CU To Battle Nebraska In Big 12 First Round
THE TOURNAMENT: No. 11 seed University of Colorado (9-20) will open the 2006 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a first round game against No. 6 seed University of Nebraska (16-11) on Tuesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. MST, at Reunion Arena in Dallas.
BROADCAST: All Colorado Big 12 Championship games will broadcast live on KKZN 760AM with Tim Smile will handling play by play duties. Internet audio streaming of the game will be available through Yahoo! Sports.
OPENING TIPS: Some facts about Colorado and the Big 12 Championship:
Colorado is 7-8 in Big 12 Championship tournament games.
Colorado won the inaugural Big 12 Championship in 1997 as the No. 3 seed defeating No. 5 Kansas State, 55-54, in the championship game.
Colorado has five conference tournament titles in its history, four of which came in the old Big Eight Conference.
This is just the fifth time in the 10-year history of the Big 12 Championship Colorado is seeded lower than No. 5.
Colorado has never been the No. 11 seed. The Buffs were the No. 12 seed last season and the No. 10 seed in 2000.
Colorado is 2-2 in Big 12 Tournament first round games (seeded fifth or lower).
The No. 11 seed is 3-9 all-time in Big 12 Championship play.
Colorado will look to break a three game losing streak in Big 12 Championship play.
COLORADO BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY (7-8):
1997 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 56, Iowa State 39
Semifinals: Colorado 64, Texas 50
Championship: Colorado 54, Kansas State 44
1998 No. 8 Seed
First Round: Colorado 71, Oklahoma 66
Second Round: Texas Tech 81, Colorado 51
1999 No. 9 Seed
First Round: Kansas State 55, Colorado 51
2000 No. 10 Seed
First Round: Colorado 83, Missouri 68
Quarterfinals: Texas Tech 76, Colorado 60
2001 No. 4 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 83, Missouri 72
Semifinals: Oklahoma 102, Colorado 93
2002 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Iowa State 58, Colorado 56
2003 No. 4 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 73, Oklahoma 68
Semifinals: Texas 62, Colorado 47
2004 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Oklahoma 63, Colorado 56
2005 No. 12 Seed
First Round: Iowa State 64, Colorado 62
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado finished the regular season at 9-20, just the second time in school history the Buffaloes have recorded 20 or more losses. The 1984-85 Buffaloes finished 6-22 under Ceal Barry. CU has matched its win total from a year ago and had a one-game and one-place improvement in the league standings. CU finished in 11th place in the Big 12 at 3-13.
Sophomore Jackie McFarland leads Colorado in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg), just under a season-long double-double. McFarland has 14 games of 10-plus rebounds, the fifth-best, single-season performance in team history. Junior Jasmina Ilic is second in scoring (14.5 ppg) and leads CU with 51 3-point field goals. Ilic has eight games of 20-plus points including a Big 12 season-best 36 against Nebraska on Jan. 4. Junior Anna Nedovic has started all 29 games for the Buffaloes averaging 5.4 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.
CUGÇÖs back-court trio of senior Whitney Law and sophomores Lauren Lubin and Yari Escalera have put up some impressive numbers. Law has scored 47 points over the past two games and has ranked among the Big 12GÇÖs top 15 in assists and assist/turnover ratio all season. Escalera, the fourth-best foul shooter in the Big 12 at 81.9 percent, has scored in double digits in five of the last 11 games and has 23 3-pointers in the last 12. Lubin, who started 11-straight games before being sidelined with a mild concussion, has hit 43 percent of her 3-point attempts this season (12-of-28) and is fourth on the team in assists. Escalera (.819), McFarland (.804), Ilic (.792) and Law (.750) each rank among the top 10 free-throw shooters in the Big 12 for the leagueGÇÖs best free-throw shooting team (.742).
NOT JUST FRESHMAN ANYMORE: ColoradoGÇÖs freshman duo of forward Caley Dow and guard Hannah Skildum have played key roles off the bench this season. In CUGÇÖs 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 CUGÇÖs second-leading rebounder at 5.3 per game and ranked among the Big 12GÇÖs top 20 players in rebounding during league games. Skildum, averaging 3.7 points and three rebounds, has three games of double-digit points this season, all of them on the road against Big 12 teams.
LAST TIME OUT: Iowa State senior Brittany Wilkins had 22 points to lead the Cyclones to a come from behind 56-46 decision over Colorado on March 2, in the regular season finale for both teams.
Colorado led by six at halftime but Iowa State outscored the Buffs 39-23 in the second half. Wilkins had 16 of her 22 points in the second half and shot 10-of-18 for the game to lead the ISU charge.
