Colorado Upsets UNLV in South Region Opener

Published: 16^th Mar 12 8:00 am

by David LaRose
University of Colorado Writer

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Colorado Upsets UNLV in South Region Opener

Nelson Chenault-US PRESSWIRE

Day one results from the 2012 NCAA Tournament were mostly chalk until the late game commenced in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 11th seeded Colorado Buffaloes upset the 6th seeded UNLV Rebels 68-64 Thursday night giving the Buffs their first tournament win since some guy named Billups was running the show in 1997. Colorado’s upset continues the improbable run for the black and gold after winning four games in four days at the Pac-12 Tournament to capture their first ever conference title in school history. A lot of people were writing the Buffs off in this matchup as well but CU continued to prove the doubters wrong and took it to UNLV, leading by as much as 20-points. They would hold off a UNLV run that shrank the lead to two by hitting free throws down the stretch eventually winning by four.

Both freshmen put on their big boy dancing shoes and played very well in their first NCAA Tournament games. Askia Booker came off the bench to put up 16 points and Spencer Dinwiddie knocked down some huge free throws late in the second half to put the game out of reach. It’s valuable experience for these two freshmen who have played big minutes all season with Dinwiddie starting every game and Booker being the 6th man off the bench.

Tad Boyle is a rising star in the coaching world and he continues to set new CU records. He adds to his postseason wins record, improving to 10-2 in his two seasons as head coach in Boulder. The Buffs tied their record for wins in a season, notching number 24 Thursday evening. The Pac-12 needed the Buffs to step up and win to try and salvage some respect for the downtrodden league and they delivered. I just hope that Colorado realizes the gem that they have in Boyle and do everything they can to keep him in Boulder to continue building this program. He’s done a heck of a job in his first two years, imagine what he will do in his next few if he stays.

Colorado was once again bolstered by a strong traveling fan base with some fans on Twitter saying that it seemed like a CU home game from how loud the Buff fans were. I was lucky enough to be in attendance, sitting amongst the C-Unit (CU student section) whose numbers grew from 50 to 150 since the Pac-12 Tournament. From my vantage point it seemed that the Buffs used our support to energize their play on the court as they continuously looked towards the students after a big play for a rousing ovation.

CU now moves on to the round of 32 and they will take on their former Big XII rival the Baylor Bears. Baylor will be the toughest team the CU has faced all season and it will be interesting to see what happens when these two teams vie to earn a spot to the sweet sixteen. With the way that this season has gone for the Buffs, especially the last two weeks, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them pull off another upset and take down the 3rd ranked Bears.

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