NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from UMass Myrtle Beach Invitational title

Colorado Buffaloes (6th Place): Wildly inconsistent team

There’s not much of an observation I can make of Colorado’s individual players, although KJ Simpson had 30 points in the win over Texas A&M and is the confirmed best player on the roster. But the team beat the ranked Aggies, while also losing to both UMass and Boise State. And that’s joined by the road loss at Grambling in the week prior, as well as the road win over Tennessee.

The Buffaloes have shown that they can beat anyone and also lose to anyone. Their resume is already the most interesting in NCAA Basketball after just two weeks and until they go in a consistent direction, there’s little of them that we can trust outside of the sophomore guard Simpson.

Boise State Broncos (5th Place): Defense should keep them viable in MWC

Last season, the Broncos won the regular-season conference title and made the NCAA Tournament on the strength of an elite defense. After losing multiple key pieces that made it work, there were some questions as to whether or not it would take a dip. But in three games, the team allowed just 54, 48, and 55 points respectively in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

Had Boise State not scored just 42 points against Charlotte in the opener, they could’ve been the team to make a run. The offense is a work in progress outside of senior guard Marcus Shaver Jr. but once that gets into gear with a defense that was the best in this field, they can compete for a top spot in the Mountain West again.