Buffs At No. 10/11 Baylor Wednesday
THE GAME: The University of Colorado (8-18, 2-11 Big 12) will travel to play No. 10/11 Baylor (19-5, 9-4 Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at the Farrell Center in Waco, Texas.
BROADCAST: Due to a conflict with the CU men's game at Nebraska, Wednesday's women's game will be broadcast live on KVCU 1190 AM. Tim Smile will handle play by play duties and is joined by USA Basketball's Carol Callan with the color commentary. Internet audio streaming of the game will be available through Yahoo! Sports.
OPENING TIP: Two of the top three rebounding teams in the Big 12 square off Wednesday in Waco. Defending national champion Baylor is second in rebounding margin (+4.9) with the Buffaloes right behind in third (+4.1). CU holds opponents to just 34.9 rebounds per game, second best in the Big 12 while the Bears have the third best overall rebounding total on the league charts at 40.6 per game. Colorado will be looking to match its win total from last year while the Bears hope to keep pace in the race for second place in the Big 12.
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado currently resides in 11th place in the Big 12 at 2-11, and with just three games left in the regular season will most likely be the No. 11 seed for the 2006 Big 12 Championshp which begins on Tuesday, March 7, at Reunion Arena in Dallas. The Buffaloes could still finish 10th, but trail Kansas by two games. CU could also finish 12th, but Oklahoma State, winless in league play, would have to win its last three, including a date in Boulder on Sunday, Feb. 26.
The Buffaloes look to end a four-game slide in Big 12 games when they face the Bears on Wednesday. Colorado is 1-7 on the road this season with its lone win coming at Kansas on Feb. 1.
CU has allowed 77.2 points per game on the road this season, while averaging just 64.8 points on the offensive end. The Buffaloes are shooting 43.1 percent on the road, up from their home average of 40.8 percent. Opponents have shot very well in CU road games, recording a stellar 47.3 percent. Turnovers have hampered Colorado on the road as the Buffaloes average 19.8 turnovers a contest in road games which in part has resulted in opponents gaining 10 more field goal opportunities per game (62.1-52.5).
Sophomore Jackie McFarland leads Colorado in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg), just under a season-long double-double. McFarland has 13 games of 10-plus rebounds, the sixth-best, single-season performance in team history. Junior Jasmina Ilic is second in scoring (14.8 ppg) and leads CU with 44 3-point field goals. Ilic has seven games of 20-plus points including a Big 12 season-best 36 against Nebraska on Jan. 4. Junior Anna Nedovic has started all 26 games for the Buffaloes averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Nedovic scored her second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against Northern Colorado.
CU's back-court trio of senior Whitney Law and sophomores Lauren Lubin and Yari Escalera have put up some impressive numbers. Law shot a "perfect game" against UNC, 4-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line, and has ranked among the Big 12's top 15 in assists and assist/turnover ratio all season. Escalera, the third-best foul shooter in the Big 12 at 81.9 percent, has scored in double digits in five of the last eight games and has 20 3-pointers in the last nine. Lubin, who started 11-straight games before being sidelined with a mild concussion, has hit 50 percent of her 3-point attempts this season (12-of-24) and is fourth on the team in assists. Escalera (.819), McFarland (.808) and Ilic (.783) each rank among the top 12 free-throw shooters in the Big 12 for the league's best free-throw shooting team (.746). Lubin is right there as well at .821, but is under the minimum number of attempts to qualify for the Big 12 rankings.
NOT JUST FRESHMAN ANYMORE: Colorado's freshman duo of forward Caley Dow and guard Hannah Skildum have played key roles off the bench this season. In CU's road win over Kansas, the duo combined for 22 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 16 rebounds. Dow, who has a pair of double-doubles this season, is CU's second-leading rebounder at 5.3 per game and has increased that number to 8.3 per game over the last five contests. Skildum, averaging four points and 3.3 rebounds, has three games of double-digit points this season, all of them on the road against Big 12 teams.
LAST TIME OUT: Jackie McFarland's 13th double-double of the season wasn't enough to stop Missouri's balanced attack as the Tigers defeated the Buffaloes 72-57 on Feb. 18 at the Coors Events/Conference Center to claim their first season sweep over CU since 1990.
