MEN’S BASKETBALL MAKES LATE RUN
A seesaw season for CU men’s basketball (23-13 overall) ended with a strong March run in the National Invitation Tournament, with wins over Dayton and Norfolk State and a quarterfinals matchup with Texas.
But fatigue caught up there with the fourth-seeded Buffs, who fell to the Longhorns 68-55, despite outplaying them in the second half.
The Buffs have played in 11 NITs and two in three years.
The young CU squad had opened the season 9-1 in nonconference games but struggled early in Pac12 play. Season-ending injuries to Namon Wright (Soc’19) and Dallas Walton (StComm’21) hurt.
After falling to 2-6 in conference play, Colorado won 10 of 12. Tyler Bey (Ethn’21) and McKinley Wright IV (Ethn’21) led the Buffs’ resurgence, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors. CU lost to Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
Projected to finish No. 2 next season by Pac-12 Hotline, coach Tad Boyle is optimistic: “Every one of these guys in uniform are coming back next year.”
Women’s basketball got off to a 10-1 start but were outmatched in the Pac-12, winning two games and losing 16.
BUFFS BITS
Golfer Victor Bjorlow (Bus’20) rallied to win the Colorado Mines Bob Writz Invitational in March. … Carol Callan (MPE’77; MBA’87), longtime women’s basketball radio analyst, was named the 2019 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball. … Joe Klecker (IntPhys’19) scored 14 combined points at the NCAA indoor track-and-field championships, the most ever by a Buff at nationals. … Alpine skier Isabelle Fidjeland (StComm’20) and football lineman Lyle Tuiloma (Ethn’20) each won the year-end Clancy A. Herbst Jr. Student-Athlete Achievement Award. … Anne Kelly completed her 22nd year as Women’s Golf head coach, tying her with Ceal Barry as the longest-tenured women’s coach in Buffs history. … Lisa Van Goor (EPOBio’86), the first and only player in Colorado history to score 2,000 career points and grab 1,000 rebounds, was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor. … Lacrosse celebrated its 100th game by avenging its 2018 season-ending loss to Stanford with a 20-11 victory. … Colorado skiers finished 3rd at NCAA championships, where Erik Dengerud (Math’22) won the Nordic freestyle title.
