The path to success for the University of Colorado men’s basketball team? Dropping the fear, especially in their rebounding game, according to Jeff Bzdelik, who claims rebounding will be one of the keys to pulling the Buffs out of the Big 12 basement (via The Denver Post). CU went 9-22 overall last year, winning just one of 15 conference games, so they need to do something. Why not start with cleaning up the boards?

But Bzdelik himself points out a significant problem with his plan, dutifully noted by Boulder’s Daily Camera: The team doesn’t seem to have a reliable big man to clog up the center and gobble up those rebounds. But they’ve found a solution. Instead of one guy logging double-digit rebounds every game, every guy on the floor will aim for three or four.

Something’s got to give if the team is even going to sniff respectability this year. The Austin American-Statesman discusses only the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas Jayhawks in terms of real teams to come out of the Big 12.

The Kansas City Star has the Buffs finishing dead last in the Big 12, predicting the key to their success will be guard Cory Higgins, who spent most of the offseason working on ball handling and improving his shooting range. It helps that he worked out with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, a team for which his dad happens to be the general manager.