Missouri guard Tiffany Brooks scored 20 points and center Christelle N'Garsanet had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers (19-6, 9-4 Big 12). MU forwards EeTisha Riddle and Carlynn Savant each pitched in 11 points and combined for 13 rebounds.
Missouri hit 50 percent from the field in the game and 56 percent in the second half as the Tigers pulled away in the final 20 minutes.
Colorado (8-18, 2-11 Big 12) trailed by just five in mid-way through the second half, but the Tigers ended the game on a 24-14 run. The Buffaloes, who actually erased a 16-point Missouri lead in the first half, went cold in the second half hitting just 8-of-27 from the field (.296).
McFarland scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season, the fourth best single-season mark in team history. She is only the second different player in team history with 13 double-doubles as the other three belong to CU Hall of Famer Lisa VanGoor. Her 18 career double-doubles ties Sabrina Scott (2000-03) for the fifth on the CU career charts. She also registered her sixth 20 point, 10 rebound double-double of the 2005-06 campaign.
Senior guard Whitney Law had 15 points and sophomore Yari Escalera had 11 points on her 20th birthday. The Buffaloes had only seven scholarship players dressed for Saturday's game as starting forward Jasmina Ilic, averaging nearly 15 points per contest, missed the game with an injured shoulder and reserve center Tami Garnett had the flu. Freshman Hannah Skildum started in place of Ilic, but was held scoreless.
Missouri jumped all over Colorado at the opening tip. The Tigers hit 10 of their first 11 from the field to build a 25-9 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Conversely, The Buffaloes hit just 2-of-10 to open the game and had five turnovers in that same span.
The Buffaloes then held Missouri scoreless over the next 5:11, embarking on a 14-0 run of their own. Colorado continued to whittle away at the Tigers, tying the game at 29 on a McFarland layup with 2:23 remaining in the half. McFarland scored 14 first-half points, hitting 7-of-12 from the field.
While Colorado hit 11 of its final 20 shots of the half, Missouri cooled considerably as well, making just 3-of-18 to end the period. Take away Missouri's 3-of-18 spell to end the first half, the Tigers hit 24 their other 36 attempts (.667).
ABOUT THE BEARS: Baylor is 19-5 overall and tied with Missouri for second place in the Big 12 at 9-4. The Bears, ranked No. 10 in the latest AP poll and No. 11 in the most recent coaches poll, have won four of their last five with the lone loss coming in overtime at Oklahoma on Feb. 12. Baylor is a sparkling 11-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to Oklahoma, 73-70, on Jan. 21. All-American senior post Sophia Young leads Baylor and ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (21.1 ppg) and is third in rebounding (9.8 rpg). She is hitting 57.4 percent of her shots from the floor, fourth in the Big 12, and has scored 32 percent of her team's field goals this season. Sophomore guard Angela Tisdale is second on the squad in scoring (13.0 ppg) and tops the Bears in assists with 6.1 per game, which ranks third on the Big 12 charts. Baylor has the second-best scoring offense (75.6 ppg), field-goal percentage (.448), field-goal percentage defense (.379), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.294) and rebounding margin (+4.9) in the Big 12 while also holding the league's best scoring margin (+15.3) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.15). The only statistical category in which Baylor is not ranked in the Big 12 top five is rebounding defense, where the Bears are sixth.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 14th meeting between Colorado and Baylor with the Buffaloes holding an 8-5 series edge. Colorado has won two of the last three meetings, including the last game at the Ferrell Center, a 69-59 decision on Jan. 7, 2004. Baylor, which won last season's meeting in Boulder 84-65, has a 3-2 all-time series lead at the Ferrell Center.
CU'S LAST 10 GAMES AGAINST BAYLOR
Date Result Date Result
2/26/05 L, 65-84 (H) 2/23/00 L, 90-91 OT (A)
1/7/04 W, 69-59 (A) 2/20/99 L, 52-62 (H)
1/29/03 W, 66-59 (H) 1/10/98 L, 57-76 (A)
2/20/02 L, 69-80 (A) 1/22/97 W, 83-60 (H)
2/3/01 W, 85-66 (H) 1/2/96 W, 81-59 (H)
Kathy McConnell-Miller has never faced Baylor as a head coach. She will be looking for career head coaching win No. 100 against the Bears as she is 99-106 in her seventh season as a collegiate head coach.
