, George Mason in 2006 and LSU in 1986.
A look at the rebels
UNLV (26-8, 9-5 Mountain West)
Location: Las Vegas.
Conference: Mountain West; lost 72-67 in conference tournament semifinals to New Mexico.
Coach: Dave Rice, first year as head coach after 18 years as an assistant, most recently at Brigham Young. Was a reserve on UNLV’s 1990 national championship team.
Starting lineup: Guards — Anthony Marshall, 6-foot-3, Jr. (averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists); Oscar Bellfield, 6-2, Sr. (9.8, 2.2, 5.3); Justin Hawkins, 6-3, Jr. (7.8, 2.9, 1.6); forwards — Mike Moser, 6-8, So. (14.1, 10.6, 2.3); Chace Stanback, 6-8, Sr. (12.7, 4.5).
Key reserves: Brice Massamba, F-C, 6-10, Sr. (averaging 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds); Carlos Lopez, F, 6-11, So. (5.5, 2.7); Quintrell Thomas, F, 6-8, Jr. (4.5, 3.1).
Scouting report: In his first year taking over a team he used to play for, Rice has laid the groundwork for what Rebels fans hope are even better days to come. The Rebels lack the star power of the great UNLV teams of the past, but they played well at home, go eight deep and have length inside to bother CU. Moser is among the better Mountain West forwards.
Key stats: Points per game, 76.7 (24th nationally); field-goal percentage, .462 (61st); rebounds, 37.8 (34th).
Tournament history: 19th tournament appearance, one national title (1990), four Final Four appearances, 33-17 record.
