Colorado crunch time

SCOUTING REPORT

Upsets have been Colorado's trademark, but it remains to be seen whether the Buffaloes can come up with another one against Michigan State.

Colorado got into the tournament partly on the strength of victories against Top 25 teams -- Kansas, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State -- and by reaching the magic 20-win mark. But coach Ricardo Patton said his team hasn't played well offensively or defensively in several games. Patton said the Buffs need to regain the team-oriented mind-set that has defined it in its best moments.

Making matters worse, standout guard Michel Morandais has been nursing a sprained left ankle, which he said Sunday still was feeling tender.

Still, the Buffs have won four of their past five and can be just as tenacious on defense as Michigan State. Much of that is due to 7-foot center David Harrison, who averages 8.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in addition to his 13.9 points. Harrison had 11 blocks in the March 8 regular-season finale against Nebraska.

CRUNCH TIME

When the game is on the line, who do you want...

TAKING THE LAST SHOT: James "Mookie" Wright is not a starter, and he has missed 13 games for violation of a team rule, but when it gets late, coach Ricardo Patton likely will look to Wright to take the shot. Wright, a senior, beat Kansas State on a last-second shot and also hit two key free throws in a 76-74 win over Charlotte.

AT THE FREE-THROW LINE: If Stephane Pelle is at the line in the final minutes of a close game, the Buffaloes should be okay. He has hit 97 of 121 free throws (80.2 percent), tops on the team for players who have attempted more than 100. In a 60-59 win over Kansas, Pelle was 7-of-8.

HANDLING THE BALL: Freshman Antoine McGee has one main job, to handle and distribute the ball. He is not a scorer, as his 2.6 ppg indicates. He is instead trusted to bring the ball up court and feed it to the big men underneath. McGee wasn't expected to be a starter this season, but he worked his way into the rotation because of his ball-handling skills.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: David Harrison will dare any player to come inside against him. He leads the team with 99 blocks, including a team-record 11 against Nebraska. He has fouled out of five games, but if he can stay out of foul trouble, opponents will have to get their points from the perimeter.

Who do you not want...

TAKING THE LAST SHOT: McGee is not likely to be on the floor when the game is in the balance. His field-goal percentage is a paltry 28.7 percent (25-of-87). He has hit 6 of 23 3-pointers, so clearly he is not a go-to guy.

AT THE FREE-THROW LINE: If it comes down to a free-throw contest, 7-foot center David Harrison will be on the bench. He has connected on 56.7 percent of his free throws (114-for-201), worst on the team.

HANDLING THE BALL: If Harrison is even touching the ball late in a close game, Colorado could be in trouble. He has a team-high 71 turnovers, but that's mainly because he plays underneath, where the play can get physical. Centers don't handle the ball, especially 7-footers with little experience doing it.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: Forward Michel Morandais does a lot of things, but defense has been a weakness. And now that Morandais is nursing a sore left ankle, he's even slower defending. Because of his scoring prowess (17 per game) he likely will be on the floor late, but look for the Buffaloes to play a zone and help Morandais with defense.

COACH'S TENDENCIES

Patton is not a fiery, screaming presence on the sideline. His knack is squeezing the most out of his teams, which lack the talent of Big 12 powerhouses Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Expect Patton to remain calm late in games, saving his timeouts for crunch time.

TEAM'S TENDENCIES

When it comes down to the wire, Colorado has had mixed results. First, there was a nonconference game on Dec. 3 against Georgia. Leading 70-68 with five seconds remaining, Georgia's Jonas Hayes hit a 3-point shot with two-tenths of a second remaining to give the Bulldogs a 71-70 victory. Then came the dramatic Big 12 tournament opening-round game against Kansas State. James Wright hit a long 3-pointer as time expired to beat the Wildcats 77-76 and advance to the quarterfinal against Oklahoma. There also was a 60-59 win over Kansas in January. In games decided by four points or less, Colorado is 5-3.

FUN FACT

The University of Colorado has produced 15 NASA astronauts that have traveled to space. The school ranks fourth behind MIT, Purdue and Stanford in astronauts produced. The most notable astronaut was Jack Swigert, who flew on Apollo 13. Scott Carpenter, the second man to orbit Earth, also is a Colorado graduate.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

After a 28-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, Colorado received a bid during the 1996-97 season, Patton's first full year as coach. The Buffaloes, a No. 9 seed, played No. 8 seed Indiana and won 80-62. Freshman Chauncey Billups scored a game-high 24. That was followed by a 73-56 loss to North Carolina, which advanced to the Final Four. Colorado is 9-11 overall in NCAA Tournaments. It never has advanced past the second round since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.

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