ILIC QUESTIONABLE FOR BAYLOR: Junior Jasmina Ilic missed the Missouri game with an injured shoulder and is listed as questionable for the Baylor game. Ilic partially dislocated her right shoulder in the Northern Colorado game on Feb. 13 and the injury forced her to miss her first game since her freshman season when she did not play against Oklahoma in the 2004 Big 12 Tournament. Senior center Tami Garnett missed the Missouri game with the flu but returned to practice on Tuesday and is expected to return to the lineup.
SOUTHERN DROUGHT: Colorado will be attempting to snap a 12-game losing streak against Big 12 Southern Division opponents, dating back to the 2003-04 season. CU's last win over a Big 12 South team came in a 72-57 decision over Oklahoma State on Feb. 21, 2004. Colorado's last road win over a Big 12 South opponent was at Baylor, 69-59, on Jan. 7, 2004.
RARE LATE BREAK FROM CONFERENCE ACTION: CU's Feb. 13 win over Northern Colorado marked the first time the Buffs have taken a break in the middle of league play for a non conference game since participating in the 1997 Big 12/ACC Challenge. CU hosted North Carolina State on Feb. 1, 1997, coming away with a 67-62 win. It was also the latest in the season the Buffaloes have ventured out of conference for a regular season game since CU defeated Colorado College, 83-58, on Feb. 15, 1983, at the Coors Events Center.
McFARLAND NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Sophomore forward Jackie McFarland has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII University Division Women's Basketball first team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
McFarland, an accounting major who sports a 3.97 grade point average, is the lone sophomore joining four seniors on the five-member first team. She is now eligible for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team which will be announced on Feb. 28.
A native of Derby, Kan., McFarland is a two-time member of the Dean's List and earned the CU Athletic Department's Academic Excellence Award in the fall of 2004 with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She is also a team representative for the Student Athlete-Advisory Committee.
The District VII University Division is comprised of NCAA Division I schools from the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. McFarland is the first CU women's basketball player to be named to the academic all-district team since Randie Wirt was a second-team member in 2004.
RECORD NIGHT FROM ?3': Colorado entered its game at Kansas shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range for the season, but on a night when everything seemed to go right, the Buffaloes set a single-game team percentage record (minimum eight attempts) from downtown by hitting 6-of-8 (.750) against the Jayhawks. The previous best was a 69.2 percent performance (9-of-13) against Oklahoma on Mar. 8, 2001.
ILIC HITS 30 TWICE: Jasmina Ilic's 36 point performance against Nebraska is the best individual total in the Big 12 Conference this year and third on CU's all-time single game list just behind co-record holders Susan Horner who had 38 against Weber State on Mar. 10, 1979, and Tracy Tripp who also had 38 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 4, 1987. Ilic is the first player in team history to score 33 or more points twice in the same season as she had 34 points in CU's season-opening win over Cal State-Fullerton.
McFARLAND SCORING AND REBOUNDING NEARING TOP 10: Jackie McFarland leads Colorado in scoring by averaging 17.8 points per game. Her current average would place her among the to 10 in school history and she is also on pace to become the the eigth CU player to score 500 points in one season. She is the first player in CU women's basketball history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds over the first seven games of a season.
CU SINGLE SEASON SCORING AVERAGE LEADERS:
Name Season Average
1. Jamillah Lang (32 games) 1993-94 19.2
2. Lisa Van Goor (36 games) 1981-82 18.8
3. Tera Bjorklund (32 games) 2002-03 18.5
4. Lisa Van Goor (33 games) 1980-81 18.5
5. Tera Bjorklund (30 games) 2003-04 18.1
6. Jackie McFarland (26 games) 2005-06 17.8
7. Diane Hiemstra (28 games) 1983-84 17.6
8. Lisa Van Goor (29 games) 1982-83 17.0
9. Jeannie Raikes (26 games) 1976-77 16.9
10. Diane Hiemstra (29 games) 1982-83 16.7
McFarland's current average of 9.3 rebounds per game would be the ninth best single-season mark in team history if the season ended today and her current pace would leave her with 280 rebounds, the eighth best mark in team history (based on a guaranteed four more games).
