The Colorado Buffaloes are seeded in the 10 spot against number seven Illinois, but based on some early picks many fans and people in the media feel that the Pac-12 squad can pull the upset in the first game in the second round in Austin, Texas on Friday.
The Buffaloes have rebounded from a few rough years and are now a solid team in their conference under coach Tad Boyle, who led them to a 21-11 record, including 10-8 in the conference. The East regional could get shaken up with a win by the Buffaloes, who will try to stop the scoring attack of Illinois in the middle with aggressive defense.
"We're the pretty girl right now," Colorado forward Spencer Dinwiddie said Thursday. "Everybody wants to pick us."
Colorado has averaged 23 since Boyle came over and last season the team won the Pac-12 tournament, taking the conference's automatic bid along with it. Following the win, the Buffaloes made it count with a victory over UNLV in the first round and now are in the event after an at-large bid put them in over teams like Kentucky.
Dinwiddie is leading the team in scoring and assists, while Andre Roberson won Pac-12 defensive player of the year after ranking second in the nation in rebounding with nearly 12 per game. Colorado is in the tournament two years in a row after only going 10 times in a 70 year period.
"We sell the opportunity to come and make your mark on a program and leave your stamp on a program and build a legacy," Boyle said.
Illinois on the other hand has plenty of history to fall back on, although they haven't been very successful in the tournament in recent years. The Illini have been dancing in march 30 times, including 11 since the millennium turned over. The team is packed with experience and head coach John Groce thinks they can make a solid run.
The team started off the season 12-0 and even beat number one seed Gonzaga before finishing 8-10 in the Big Ten, rebounding from a 2-7 league play start. Guard D.J. Richardson is second in scoring, while forward Tyler Griffey has been a consistent defensive presence.
Colorado is ranked 154th in scoring with under 70 points per game while they are 60th in rebounding. The team is awful with assists at 328th in the nation and is shooting just under 44 percent from the field. Illinois is ranked 129th in scoring with 69 per game while they are 218th in rebounding and 261st in field goal percentage.
