Quiz, not a test; Crosby kicks; coaches

Kickoff is here.

Colorado will put on a scrimmage that will further wet the appetites of its' faithful.

Don't expect crispness and great individual performances as much as improvement from last spring and more consistency with an offense that is not right out of the package.

This day is more about evaluation for the coaches as to where the team is as a group and getting an early look at how players will work within the system.

Yes, there will be standouts but it won't quite be like it is at Florida with jaw-dropping plays here and there.

The fall is where the show will be put on after more work is done and even more newcomers hit town.

This is but a sneak preview, a trailer to generate more questions to the bag full we all have now.

Kickin' it

CU can get its' punters into the NFL but why no kickers?

That problem comes to an end in April when Mason Crosby will be the object of desire for pro teams, as he's the top prospect at the position.

Who knows which team will pick him up but of the teams mentioned in the link, I'd hope it would be Dallas and not Cleveland or New York simply because of the weather conditions. You want every chance for success for him.

Contrary to that report which has Crosby slated for the fourth round, it says here he will go somewhere between the latter part of round 2 or mid-part of round 3.

Speaking of specialists, in that same breakdown of specialists is a guy named Daniel Sepulveda, with a king of a leg himself. This Baylor punter could really help Denver Broncos' coach Mike Shanahan if he truly wants to improve his special teams. The pro homeboys need a power leg.

NCAA pokes

Look out, but the star of Lon Kruger is again rising. As expected, his UNLV team beat talented but young Georgia Tech in the NCAA Tournament. Kruger has always been successful, would be a wonderful fit at Colorado and is likely to end up elsewhere.

Gregg Marshall led Winthrop by a solid Notre Dame team and he too is going to be big-timing it soon, just not at CU, it appears.

Bo Ryan, who wasn't good enough for Denver University but was for Wisconsin, just got his Badgers into the round of 32.

Matt Painter, who won at Southern Illinois, just led Purdue past Arizona.

Chris Lowery, one of the hottest coaching candidates around, and the current coach at SIU, is advancing to the next round, too.

Seth Greenberg is getting some real love this season and has Virginia Tech into the round of 32 after beating Illinois.

Hot-head Mark Fox has Nevada excited after leading the Wolfpack to victory over Dana Altman and Creighton.

And finally, check out Neill Woelk of the Daily Camera, who says Jeff Bzdelik isn't yet the lock for CU that some of his fellow media and fans believe he is for the post.

Coaches to watch: Butler's Mark Lickliter could beat Maryland, Winthrop's Marshall could knock off Oregon and UNLV's Kruger could get attention by shocking Wisconsin.

SIU's Lowery would be basking in the limelight with a Sweet 16 berth but Greenberg's Virginia Tech team might be too athletic.

Anthony Grant of VCU could lead his team past Jamie Dixon and Pitt, which would be yet another "wow" factor effort.

A great matchup is Kevin Stallings of Vandy and Tony Bennett of Washington State, two underrated coaches.

If Nevada's Fox can lead his Wolf Pack past John Calipari's Memphis Tigers, Fox will have a new address next season.

Big 12 representatives

Kansas destroyed Niagra but the interesting thing is that Brandon Rush did not assert himself. Unless he takes it more upon himself to lead, the Jayhawks are going to be vulnerable. Mark it down.

Texas beat New Mexico State behind Kevin Durant's 27 points but point guard D. J. Augustin and backcourt mate A.J. Abrams also scored well. Durant is the power in this offense but for the Longhorns to move through the tournament they are going to need the contributions of Augustin, a much-overlooked talent, and Abrams. It wouldn't hurt for forward Damion James to be a little more consistent instead of consistently inconsistent.

BGT: Looking ahead in the Big 12, KU should move past Kentucky and Texas should top USC but Texas A & M is going to have a battle with Louisville. That game is dangerous for the Aggies.

Side Roads

Kobe Bryant is all about drama. He loves it. Rape trials, the Shaq divorce, bickering with coach Phil Jackson, suspensions for smacking players, scoring outbursts that exceed Michael Jordan's best. The man is something to examine. Just ripped off 65 against Portland. He's a piece of work as a human being but how much fun can he be with the basketball in his hands. Worth the price of admission just because of the possibility of what might happen when he's in the building.

Want to know what's possible for CU basketball with the right coach on board? Check Kansas State with Bob Huggins (NIT team) or Washington State's Tony Bennett (11-17 last season) work in 2006-07.

Nick Fazekas might not be a Big-12 player in the eyes of many but he only dominated like few in Nevada school history did and his work this season at center earned him second-team All-American honors from the Sporting News.

NCAA Tournament success has long been known to come from strong guard play. Question -- where is CU most talented? Get some consistent role players up front and a smart, passionate, people person at coach and look out -- next season.

Something to consider here. UCLA lockdown defender and pass-happy point guard Darren Collison was not an all-everything recruit. Dude was not even a top-150 player, a report in the Sporting News says. Yet, he dishes, defends, hits the long-ball accurately and score the ball. He's smart, hungry, driven (a Rick Pitino formula for success, by the way).

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, one of the great personalities in the college game, said it like it's been said here -- Texas freshman Kevin Durant is going to go down as one of the best players in history -- at the NBA level. Pearl says the Maryland telephone pole will become one of the 50-best players ever. Truth is Durant is but 18 but scoring at will, rebound with ease, as athletic as LeBron James, long and getting better. He is a leader and confident beyond belief. He appears to have a Michael Jordan-type arrogance on the court. He believes he can do anything and then he backs up that faith in himself. He will prove to be a better passer in the pros, his only known, necessary weakness.

Is Greg Oden potentially as great? Possibly. Look at how good he was this season with one hand. If he would have been 100 %, he likely would have averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and four-to-five blocks a contest and we really would have had a debate as to the best player in the land.

Remember the name Yia Jianlian, a seven-footer from China. He's already 29 years-old but he is dominating in the Far East to the point where he is being lusted after by NBA scouts. With the success of Houston's Yao Ming, Jianlian could be a nice alternative choice for some team at the top of the draft that doesn't get the luxury of hooking up with Greg Oden. Jianlian is no stiff, having shown quickness, shooting touch from the perimeter and adequate strength. And remember this, when Yao first touched down in the states, reports said he was slow and methodical, inferring he would never amount to much. Guess those reports were wrong.

Local roads

Colorado Rockies' pitcher Jeff Francis and his boss, manager Clint Hurdle both were notified of their jailing for their roles in retaliation against Doug Brocail hitting two Rockies' hitters. Francis gets five days and Hurdle gets a game.

The interesting thing here is that punishment is greater than what they would have received had this gone down in the regular season. What a joke. And what about Brocail? Oh, that's right, just part of the game. Whatever.

Speaking of the Rockies, do you realize that without Colorado pitching Barry Bonds would be nowhere close to Hank Aaron's record? Guys like Bonds, Mike Piazza and the retired Eric Karros and should-be retired Sammy Sosa have always treated the local arms with disdain, crushing batting practice tosses deep into the Colorado airspace.

Coming attractions: An interview with Dayn Perry of FoxSports.com on his book "How Good Baseball Teams Become Great Ones." Look for it early next week.