CU SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDING AVERAGE LEADERS:
Name Season Average
1. Linda Gehrke (32 games) 1977-78 12.3
2. Lisa Van Goor (33 games) 1980-81 11.0
3. Lisa Van Goor (29 games) 1982-83 10.3
4. Cathy Lanky (32 games) 1977-78 10.3
5. Lisa Van Goor (36 games) 1981-82 10.1
6. LeaAnn Banks (30 games) 1985-86 9.8
7. LeaAnn Banks (28 games) 1984-85 9.6
8. Susan Horner (32 games) 1977-78 9.4
9. Jackie McFarland (26 games) 2005-06 9.3
10. Erin Scholz (32 games) 1993-94 8.7
McFARLAND NEARS 500-250-50 CLUB: Jackie McFarland needs 36 points and seven rebounds to become just the second player in team history to record 500 points, 250 rebounds and 50 assists in one season. She would join Erin Scholz who had 544 points, 279 rebounds and 80 assists in 1995-96. She would also be only the third different player in CU history to record 500 points and 250 rebounds on one season joining Scholz and Lisa Van Goor who did it twice with 678 points and 365 rebounds in 1981-82 and 610 points and 363 rebounds in 1980-81.
LUBIN BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLES: With her performances against Utah State and Colorado State sophomore guard Lauren Lubin became just the fifth true guard in team history to record two or more points-rebounds double-doubles in a career and only the second to do it back-to-back games. Former Big Eight Conference MVP Bridget Turner did it in back-to-back games during the 1988-89 season and leads all CU guards with nine total points-rebounds double-doubles. Lubin joins three other guards with two points-rebounds double-doubles and included in that list is teammate Whitney Law who had a pair last season. Lubin had 13 points and 13 rebounds against Utah State and had 15 points and 10 rebounds at CSU.
McFARLAND DOUBLES: Sophomore forward Jackie McFarland has 13 double-doubles this season, the fourth-best single-season mark in team history. She is just the second individual to achieve the feat as CU Hall of Famer Lisa Van Goor recorded the other three instances. McFarland, who currently ranks third in the Big 12 in double-doubles, has 18 for her career, which ties Sabrina Scott (1999-03) for fifth on CU's all-time list.
Speaking of doubles, McFarland has 18 career double-digit rebounding games, seventh on CU's all time list.
CLIMBING THE ?3' LADDER: Jasmina Ilic had four 3-point field goals against Northern Colorado to move into an eighth place tie with La Shena Graham (1994-98) on CU's career 3-point charts with 84.
Sophomore Yari Escalera is 13th with 50, junior Anna Nedovic is 15th with 47 while senior Whitney Law is 19th with 36.
BLOCK PARTY: Jackie McFarland is 11th on CU's all time list for blocked shots with 58. She has 34 this season -- 10 more than her freshman season total -- including a school-record tying eight in one game against South Dakota State on Dec. 28. Her 34 blocks are 18th on CU's single-season list and fourth-best single-season performance by a sophomore on the team charts.
GETTING TO THE LINE: Jackie McFarland has 135 free-throws made this season, ranking fifth on CU's single-season list. At her current pace of 5.2 free-throws made per game, she would break the school single-season record of 154 set by Bridget Turner in 1988-89. McFarland, shooting 80.8 percent from the line this season, has hit 40-of-44 (.909) over the last seven games.
FREE THROWS MADE SINGLE SEASON:
Player (Season) FTM
1. Bridget Turner (1988-89) 154
2. Bridget Turner (1987-88) 153
3. Mandy Nightingale (2000-01) 150
4. Erin Scholz (1995-96) 148
5. Jackie McFarland (2005-06) 135
6. Tera Bjorklund (2002-03) 134
7. Debbie Descano (1979-80) 128
8. Shelley Sheetz (1992-93) 123
9. Tera Bjorklund (2003-04) 120
10. Mandy Nightingale (2001-02) 119
Colorado is the top free-throw shooting team in the Big 12 at 74.6 percent, and ranks 22nd in the nation (through games of Feb. 13). CU has five players with 30 or more free throws made hitting 73 percent or better. Lauren Lubin leads the way at 82.1 percent followed by Yari Escalera (.819), McFarland (.808), Jasmina Ilic (.783) and Whitney Law (.736).
