Despite not making the NCAA Tournament since 2016, the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team enters the 2019-20 season with high hopes. And the Buffs aren’t the only ones.
In the Pac-12 preseason media poll, CU tied with Oregon for most first-place votes (9) and were just three points behind the Ducks for first place. Here’s a look at how some national media outlets are predicting the Buffs will fare in the 2019-20 season:
Sports Illustrated’s Max Meyer — :
“The Buffaloes were one of the hottest teams at the end of conference play, winning nine of their last 11 games in the regular season. With star point guard McKinley Wright, do-it-all forward Tyler Bey and pretty much every meaningful contributor from that team returning, this is a squad that is well-positioned to make some noise nationally. Getting big man Dallas Walton back from an ACL tear is a big boost for Colorado’s frontcourt depth as well. The Buffaloes may not have as much top-tier talent as the other Pac-12 contenders, but this is a seasoned group that has plenty of experience playing with one another.”
SB Nation’s Mike Rutherford — :
“Let the record note that Colorado came very, very close to holding down the top spot in these rankings. The Buffaloes haven’t won more than a single game in the NCAA tournament since all the way back in 1955. Tad Boyle has assembled a roster that has at least a shot at altering that dubious bit of history.”
CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish — :
“The Buffaloes return two First-Team All-Pac-12 players in McKinley Wright and Tyler Bey, which suggests nobody in the league has better experienced top-end talent than Colorado. So keep an eye on Tad Boyle, who is entering his 10th season at the school and has a team equipped to maybe bring the school its first regular-season conference championship since 1969. But, if that’s to happen, the Buffaloes will have to be better offensively. They ranked 131st in offensive efficiency last season, which is worth noting because 16 of the past 18 Pac-12 champs have had an offensive efficiency rating that ranks in the top 50 — and none have been worse than 110th.”
ESPN consensus has , however John Gasaway chose the Buffs to finish at the top of the Pac-12: “Colorado has everyone back (watch for that Tyler Bey-McKinley Wright combination).” But he has the Ducks advancing furthest during March Madness, “I pick Oregon to be playing the longest. After watching the back-from-the-dead act the Ducks pulled off in February, I will not soon count this team out.”
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What’s on Tap?
- Nuggets: Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. Friday, ALT |
- Air Force football: At New Mexico, noon Saturday, ATTRM |
- UNC Bears football: Montana State, noon Saturday |
- CU Buffs football: Stanford, 1 p.m. Saturday, PAC12 |
- Avalanche: Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. Saturday, ALT |
- Nuggets: At Minnesota Timberwolves, 1:30 p.m. Sunday, ALT |
TV/RADIO: Here’s what sports are airing today
Scoreboard
NHL: Avalanche 9, Predators 4
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+ Nuggets Ink Podcast: Whatap going on with Nikola Jokic?
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Ask The Experts
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+ Rockies Mailbag: Have a question about the team? .
By The Numbers
10
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Parting Shot
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Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me .