Colorado has a dude who wears a Batman mask. Boise has a chick who wears glasses. Probably rather go against the chick with glasses, but it looks like we're getting Batman.
I'll give it a shot. Unlike "scoring the ball", "scoring" includes goaltending calls? Oh, I forgot about her. She only counts as "scoring" in most cases.
I think the X factor for us in this game and the tournament in general, will be the play of Haugh, now that Micah is out. Haugh always bring great defensive intensity and hustle, which is easier to do when you aren't playing a ton of minutes. He is likely to get a lot more minutes now. He has to hit a couple of those wide open three looks that he gets, or drive to the basket from time to time, draw a foul, and actually make a free throw. Can't just play hot potato with the ball and let the defense play off him. If he steps up offensively and chips in 7 to 12 points in the game from the 4 spot, I think that bodes really well for us. The guards and Samuel can take care of the rest.
I think Haugh will get a lot of time on Da Silva - a 6'9" skilled wing with a lot of tools. Haugh and others staying out of foul trouble trying to control Da Silva and their rotund big will be a challenge. CU definitely plays some scrappy, hard team defense. I only watched the first half, and while neither team looked particularly great, I think this will be a very tough match up for us.
Their big man could easily abuse our front court and cause foul trouble. Haugh or Kugel will have to guard their point forward. I would really prefer a focused Kugel for that role. Aberdeen will need substantial minutes to prevent their guard from finding his rhythm. I don't believe he's a true point guard, but if he gains confidence in feeding the center and forward, as well as being very capable of scoring himself, we could be in for a challenge.
ESPN Analytics has the Gators with a 62.6% chance to win. Barttovic.com sims UF with a 51% chance to win. ncaagamesim.com sims Colorado with a 64.1% chance to win.
I spent a year in grad school at Colorado and they kicked me out, so I would very much like to see some blood and teeth on the floor tomorrow.
Lets not forget, Colorado made their conference championship and played Wednesday and will only have one day off. Let's run it up and down. Their center wont be able to keep up and will foul alot if his stamina isnt at full capacity. Guard Simpson and limit second chances and we win easy
