Buffs back on top, earn win, Bay shows big

Colorado scorched the nets in the second half, shooting 65 percent, to break a two-game losing streak and win for the first time in a month, beating Central Florida, 96-87.

Having two games cancelled due to weather, maybe the Buffs could have been rusty, but it didn't show on offense.

Freshman point Kal Bay (pictured right) hit five 3-pointers, scored a career-high 21 points and dished out six assists in a preview of his potential. Marcus King-Stockton disproved the myth that he is incapable offensively, scoring a career-high 18 points, leading actor Richard Roby played a supporting role with 14, "the rock" Jermyl Jackson-Wilson added 13, Dominique Coleman went for 12 and freshman forward Jeremy Williams added 10.

Black and Gold Truth: It is easy to get carried away and forget a defense that gave up way too many points but in this season, any win is cause for celebration. The offense was on, entertaining and produced victory. Bay may not be Chauncy Billups but he has more upside than many give him credit for, if surrounded by talent. That CU won without Roby dominating is progress. Jackson-Wilson's addition to this team has been underrated. Williams is another freshman who continues to impress. Shooting 45 free throws is something you just don't see. It might not happen again for a long time. The Buffs certainly made hay, hitting 36 shots from the foul line. The road gets a little rocky now as the Big 12 season beckons, starting with Texas and their wealth of young talent.

Xavier applied the screws to Kansas State's offensive attack, holding the Wildcats to 40 percent shooting, while converting shots at a 56 percent clip in a 76-66 win. David Hoskins was the only K-State player in double figures with 17 points.

BGT: Bob Huggins' Wildcats still don't have the consistent defense his teams are known for and the Cats just aren't very good on offense either, despite having solid players in Hoskins, Cartier Martin and freshman Bill Walker. Martin and Walker combined for 16 points on 7 of 23 shooting against the Muskateers. Unacceptable.

Nebraska beat up on Savannah State, as they should, shooting 61 percent from the floor in an 81-53 victory.

Guard Sek Henry hit all seven of his shots on the way to 18 points. Junior guard Marcus Perry, an up-and-down player if there ever was one, added 17 more and center Alexs Maric, the rock of the team, added 14.

BGT: Henry, a 6-foot-3 freshman, is developing nicely for the Huskers, averaging 14 points over his last four games. New coach Doc Sadler, like Mike Anderson at Missouri, is setting the table for better days for his program.

On the field...Could Oklahoma's Bob Stoops consider a jump to the NFL? After Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban's flameouts, I doubt it but a Berry Tramel story in The Daily Oklahoman takes a look at the chances of that today.

An interesting point made on Alabama hiring/stealing Saban for its' new coach rolled past me today, courtesy of Travis Reier of BamaOnline.com.

"He was as good of a recruiter as I've ever seen at LSU. When they built the academic center at LSU, he sold the moms and dads on that first. And then he'd tell the kids that if they wanted to play in the NFL he could tell them how to get there.

"There is absolutely no BS in his approach to recruiting. He does not coddle prospects and he does not promise playing time. He tells them what they're going to do or they won't play. There isn't a lot of fluff involved."

BGT: Dan Hawkins has proven to be charismatic with recruits and their parents and as sources have told me, it appears his staff will be better than the previous regime in securing talent. Saban is one of the country's best at getting players and it shows you don't have to do the back-alley deal to get it done.

Note...An interview down Texas way coming to you before Colorado meets the Longhorns on Saturday. Look for it in the next two days.

UPDATE (8:30 a.m. MT)

Here's some football food to chew on. Although it refers to NFL play and not the college game, it is worth looking at, courtesy of Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News.

"LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 100 yards in 10 games this season. His San Diego Chargers won all 10 of them on the way to an NFL-best 14-2 record. The Kansas City Chiefs won nine games to qualify for the AFC playoffs with a 9-7 record. Larry Johnson rushed for at least 100 yards in eight of those victories.

“Run to win” has long been an NFL motto. This season, there were 159 individual 100-yard rushers. Their teams combined for a 112-47 record in those 100-yard games. Here's the statistical probabilities for other key stats in 2006:

Category	No.	W-L	Win pct.
100-yard rushing game	159	112-47	.704
300-yard passing game	65	37-28	.569
100-yard receiving game	165	90-75	.545
Interception return for a TD	49	40-9	.816
Fumble return for a TD	29	18-11	.621
Kickoff return for a TD	9	4-5	.444
Punt return for a TD	15	11-4	.733