I've been purposefully ignoring the men's basketball team as the main subject of this blog for a reason.

That is, I've been waiting for them to shift into second gear. It seems they've been woefully stuck in first for the first nine games of the season.

But Saturday night's loss to Colorado State at home really hurts. Until Saturday, the Rams hadn't won a game in Boulder since 1957. Until Saturday, the Rams had only won 6 times in Boulder. This is in a rivalry dating back to 1906.

Two of the Buffs three wins have come against colleges from Colorado. Who did the Buffs get their other win against? An Andrew Bogut-less neighbor to the west, Utah.

That's rough. CU hasn't beaten a team that hails from more than 523 miles away.

A then 1-6 Pepperdine team came into Boulder. They left 2-6.

A 3-3 UNC-Wilmington team beat the Buffs. They have since lost to Missouri State and Northeastern. I couldn't even tell you where Missouri State and Northeastern have their campuses. I couldn't tell you where UNC-Wilmington had its campus, but fortunately, their location is in their name.

Yes, this Buffs team is hurting very badly. Ricardo Patton has to bear his fair share of the blame, as does Richard Roby, who isn't helping his draft stock any by averaging only one point more a game but shooting around 10 percent lower than he did last year.

To be fair, this is a team with eight scholarship freshmen. It takes awhile to develop talent, but with an outgoing head coach who seems to be more interested in applying for a new coaching job than finishing the one he started, that talent might never develop.

What do you think about the CU men's basketball situation? You can post a story about it or why not try your hand at writing a blog?

In other CU news, Ward Churchill is making the news again. This time, it's not for anything he's done, but rather for something he is being refused - a teaching award that he won in 2005.

The Colorado Daily has a story in today's edition about the protests and petitions that are being circulated on campus attempting to get the Alumni Association to give him the award he won.

This Churchill stuff was old a year ago. Now it's a running joke.

What are you doing this weekend as finals start? Why not try a few of these events on for size?

-Fiske Planetarium will be showing a Pink Floyd laser show (like there's really any other type of music that does a laser show justice besides Pink Floyd) at 10:45 p.m. Dec. 15 at Fiske Planetarium, Kittredge Loop and Regent drives. Tickets are $5.

-There will be a Hip Hop show with 2 Real 4 Da Mind at 10 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Dark Horse, 2922 Baseline Road. There will be an open mic for all of you aspiring MCs, along with special appearances by Higher Ed and Sound Theories. This event is free, so get out your freshest gear and head on over.

-The Pearl Street Holiday Festival will be going on starting Friday Dec. 15 and running through Christmas Eve. There will be special events, hot chocolate, a festive atmosphere and a wide array of gifts for that special someone. It's at the site of the former Montbell store on the corner of Broadway and Pearl streets. For times and more information, call 720-272-SHOP.

-Finally, if you want to get in the holiday spirit before you head home post-finals, you should go check out The Christmas Revels at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14 th St. at 2 and 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Only nine cities in the whole U.S. produce this Scottish Christmas show and Boulder is one of them. Tickets are $14.75-$31.50 and are available at www.bouldertheater.com.

-The Campus Press has a story about the basketball team's woes, along with a holiday gift guide that you might find interesting.

-The Colorado Daily has an opinion piece on the CU Regents divestment from the Sudan.

-Finally, CUBuffs.com has a story about your most recent CU Athletes of the Week, Richard Roby (gulp!) and Jackie McFarland.

Don't let your head blow up over finals. The end of the semester is only one week away.

I'll keep blogging during the hiatus so you can keep up with what is going on in Boulder while you are celebrating the holidays with family and friends. Good luck with that!

P.S.- I will be attending the commencement ceremony Dec. 22. My twin brother is graduating with a BA in English and a BS in Journalism. I'll be the cat with the YourHub.com hat on passing out business cards. Come say hi!