Jonathan Reed is an RTC Correspondent. He can be reached found on Big Sky Basketball or on twitter @bigskybball. He filed this report after last night’s Colorado-Colorado State game in Boulder.
When Spencer Dinwiddie called Colorado State the “little brother” earlier in the week, he knew he would have to back up those comments on the court. He sure did that last night in Boulder. Dinwiddie finished with a career high 29 points on 8-10 shooting, and at times he was the Colorado offense, particularly in the second half when they got bogged down. Dinwiddie said after the game that his comment was, “an analogy used… I didn’t mean it in a disrespectful manner.” Still, Tad Boyle followed that up with, “I gotta talk to Spencer a little bit about that… [We] have to be a little smarter about how we talk to the media.” [He did say it with a smile on his face]. Whatever extra motivation that Dinwiddie’s comment might have given Colorado State, it was more than balanced out by the great crowd and atmosphere.
With both teams now relevant in college basketball — each went to the NCAA Tournament last season and is likely to return this year — the rivalry brought out even more passion and intensity than normal. The crowd was a record for the Coors Event Center, with an announced attendance of 11,708 people (capacity is supposedly 11,064), and they were outstanding all evening long. They brought energy for 40 minutes, even breaking out a “Little Brother” chant in the first half. Everything that makes college basketball great in a live environment was on display.
In the first half, CSU was visibly rattled by the pressure, and they had a number of careless turnovers. Wes Eikmeier was the Rams’ leading scorer last season, but he was harassed to the tune of a 3-15 shooting performance, finishing with seven points. While the Rams were flustered, the Buffaloes were energized, scoring the first nine points of the game, and eventually building their lead up to 42-17. However, CSU showed the experience that comes with starting five seniors, and they followed that up with a 34-12 run of their own to cut the lead all the way down to three at 54-51. However, the Buffaloes never panicked (with considerable help from the crowd), buckling back down on defense and getting a few needed buckets down the stretch.
In the end, Colorado won 70-61, securing bragging rights for now and the near future in the state. Much of the Buffaloes’ core is freshmen and sophomores, while Colorado State is relying on an experienced group of seniors. Both teams will likely be in the NCAA Tournament this season, but Tad Boyle has his program on the verge of being one of the best in the Pac-12.