NCAA Tournament: Colorado vs. Baylor Preview

Published: 17^th Mar 12 4:17 pm

by David LaRose
University of Colorado Writer

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NCAA Tournament: Colorado vs. Baylor Preview

Nelson Chenault-US PRESSWIRE

Overview:

Colorado is still riding high after their upset of No. 6 UNLV on Thursday and are brimming with confidence in the midst of a five game winning streak. They ran right through the Pac-12 Tournament and almost ran UNLV out of The Pit before they staved off the late comeback winning 68-64. It was the Buffs first NCAA Tournament win since 1997 and if they win tonight it will be the first time they have won two tournament games since 1955. Freshmen Askia Booker played one of his best games of the season against the Rebels continuously breaking down their defense and making big plays on his way to a game high 16 points. Andre Roberson added his 20th double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds and Carlon Brown continues his stellar play coming off his Pac-12 Tournament MVP performance.

Baylor was undefeated at one point this season with a 17-0 record. But since then they have had their struggles in the rugged Big XII and finished 11-7.They survived a scare in the first round against South Dakota State having to come back from a double digit deficit to win 68-60. Don’t let that fool you though, Baylor is a very good team and they are extremely athletic up and down their roster. They were unable to pull away from the pesky Jackrabbits even after using a 30-11 run to take back the lead. They lacked a killer instinct and if they plan on beating the Buffs they will need to have a better finish.

Players to Watch:

Colorado: F Andre Roberson, 6-7 So. (11.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 50.5% FG), G Carlon Brown, 6-5 Sr. (12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 apg) and G Askia Booker, 6-1 Fr. (8.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.8 stls). Roberson is 3rd in the nation in rebounding and has 20 double-doubles on the season while Booker played one of his best games in the Buffs first round game against UNLV.

Baylor- F Quincy Acy 6-7 Sr. (11.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg) F Perry Jones III 6-11 So. (13.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 0.6 bpg) and G Pierre Jackson 5-10 Jr. (13.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.9 rpg). The big guys down low are very long and they will be shot block threats all game. Colorado will have to adjust their layups to try and avoid their shots getting sent into the seats.

Prediction: Colorado is one of the hottest teams in the country coming into the tournament and they proved that in the first round against the Rebels. They were up by 20 at one point but then had another one of their patented scoring droughts and almost blew their lead. Baylor struggled early but eventually came back and won by eight. They will have to start quicker to avoid the same thing happening against the Buffs. I foresee this game being very close throughout with neither team leading by more than 10 points. My prediction is that the Buffs will continue their imporbable run and win this game to make their first trip to the Sweet 16 in 50 years.

Colorado- 73 Baylor-71

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