UNC’S Alirez proves there’s no place like home

Find someone who loves you like Andrew Alirez loves Greeley world- class wrestler who had the eye of several college wrestling powerhouses after winning his fourth state title for Greeley Central in 2019, Alirez instead opted to stay home and help build something at Northern Colorado.

Four years later, after claiming the 141-pound national title last Saturday night in Tulsa — the program’s first since the 1960s — Alirez has taken the UNC Bears to a level they haven’t seen in decades.

The Grading the Week staff can’t help but stand up and applaud.

Andrew Alirez — A+

The way Alirez did it, with a six-point move in the second period that came just as he appeared to be on the brink of disaster, would’ve been good enough for us.

But to then throw “G-town” a shout- out within 40 seconds of his post-match interview on ESPN melted our hearts.

Half of the enjoyment that comes from the NCAA Division I wrestling championships is luxuriating in the post-match interviews with the just- crowned national title winners.

While some get weird — like, say, Penn State’a three-time champ who was itching to incite a holy war — most others are some heart-warming combination of comedy, emotion and inspiration.

Alirez somehow hit all three, while also reminding us that there’s no place like home.

Deion Sanders cosplay — B+

Give Coach Prime credit for this much: He’s completely unafraid to do things on his time.

First, the CU Buffs football coach holds his introductory news conference in the middle of a Broncos game.

Then he interrupts the final day of March Madness at Ball Arena by coming out for his first spring practice presser in a cowboy hat and boots.

Coach Prime couldn’t remember the name of the TV show that inspired his western getup (“Yellowstone”) or his favorite character ( Kevin Costner’s familiarly world-weary John Dutton) on said serial drama.

But we weren’t about to avert our eyes from the spectacle.

Such is the state of CU football in the opening months of the Coach Prime era — where everything happening in Boulder is now must- see.

DU Pioneers hockey — B

It’s hard to imagine a more excruciating way to close out a national title defense than with a pair of shutout losses — one coming at the hands of your hated rival.

Yet that’s exactly how things ended for the Pios, who were eliminated with a 2- 0 loss to Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday a week after falling 1- 0 to Colorado College in the NCHC tournament.

Add it all up, and DU was held scoreless in the final 121 minutes, 2 seconds of a campaign that also included 39 wins, the program’s 15th regular- season conference title and retention of the Gold Pan Trophy.

It would be silly for anyone to classify such a season a failure.

We certainly don’t have the gall to do such a thing in this space.

But it also isn’t a stretch to call it disappointing, either.