2008 Colorado Buffalos NCAA Basketball Picks & Predictions

Written October 8, 2008 by Jack Jones

Jeff Bzdelik came on to the Colorado basketball program in April of 2007 and has really changed the face of the program. The facilities have been updated and he has either dismissed or had quit on him seven players since his arrival. Last year the team didn’t see much improvement over the previous disappointing seasons as the Buffaloes went 12-20 overall and 3-13 in the Big 12. They did earn the honor of being the first league 12 seed to win a game in the conference tournament when they beat Baylor, but this program has a long way to go and it won’t get there quickly. The team lost their all-time leading scorer in Richard Roby and will still have a tough time transitioning to the Princeton style offense. With more players coming in that fit Bzdelik’s system, and the returning players having a year to get familiar with it, this team should be improved. Improved enough to climb out of the Big 12 basement? We don’t really think so. The odds on Colorado winning the national title are 5000 to 1 at leading sportsbook BetUS. That of course is not a good bet, but when you look at the college basketball odds each night, they should be healthy underdogs with a good chance of covering more than they don’t.

There is a lot of hope surrounding Casey Crawford, who comes over as a transfer from Wake Forest. He was at one time Kansas’ Mr. Basketball and can shoot and he’s a pretty good passer. This team needs him to live up to some lofty expectations right away. Some incoming freshman will have a chance to make a difference right away as Toby Veal and Austin Dufault battle it out. The team’s only senior is Jermyl Jackson-Wilson and he is a high energy guy who most likely will be coming off of the bench.

Cory Higgins came in and started every game last year as a freshman, and will need to continue to improve if this team hopes to win it’s fair share of conference games. Nate Tomlinson, a freshman from Australia is being counted on to start at the point guard position. Levi Knutson was supposed to be a real threat from the outside, but a few injuries were supposedly to blame for his cold shooting touch. Dwight Thorne dealt with injuries of his own last year, but now that he’s healthy he’ll be expected to contribute.

Final Analysis – 12th in our Big 12 Basketball Predictions

Things aren’t going to be great for Colorado basketball for at least a couple of years, but after a dismal 2007-08, things should improve ever so slightly this year. The loss of Roby hurts, but Bzdelik knows how to coach so we expect this ship to be turned around. With the Big 12 not being as tough as it was last year this team has a chance to win a few more games, but the players that left after last season set the Buffaloes back too far to be a real threat to anyone in the league.

If you are looking for basketball picks that will help you win more with your NCAA basketball betting this year then look no further than BetFirms.