On this edition the boys debate who the Broncos will select in the first round of the NFL draft. They also go into more details about the quarterback situation at CU as well as some Rockies and Nuggets talk as they are the hot teams in the area right now.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu and Staff Writer Charlie Barkmeier at Charles.barkmeier@colorado.edu.

While there were definite high points and reasons to be optimistic for the future, the Colorado women’s basketball season ended in disappointment. After earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and home court advantage in the first two rounds the Buffs were favored over No.12 seed Kansas but got upset 67—52 in the first round.

The CU women’s team huddles before the game against CSU on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 at the Coors Events Center. (James Bradbury/CU Independent File)

“The thing that I like is that we put the program back on the map, and that’s important,” head coach Linda Lappe said of the season in the post-game press conference.

Before losing to Kansas the Buffs only other losses came against teams ranked in the top 25 and their home record was an amazing 16-2. After losing to both Cal and Stanford twice, the Buffs fell to then No. 18 UCLA in the regular season.

During the Pac-12 tournament CU fell to the Stanford Cardinals once again before ending their season against Kansas bringing them to a final record of 25-7. The 25 wins are the most the team has had since the 1995-96 season. The Buffs did have one top ten win on their resume as they beat then No. 8 and future national champion runner up Louisville at the beginning of the season.

“We’ve been in a lot of different scenarios, and it doesn’t matter. We expect to win the game,” Lappe said after the Kansas game.

The Buffs weren’t ranked before the season started and were a surprise to many as they hadn’t made it to the NCAA tournament since 2004. In only three years Lappe has turned the program around and made them a serious contender in both the Pac-12 and the country.

After turning so many heads during the regular season, while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country, it was a bittersweet ending to the season. No one expected them to be a five seed at the start of the season but once they earned it, no one expected them to lose.

“So, we’re disappointed when we look at it now, but when you go back and look at our season you can definitely be proud of a lot of things that our players accomplished and our staff accomplished,” Lappe said. “And now we’ve got to just keep getting better from here and keep moving forward.”

One of those players was senior guard Chucky Jeffery who ended her illustrious Colorado career with the loss to Kansas. It was the first time in the four years she played that the team made the tournament.

“It’s very disappointing,” Jeffery said during the postgame press conference.  ”We didn’t want it to end this early. It’s kind of sad being my last game, but I wouldn’t have gone through the season with any other team.”

Jeffery earned her share of awards this season including being named to the All-Pac-12 team and earned an honorable mention to the 2012-13 Associated Press Women’s Basketball All-American team. She became the first Buff player to earn the honor since the 2007-08 season.

Jeffery was rewarded as she was the fifth Buff to be selected in the WNBA draft. Jeffery was taken with the 12^th pick in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx. Jeffery led Colorado in scoring [13.7 ppg], assists [4.0 apg], rebounds [8.2 rpg] and steals [2.2 spg] this season.

“I think the program has come a long ways, especially since I first got on campus.” Jeffery said after the Kansas game while talking about her four years with the Buffs.

With only three girls graduating, the Buffs are primed for deep runs for many seasons to come. Along with Jeffery, twins Brenna and Meagan Malcolm-Peck are also graduating. Junior center Rachel Hargis, who missed the Kansas game with a knee injury will be back and ready to take the team to the next step.

“She’s definitely a great defender and whether it’s her presence or her communication and intensity that she brings which is what we missed,” freshman forward Arielle Roberson said of Hargis during the Kansas post-game press conference.

Roberson has three years left at CU and will be one of the best players on the team for years to come.

“Sure we didn’t end the way we thought it would, but I think we did a lot of great, uncommon things this year and we can continue to build on that stuff.” Roberson said after the Kansas game.

If the Buffs can make it back to the NCAA tournament next year it will be the first time they have back to back appearances since a four year run from 2001-2004.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu.

Barky and Scott discuss the recent NCAA tournament, the Masters and the Rockies hot start. Spring football is dissected and some more info on the QB battle.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu and Staff Writer Charlie Barkmeier at Charles.barkmeier@colorado.edu.

Once again the Louisville Cardinals came from behind to win a tournament game. After beating Wichita State Saturday the Cardinals beat the Michigan Wolverines to win the National Championship 82—76.

“We’ve been doing it for a couple games straight, being down, and we just had to wait and make a run.” Luke Hancock told CBS Sports after the game.

Louisville was the No. 1 overall seed and was the favorite to win it all before the tournament started. Hancock came off the bench to lead the way for the Cardinals with a career high 22 points as he went 5 for 5 from the 3—point line and earned the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The Wolverines had a 12 point lead in the first half but let it slip away as the Cardinals went on a 14 to 3 run at the end of the first half. At halftime Michigan led by one 38—37.

National player of the year Trey Burke led all scorers with 24 points but was on the bench at the end of halftime due to early foul trouble.

Louisville took that momentum and kept it taking their first lead of the game on the first shot of the second half, 40—38. The game went back and forth for most of the second half although Michigan didn’t lead for the last 15 minutes of the game.

The game was within three points until the five minute mark when Louisville started pulling away and never looked back. The Cardinals built the lead up to ten points at the 3:27 mark and withstood any comeback attempts Michigan might have had.

