My busy week continued with a Thursday evening trip up to Boulder for the University of Southern California and University of Colorado men’s basketball game at the Coors Events Center.  This was the home Pac-12 opener for the Buffaloes who had a hard start to the Pac-12 season with a heartbreaking loss to Arizona and a loss to ASU two nights later.

Pac-12 hoops.  I was stoked.  I got a call earlier in the day from one of the many CU team photographers.  I was going to go up and help him set up a remote camera prior to the game, which was televised on ESPNU that night.  He forgot my card and did not have my number to call me, which was fine because I had a meeting that morning and could not have made it.  We talked about the positioning of his camera, and the pain he went through putting it up.  When I got to the arena, the camera looked ok.  It was about 10 feet above the hoop.  The Coors Events Center does not give you a good location to properly hang a remote camera above the hoop, so this photographer did an ok job in my estimation.  Even the ESPNU guys said it looked fine.  However, right before tip off, NCAA officials told him he had to take it down.  Bummer.  I probably will not do it this season, but I want to work with CU Hoops and get a camera mount made to go up near the ceiling.  It will just take some work.

So the pre-game stuff started, and out came the cheerleaders and Chips the mascot.  Prior to the start, when the starting 5 for the visiting team is announced, the student fans have newspapers that they read.  I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Chips was doing something, so I took the shot bellow.

A few days later I found that Cal Sport Media had sold the photo to Sports Illustrated.  The original on SI can be seen HERE, but bellow is a screen capture of the image.

A few days after this game, the USC coach was fired, and I am hoping to see some play from the image bellow….I have others too….but this is the one Cal Sport is pushing for me.

The game was all Colorado.  The Trojans kept close through most of the first half, but with about 5 minutes to go before halftime, Colorado went on a huge run.  The Buffs went on to a 41 to 26 halftime lead over the visiting Trojans.

The play of Sabatino Chen and Askia Booker, and Freshman Josh Scott was just too much for USC.  The second half, USC played a better game, but it was not enough to keep up with the Buffaloes.

Colorado would end up winning the game 66 to 60.  Now, let me tell you.  During the football season, I was pulling all year for my Huskies to win.  At first it did not bother me that the Buffs were just not winning.  In fact, after the 3rd CU home game this football season I called that the coach would not be back the next season.  I like football, but I am not a “football fanatic”.  My two sports are Basketball and Baseball.  Again, for the Pac-12 season, I want to see my Dawgs win, but I am finding myself pulling for the Buffs more and more.  Maybe it is the close proximity to the players each night I am there, or interacting each game with the CU staff, but I am hoping for good things for this Buffs team.

I am really liking by the play of Askia Booker, Andre Roberson, and Cousy Award Watch Lister Spencer Dinwiddie.  They are really exciting to watch.  I would like to see more explosive play from Josh Scott.  While still a freshman, and a great player (led the team in scoring in this win with 14), I would like to see some more excitement.  I think of older Pac-10 players like WSU’s Tavares Mack.  Spoon was a flamboyant dunker, much like UW’s Brandon Roy.  I would also like to see a little more Nate Robinson in Ski, and Dinwiddie reminds me a lot of UW’s Eldridge Recasner or Bryant Boston, maybe even a little Dion Brown (although I have yet to see Dinwiddie pull a 360 dunk in a game like Brown did in 1990).

Anyway, Colorado is impressing me and I hope their Pac-12 season gets better.  It is exciting to have some great basketball in basically my backyard.

All of these photos are available for media use only from Cal Sport Media.