Colorado 2010 Preview & Predictions

Colorado Buffaloes Basketball 2010-2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks & Odds

With the College Basketball 2010-2011 Season just around the corner, we are providing season previews & predictions for all NCAA basketball teams to give you the betting edge this year. Follow the best College Basketball Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010-2011 basketball season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Basketball in our recommend online sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Season Previews here.

Colorado Preview Picks, & Odds.

Colorado 2009-2010 Record: 15-16 overall; 6-10 Big 12 (8th)

Colorado Coach: Tad Boyle – At Colorado: first year; overall: 56-66, 4 years

Colorado Players to Watch: Frosh All-America/Big 12 Freshman of the Year Alec Burks should load up the trophy case. Big (6-5) senior guard Cory Higgins returns with an 18.9 average and proven leadership qualities.

Colorado Key Losses: Dwight Thorne II, G, 6-3,185 (7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg)

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2010-2011 Colorado Season Preview

For a 15-16, eighth-place Big 12 team, Colorado’s players hit their offseason program confident an Invitation to the NCAA Tournament was barely a year away. After all, everyone except fourth-leading scorer Dwight Thorne II was set to return. The Buffs had a legitimate budding superstar in Big 12 Freshman of the Year Alec Burks and Cory Higgins was also back, and he could probably score 20 in a Boulder blizzard. Then everything changed one April weekend. Jeff Bzdelik stunned everyone from the Rockies to Winston-Salem when he accepted the Wake Forest job. Burks said he would consider other options if popular assistant Steve McClain wasn’t promoted to Bzdelik’s old office, and Denver guard Chauncey Billups, Colorado’s best-known hoops alum, weighed in on McClain’s behalf. Instead, Colorado Athletic Director Mike Bohn tapped Tad Boyle, who coached relative Division I newcomer Northern Colorado, to a school record 25-8 mark. Boyle, a Colorado high-school legend who picked Kansas over Colorado, was booed nearly 30 years ago whenever he returned to Boulder in a Jayhawks uniform and better win quickly if he wants to avoid more of the same this time around.

Colorado Backcourt

Despite the bluster, Burks really didn’t have any options for spending his next season anywhere but Boulder. He knew he needed at least one more year of competition to be ready for the NBA, and of greater urgency was packing more bulk on his 6-6, 185-pound frame. While he drew scant attention from Big 12 powers Kansas and Missouri when he came out of Grandview (Mo.) High School, Burks could have written his ticket almost anywhere in the country as a freshman transfer. One rumor even had him following McClain to Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers. Boyle came through with the obligatory rerecruiting job for a new coach and potential star, and Burks announced he was staying. He won’t take as many teams by surprise this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of equaling or exceeding last season’s 17.1-point output. He also led the team – bad as it was on the boards – in rebounding with 5.0 boards, earning notice on several freshmen All-America lists. If opponents want to over-play Burks, that’s fine with Higgins, who returns as the Buffs’ top scorer at 18.9 points per game. He was the only CD player to start all 31 games last season and also averaged almost two steals. Nate Tomlinson brings ample experience to the point. He averaged 4.1 assists. Candidates to provide depth are redshirt freshman Shannon Sharpe – who missed last season with an injury – senior Levi Knutson and incoming Freshman Andre Roberson.

Colorado Frontcourt

Much-traveled transfer Marcus Relphorde did not disappoint. At 6-7, 220 pounds, he created mismatches up front and started 30 games. The other forward with returning experience is 6-9 Austin Dufault, a starter in all but five games. When the big bodies came in as role players, 6-11 Australian Shane Harris-Tunks led the Buffs in blocked shots (14) despite averaging only 11.7 minutes. Sophomore Ben Mills, a 7-footer, needs to add weight.

2010-2011 Colorado Predictions

While there isn’t much tradition associated with Colorado basketball – where the biggest recruiting draw is the most scenic backdrop in the Big 12 – there’s little doubt the Buffs will improve with experience and Bzdelik’s impressive recruiting efforts.

This year, Colorado was finally expected to become a competitor in the Big 12, at least for NCAA consideration. Now it’s probably Colorado’s farewell tour through the Midlands and Texas. The school will enter the Pac-10, and it appears likely the 2011-12 target year will be moved up. Colorado Finish in the Big 12: 8th

Colorado Betting Odds

Colorado Odds to Win 2010-2011 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament: +10000
Colorado Odds to Win the Big 12: +2000

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Colorado Basketball Handicapping Picks

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