“I have the 13 toughest guys I’ve ever coached,” Head Coach Rick Pitino told CBS Sports.

Pitino was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame today and became the first ever coach to win a national championship at two different schools. Pitino also won in 1996 with Kentucky.

“All throughout my life I’ve had the greatest players,” Pitino said to CBS Sports. “Players put coaches in the hall of fame.”

One of those players was Kevin Ware who broke his leg in the regional final against Duke and was unable to play again in the tournament. Ware could be heard telling his teammates to win the game as he was being carried off the court.

They did more than that as his teammates won the next two games after finishing that one to win the national championship. Ware was on the sideline with his leg propped up for both those games.

“These are my brothers and they got the job done and I’m so proud of them.” Ware told CBS Sports after the game.

After a season of upsets and parody it was the top dog who were cutting down the nets at the end of March Madness. After we saw Florida Gulf Coast and Wichita State make Cinderella-like runs it was Goliath who prevailed.

While it wasn’t ever easy, Louisville got the job done and are the National Champions of college basketball in 2013.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu

Scott gets poetic about the Giants’ playoff chances after discussing basketball’s Final Four, abusive coaches, shattered limbs, spring football and Barky’s optimism for the Rockies.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu and Staff Writer Charlie Barkmeier at Charles.barkmeier@colorado.edu.

The year in college basketball has been one of upsets and parody with five different teams holding the No. 1 ranking at some point throughout the year. With so many surprises during the regular season the postseason should be no different.

March Madness is always a time for upsets and underdogs and this year might be the most unpredictable in recent memory. Any team in the tournament has a chance to win this year, and as many as 16 have a chance to win it all. And there are always Cinderellas that we can’t account for in that number.

The midwest

Louisville has to start as the favorite as they got the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Big East conference tournament in comeback fashion.

They do have the toughest region playing in the Midwest against teams like Duke and Michigan State. While Louisville is the favorite at the moment, Duke has been ranked No. 1 this year and fell off after Ryan Kelly got hurt. But he is back for the tournament making the Blue Devils a serious contender.

Michigan State has Coach Tom Izzo who has shown that he can make something out of nothing come tournament time.

The south

In the south region Kansas secured the No. 1 seed while Georgetown, Florida and Michigan are all contenders to make it to the Final Four. The Jayhawks and the Hoyas have potential player-of-the-year candidates in Ben McLemore and Otto Porter.

Michigan has been ranked No. 1 this year after starting 16-0. They fell off by the end of the year, but are a definite threat to make a long run in this tournament. The Gators are led by three superb seniors and are ranked top five in defensive scoring. They could ride that defense to a Final Four appearance.

The west

In the west region Gonzaga claimed the top seed as they finished the season ranked No. 1. This is considered the easiest region of the four with Ohio State and New Mexico being contenders.

Gonzaga and New Mexico are both from non—power conferences making it hard to judge how good they really are. We know that their records are superb and they have talent, but will it translate when they have to go against the best in the country?

Wisconsin and Kansas State are sleeper picks to watch out for in this region. Wisconsin isn’t flashy but they play a defensive-minded brand of basketball, making them a tough opponent for anyone.

With Gonzaga getting the No. 1 seed in the region they are the favorite, but this region is up for grabs. Anyone of the teams has a shot at making the final four.

The East

In the final region, the East, the pre-season favorite Indiana claimed the No. 1 seed and were ranked No. 1 longer than any other team in the country at nine non—consecutive weeks over the course of the season.

Miami looks to be the only team with a serious shot at beating the Hoosiers while teams like Marquette, Syracuse and Butler could also make some noise. The Hurricanes were ranked No. 1 during the year and have been the surprise team of the season. They have been better than anyone expected but could have experience issues as only two players on the team have ever been to March Madness and neither played.

The other teams have had good seasons and have the potential to make a deep run and be  a nice come out of nowhere team.

Potential upsets

In the first round, upsets always happen. The dark horses to watch out for this year are Oregon, Cal, and Minnesota. Cal and Oregon are both 12 seeds playing against No. 5 seeds but have the potential to make deep runs in the tournament.

Oregon won the Pac-12 tournament, after being ranking in the top 25 most of the year and Cal was the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, with Pac-12 player of the year Allen Crabbe. Cal will also be playing its first game in nearby San Jose, CA. which is nearly a home game for them.

Minnesota has been hot and cold this season, winning games over Indian and Michigan State but being blown out by Duke. The Golden Gophers are playing a banged up UCLA team who is playing without Jordan Adams for the tournament. That is a big blow to the Bruins chances and opens the door for the Gophers to get a big win.

It should be an interesting March as many different teams have the potential to make runs deep into the tournament. With so much parody, predicting what is going to happen is difficult. They don’t call it Madness for nothing.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu

In this week’s edition of the CUI Sports Podcast, reporters Scott Annis and Charlie Barkmeier discuss the NCAA basketball tournaments including the Buffs men’s and women’s basketball teams chances, Broncos, Nuggets, Colorado Rugby and spring football. Compete in the CU Independent ESPN bracket challenge against our writers and be automatically entered to win prizes. Click here to join.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Scott Annis at Robert.annis@colorado.edu and Staff Writer Charlie Barkmeier at Charles.barkmeier@colorado.edu.