The Colorado Buffaloes have strived to become relevant on the national stage since Tad Boyle became coach six years ago.They have a great chance to become part of the conversation when they host No. 13 Xavier at the Coors Events Center on Wednesday at Boulder, Colo.The Musketeers (7-1) are Colorados second ranked opponent on its non-conference schedule, and a win Wednesday would give it a sweep of those teams.The Buffaloes beat Texas, then No. 22, 68-54 in the consolation game of The Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 22. The Musketeers give them another chance at a resume win as the teams start a home-and-home series, with next years matchup set for Cincinnati.When I think of Xavier basketball, the first thing that comes to my mind is the toughness. Theyve got great toughness, Boyle told the Boulder Daily Camera. Theyve got really good players and theyre very well coached. Xavier doesnt beat themselves, you have to go beat them. We have to be ready for a street fight.Both teams are trying to put disappointing losses behind. Colorado (6-2) lost to in-state rival Colorado State last week to snap a 12-game home winning streak but bounced back to beat Portland 76-63.Xavier dropped its only true road game at No. 4 Baylor.The Musketeers played arguably their best half of basketball when they took a 34-31 lead at intermission against the Bears. They followed that up with a bad second half and lost 76-61.Turnovers were an issue in that game, and coach Chris Mack told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he talked to his players about the missed opportunity in Waco, Texas.Im sure (the players) felt some positives. I didnt necessarily show them a lot of the positives, Mack told the Enquirer. I think everybody in the world always wants to give the sugar-coated version. I gave our guys reality, and that was what we got away from in the second half really hurt us and we didnt have an ability to stop the momentum. We didnt have an ability to take good shots and to turn the ball over. Weve got to do that at Colorado.The Musketeers are led in scoring by junior guard Trevon Bluiett, who is averaging 18.4 points a game. He and RaShid Gaston, lead Xavier in rebounding at 6.3 rebounds a game. Xavier has three players averaging at least 15 points.It will be a tough task to beat Colorado on the glass. The Buffaloes outrebound opponents by nine a game and are third in the Pac-12 in rebounding margin. They are led by Xavier Johnson, who is averaging a team-best 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds.Senior Derrick White is Colorados do-all player, averaging 14 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.(Colorado is) a team that really takes a lot of pride on the offensive glass, Mack told the Enquirer. They might be one of the best offensive rebounding teams weve faced all year.The Buffaloes are facing a team that crashes the boards. Xavier is also outrebounding opponents by nine per game and ranks 12th nationally in rebounding margin at 10.6.It comes down to strength against strength, and Colorado is hoping its home court will be a difference maker.Its going to be a heck of a challenge, Boyle told the Daily Camera. Nothing against Portland, but this is a little different animal than the Portland Pilots in terms of their personnel. Portland is well-coached. Xavier is well-coached and theyve got some dudes who can rip your head off if youre not ready to play. Jonathan Lucroy Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Brian Goodwin Angels Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. http://www.baseballangelslockroom.com/cam-bedrosian-angels-jersey/ . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Darin Erstad Angels Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Albert Pujols Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. G2 Esports triumphed over Splyce in the European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS) finals, 3-1. With the victory, G2 Esports became the back-to-back EU LCS split champions in rather decisive fashion. The team will represent Europe at the World Championship as the first seed from the region.Splyces lone win was not the teams only highlight during this series. They entered the finals as a massive underdog, but showed plenty of fight during the matchup. And it was through the teamfighting element of the game that Splyce proved to be worth its salt. Kasper Kobbe Kobberup and Martin Wunder Hansen were absolutely essential damage dealers in the first three games of the series. The duo kept the team afloat and nearly forced the late game victory multiple times throughout the set purely through positioning and stellar initiation. But, the team seemingly ran out of steam halfway through game three. If it wasnt Kobbe or Wunder making plays, Splyce didnt have any other option. In game four, despite the near insurmountable deficit, Splyce still forced fights and made it entertaining. The underdogs simply couldnt match the power of G2 Esports, and with only two players showing up, it was a wash after that.G2 Esports did it again. The team rolled over Splyce once it figured out how to stunt the damage and item progression of both Wunder and Kobbe.dddddddddddd Luka PerkZ Perkovic was especially great, with ban-worthy play on Vladimir; whether it was the champions strengths in controlling both the teamfight and the lane, PerkZ individual mechanical skill or both, G2 Esports dominated whenever it drafted the pick. PerkZ was the flash that G2 Esports needed and provided plenty of fireworks for the fans while wrapping up the series. The backbone of the team, Jesper Zven Svenningsen, also made his presence felt. Ever-consistent Zven was solid and unwavering throughout the matchup, whether a game was won or lost. However, the surprising third option in damage came from top laner Dae-han Expect Ki. His play on Gangplank and Gnar was disruptive and forcefully drove the teamfight advantage toward G2 Esports in several key moments throughout the matchup.Overall, G2 Esports played as expected: authoritatively. The team controlled the early game for the majority of the set, managed to control neutral objectives and mostly tempered the snowball potential of the opposition. ' ' '