Through games of Feb 19, Colorado's 447 team free-throws made are more than six Big 12 teams have attempted for the season. The nearest team to CU in terms of free throws made is Baylor with 374. Colorado has attempted 599 free throws, 58 more than second place Oklahoma (541).
Colorado's season mark of 74.6 percent would rank the seventh-best in team history if the season ended today.
FT SUCCESS UNDER PRESSURE: Colorado's success at the free-throw line in 2005-06 increases as games draw closer to the final buzzer. The Buffaloes have shot 72.8 percent from the line in the first half (166-of-228) and that number grows by percentage, and quantity, in the second 20 minutes. CU has shot 76.2 percent (275-of-361) in the final 20 minutes of games this year.
CU's percentages climb even higher in the final minutes of games. The Buffs are hitting 76.6 percent in the final five minutes (118-of-154) and 77.6 percent (59-of-76) in the final two minutes. Jackie McFarland leads the way at 88.9 percent in the final five minutes (32-of-36) and 91.7 percent in the final two (11-of-12).
MILESTONES GALORE IN SEASON OPENER: Several milestones were reached in Colorado's season-opening 100-71 win over Cal State-Fullerton.
Junior Jasmina Ilic and sophomore Jackie McFarland each had 34 points, both career highs, marking the first time in team history two players hit the 30-point mark in the same game. McFarland recorded her sixth career double-double, grabbing a personal-high 15 rebounds. Ilic also had a personal-best 12 field goals and tied a career mark with 10 rebounds.
Whitney Law dished out a school record 15 assists, breaking the previous record of 14, which was done twice, last by La Shena Graham vs. Missouri in 1998. She also had nine assists in the first half, breaking a 26-year old school record. Sandy Bean recorded eight assists in a half against Northern Colorado on Feb. 1, 1979.
Colorado recorded its first 100 point game since a 114-52 win over St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 28, 1994. CU's 58 first-half points tied for the sixth-most in team history, a feat also achieved against TCU on Dec. 7, 1993 and vs. St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 28, 1994.
CLASSIC IN REVIEW: Colorado placed third in the 19th Annual Coors Classic Tournament Nov. 25-26 at the Coors Events Conference Center. The Buffaloes fell to Northern Iowa, 74-65, in overtime marking the first time in Coors Classic history that CU lost a first round match up. Colorado rebounded to take the consolation game from Utah State, 73-56. Northern Iowa would go on to take the tournament title by defeating Illinois 71-47.
Jackie McFarland was named to the All-Tournament team as she averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Northern Iowa senior center Cassie Hager, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against CU, was the tournament MVP.
RICHARDS WILL REDSHIRT: Sophomore center Kara Richards, who has not played in a regular season game this season due to a broken foot, will miss the remainder of the year and use this as her redshirt season CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced on Jan. 10.
Richards suffered a Jones fracture ? a fracture to the fifth meta-tarsal ? in her left foot on Nov. 15, just three day's before CU's season opening win over Cal State University-Fullerton. She underwent surgery on Nov. 16 and the initial diagnosis had her missing anywhere from four to eight weeks. Richards was in a cast until Dec. 28, and returned to light practice the next week, but was not making the progress needed to return to the line up in the near future as soreness from her injury continues.
Richards will be a sophomore in eligibility for the 2006-07 campaign. She did appear in CU's two exhibition games in November averaging 12 points and 6.5 rebounds.
A native of Graham, Texas, Richards started in 26 of 28 games for the Buffaloes as a true freshman last winter, averaging nine points, 5.3 rebounds and one block per game. She earned a spot on the Waco Tribune-Herald's All-Big 12 Conference Freshman team in 2004-05 and was named the Buffs' Rookie of the Year.
