Sleeping with the Enemy: The Buffaloes of Colorado

Your BIG EAST TOURNAMENT CHAMPION Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown take on the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday and we are bringing back Sleeping with the Enemy to ring in the occasion! For those new here and/or completely unaware, SWTE was the internet’s greatest feature when the Hoyas were good, and unfortunately due to a combination in recent years of my laziness and Georgetown’s general suckitude (perhaps more the former than the latter), the feature had slowly faded into the wind and the internet abyss next to the youtube video for Gangnam Style. But now we’re back and soaring on the shoulders of the Georgetown Juggernauts straight into the NCAA Tournament! Amazing! With us to dish on all things Buffaloes is our buddy at The Ralphie Report, your source for all of your Colorado Buffalo needs. Follow them on twitter here! Without further ado, let’s do this!

NCAA Tournament! What’s up, my guy? To be honest I don’t know much about the Buffaloes. Without boring me too much, are you guys any good? Who are the main guys that the Hoyas need to pay attention to on Saturday?

Well, this is a surprisingly complex question for the Buffs. We’ve played every possible game this year, one of the few in the country to do so. However, this team is still a bit of a mystery. Colorado played really well against good teams, generally performed against great teams, and then played terribly against mediocre teams. The Buffs will take as much rope as you give them. The Buffs are solid on offense and defense, and play as a team on both ends of the court. The best player, and the player to watch, is McKinley Wright. Consider him our Sleepy Floyd - he’s a senior guard who runs the team on both ends of the court. He’s a great rebounder for his size (6 foot) and isn’t afraid of anybody. The next guy to watch is Evan Battey. He’s a bowling ball who is the emotional motor of the team. The perfect college player. Finally, Jeriah Horne is a PF off the bench that can heat up quick from 3 and is a steadying presence.

If you had to pick one key to Georgetown beating Colorado on Saturday, what is it?

Rebound on the offensive glass and bully the Buffs down low. CU is vertically-challenged at times and the right team will play inside out and beat the Buffs.

How did you feel about getting a 5 seed? Did you think the Buffaloes deserved higher?

The 5 seed was frankly a bit generous, if you ask me. If the Buffs had finished against Oregon State in the Pac-12 Championship, you could make a case for a four seed. However, they didn’t, and a 5 seed seems about right for their resume.

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being “scared shitless”, how scared are you about Colorado’s chances against the plucky 12 seed Hoyas of Georgetown?

I would say 7, “scared to incontinence.” Georgetown is HOT and they have the size and athleticism to really give CU some trouble. To be honest, I would be more scared of Winthrop or Oregon State (obviously). I think Georgetown presents plenty of matchup problems and can beat anybody right now. Very scary.

On the East Coast we don’t get much of a chance to watch Pac-12 action because we are tired and lame and go to bed early, but how do you think the Pac-12 stacks up against most conferences in the country? Is Colorado well-positioned to be a contender for years to come or is this year your best shot at glory?

This year has been our best shot at glory to date, and we were two collapses away from a regular season champ. However, the Buffs are also pulling in the best recruiting class ever on paper (including DC’s own Quincy Allen). Tad Boyle is the best coach in program history, and he’s not going anywhere. It’s the best time to be a Buff fan. For the Pac-12 as a whole, things are slowly looking up. The coaching in the conference is in a great spot, led by Mick Cronin at UCLA, which somehow worked out. The talent is flowing in at a heavy rate, and if the premier programs in the conference like UCLA and Arizona can take the next step, national relevance is around the corner.

Colorado is a great state, and when I close my eyes and think of Colorado I think of majestic mountains, skiing, steaks and weed (not necessarily in that order). Is there any downside to living in Colorado?

As a Colorado native, the crotchety old man in me wants to say that the main downside is the Californians. However, I’m not that guy (yet), so I’ll say that the main downside is the intense focus on the Denver Broncos…and no one else. Denver is big enough for college pride, and yet it doesn’t exist.

Speaking of steaks, let’s say you and I are going to a steakhouse. First of all, which one are we going to? Second, please detail your order and pay specific detail to the type of cut you are ordering and to which temperature, as well as any beverages, sides and dessert.

Going to a steakhouse is a distant memory now, wow. If I’m going upscale and quality, Urban Farmer in Denver is great. However, I’m taking you to Elway’s, just because it’s very close and John Elway needs something to do nowadays. I’ve never been crazy or fancy, I’m taking a filet mignon rare to medium-rare. For sides, I want a great helping of mashed potatoes, but I’ll also take some veggies like asparagus or broccoli. Typing my order like this makes me feel like a child. I’m not a dessert guy, but I’d love to have a nice bourbon with the steak.

The last time I was in Boulder I was surprised at how glam it was. I was expecting more of a grungy hippy crowd but there was one main drag that basically looked like Beverly Hills. No real segue here to the question, but do people in Boulder care about Colorado basketball or is it mainly a football town?

It’s a football town, 100%, but past either of those, it is a winter sports town. Everything takes a backseat to ski days, unfortunately. However, the national championship in football created more loyalty than the historically terrible basketball team.

Did you see Dua Lipa’s performance on the Grammy’s? If so, are you still as paralyzed from that as I am? If not, can you check it out on YouTube and then let me know how paralyzed you are from that performance? I mean, wow! Is there any possible way she is not the most dominant force in pop for like the next decade?

I did watch Dua Lipa’s performance and was similarly awestruck. She has it all, and was great in Song Exploder on Netflix if you get the chance to watch that. She had me Dua Leaping out of my seat (I’m so sorry for that)!

What’s your take on the Georgetown basketball program, generally?

I LOVE Georgetown, they are my second favorite team in the country. John Thompson, Patrick Ewing, obviously, but their history as a trailblazer just endeared me. You have the block G, Sleepy Floyd as previously mentioned, superstar Jeff Green, and you’re in the nation’s capital. Love the Hoyas, just not on Saturday.

Final score prediction?

CU fans are nervous right now, but I think senior guard leadership pulls through in the end. McKinley Wright shuts down Dante Harris and fills it up for a Buffs win, 65-60.