The University of Colorado men’s basketball team became the local squad to watch, as disappointment continued to pervade the state’s professional sports teams. Until recently, CU appeared to be channeling the days of Chauncey Billups and his box haircut. Fast-forward to this week, and the situation isn’t looking so hot. The Buffs lost 73-70 in overtime after a heartbreaker against Texas A&M Wednesday night, falling to 15-10 on the year (4-6 in conference play), and marking their sixth loss in seven games (game recap via CUBuffs.com).

The Denver Post’s Dave Krieger writes that as the Buffs fade, “reality is trumping wishful thinking,” and Wednesday’s loss “all but doomed CU’s chance to go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.” Boulder’s Daily Camera agrees, noting the Buffs need to pull off a win Saturday against Kansas State in Boulder in order to hold onto even the slimmest hope of keeping the postseason alive. The Buffs beat Kansas State 74-66 on January 12. Will they be able to recapture the momentum of that game?