WALLACE ACTIVATED: Junior forward Courtney Wallace has waited more than a year to put on the Buffaloes uniform and now laces them up with the rest of the squad. Wallace, a walk-on transfer from CU-Colorado Springs, was officially added to the active roster on Nov. 17. Wallace practiced with the Buffs for most of last season as she sat out her NCAA mandated redshirted year after transferring from the Springs campus. She has been practicing and conditioning with the Buffaloes since the start of the school year. Wallace played two years for the Mountain Lions and was a two-year letterwinner for Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, graduating in 2004.
McCONNELL-MILLER 100 IN DEBUT: Kathy McConnell-Miller led Colorado to the century mark in her first game as head coach, by far the best total of any current Big 12 Conference coach in their debut at their school. Bill Fennelly of Iowa State was the closest as he led the Cyclones to an 82-55 win over Idaho State in his debut in 1995. Ironically, McConnell-Miller is not the first Colorado women's coach to debut with a 100-point performance. Sox Walseth led the Buffs to a 107-73 win over Colorado Women's College in his first game as women's head coach on Nov. 18, 1980. Here is the list of current Big 12 coaches and their first games:
Coach, School Opponent Date W/L Result
Kathy McConnell-Miller, Colorado Cal State Fullerton 11/18/05 W 100-71
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State Idaho State 11/24/95 W 82-55
Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech Abilene Christian 11/19/82 W 78-64
Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor Miami (Ohio) 11/18/00 W 75-62
Cindy Stein, Missouri Bradley 11/19/98 W 73-57
Jody Conradt, Texas McLennan CC 11/22/76 W 72-58
Kurt Budke, Oklahoma State Texas State 11/19/05 L 69-77
Deb Patterson, Kansas State Memphis 11/22/96 W 68-60
Connie Yori, Nebraska Grambling State 11/22/02 W 63-40
Sherri Coale, Oklahoma Oral Roberts 11/22/96 W 62-50
Gary Blair, Texas A&M La Salle 11/22/03 L 62-67
Bonnie Henrickson Texas-Arlington 11/21/04 L 49-53
BUFFS IN OPENERS: With its win over Cal State-Fullerton, Colorado moved to 27-5 (.844) all-time in season openers and a whopping 31-1 (.969) all-time in home openers. CU has won six straight season debuts and 19 of its last 20 with the lone loss in that span coming at Denver on Nov. 19, 1999.
BUFFS IN PRESEASON: With its win over Northern Colorado, CU wrapped up the non conference schedule with a 6-7 record, meaning the Buffaloes string of five straight seasons of .500 or better during non conference action has ended. It is only the third time CU has finished below .500 during the nonconference schedule in the Big 8/Big 12 era going 5-6 in 1999-2000 and 4-9 in 1984-85.
BUFFS PICKED 12TH: Colorado was picked to finish 12th in the annual Big 12 Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. CU received 14 points meaning no less than eight Big 12 coaches picked the Buffaloes to finish in the 12th spot (coaches do not vote for their own teams). It is the first time the Buffaloes have been picked lower than eighth since the coaches poll began in 1997. Defending NCAA champion Baylor was picked to win its second consecutive Big 12 title, landing six first place votes and 113 total points to edge out second place Texas with two first place nods and 110 points. Texas Tech was a close third with the four remaining first place votes and 108 points. Oklahoma was fourth (91), followed by Nebraska (70), Kansas (66), Texas A&M (59), Kansas State (56), Iowa State (45), Missouri (37), Oklahoma State (23) and CU.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Colorado's schedule has featured 14 games against 2005 NCAA or WNIT tournament teams. Oklahoma is the only ranked team CU has faced this year. The Sooners, who were ranked No. 16 in the coaches poll and No. 18 in the AP poll when the teams met in January, have climbed to No. 9 in both polls. Defending national champion Baylor, who the Buffs will face in Waco on Feb. 22, checks in at No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the coaches poll. Texas A&M, who was unranked when the teams met in January, is currently No. 23 in the coaches poll and No. 25 in the AP poll. Missouri is receiving votes in both polls while Texas and nonconference opponent South Florida are receiving votes in the coaches poll and Wyoming is receiving votes in the AP poll.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 295-87 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.772). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 18 of the previous 27 years including five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94). Colorado had a rare sub-.500 season last winter at 5-9, marking just the second time the Buffs have been below .500 for a season in the 27-year history of the CECC.
For the complete release, statistics and player notes click on the link below.