Senior Whitney Law scored 18 points for the Buffaloes and Jackie McFarland added 13 for Colorado (9-20, 3-13 Big 12).
McFarland became the eighth player in Colorado history to score 500 points in a season when she hit a jump shot from the paint with 4:46 remaining in the game. The sophomore has 505 points, just 11 behind Isabelle Fijalkowski who scored 516 in the 1994-95 season.
Colorado held ISU guard Lyndsey Medders to just two points in the first half but the junior who averages 17 points per game scored 13 in the second stanza.
Iowa State came out of the lockerroom and in the first 6:51 of the second half outscored Colorado 11-3 to take their first lead of the game. The run got as big as 23-3, and the Buffs would get no closer than the 10 point deficit at the finale.
Colorado jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first 4:19 shooting 71 percent (5-7) from the field and limiting the Cyclones to just 29 percent (2-7) including 0-of-3 on 3-point shots. McFarland scored six of the Buffs first eight points then Law got hot and scored ColoradoGÇÖs next eight points.
After that hot start Colorado hit just 5-of-18 for the rest of the half but the defense still stayed tough. Although CU scored just two points in the final 8:56 of the half, the Buffs also held Iowa State to only four points and went into halftime with a 23-17 lead.
BUFFS TRIO NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12: Colorado seniors Whitney Law and Tami Garnett and sophomore Jackie McFarland have been selected to the 2006 Academic All-Big 12 Conference WomenGÇÖs Basketball first team, the league office announced March 1.
Law, a 5-foot-11 guard from Littleton, Colo., makes her second appearance on the Academic All-Big 12 first team. She ranks 10th in assists (3.8 apg) and 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) in the Big 12 and is ColoradoGÇÖs third leading scorer at 10.8 points per contest. Law, who graduated in May 2005 with a bachelorGÇÖs degree in kinesiology, is pursuing a second degree in psychology.
Garnett, a 6-3 center from Arlington, Texas, is an Academic All-Big 12 selection for the first time. She has seen action in 17 games this season recording 21 points and 17 rebounds. Garnett, who is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in business administration, helped Central Arizona College to a third place national finish in 2004 before enrolling at CU.
McFarland, a 6-3 forward from Derby, Kan., earns first team recognition in her first year eligible for the Academic Big 12 award. McFarland is averaging 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game to lead the Buffaloes. One of only four players in the Big 12 with 14 double-doubles in 2005-06, she ranks in the leagueGÇÖs top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and blocked shots. An accounting major, McFarland was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division WomenGÇÖs Basketball second team.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS: Nebraska is 16-11 overall and won four of its last five games to finish 8-8 in the Big 12, good for a sixth-place tie with Kansas State. The Huskers earned the sixth seed over the Wildcats due to a better divisional record (7-3 vs. 6-4). The HuskersGÇÖ lone loss during that span was at Big 12 regular season champion Oklahoma, 73-45 on Feb. 26. Nebraska is coming off an impressive 75-62 road win against Missouri on March 1. Junior guard Kiera Hardy, a 2005 All-Big 12 selection who had 28 points against Missouri, leads Nebraska and ranks seventh in the conference in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Hardy leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals (2.5 3pg) and ranks fourth in steals (1.9 spg). Hardy is complimented by freshman forward Kelsey Griffin, who is having a strong debut for the Huskers. Griffin, a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week, is second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), leads the Huskers in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and ranks fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage (.549). Nebraska ranks second in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage -- right behind Colorado -- at 73.8 percent. The Huskers own the second-best turnover margin in the Big 12 (+4.9).
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 59th meeting between Colorado and Nebraska with the Buffaloes holding a commanding 38-20 lead in the series. TuesdayGÇÖs game will tie the Missouri series as the most played in CU history. The 38 wins CU owns over the Huskers are the most the Buffaloes own over any one opponent. Nebraska has won three of the last four meetings, including both this season giving the HuskersGÇÖ their first regular season series sweep over the Buffaloes since the 1983-84 season. TuesdayGÇÖs game will be the first meeting between Colorado and Nebraska in Big 12 Championship play and the first postseason tournament meeting since a 77-67 Buffaloes win in the semifinals of the 1994 Big Eight Tournament. Colorado is 3-0 against Nebraska in postseason tournament action, 2-0 on a neutral floor (the teams played in a first round Big Eight game in Boulder in 1986, a 96-90 CU win). Prior to the formation of the Big Eight postseason tournament in 1983, the teams split in a pair of mid-season Big Eight Tournament games.
COLORADO-NEBRASKA CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GAMES:
Date Event Result
3/6/94 Big Eight Semifinals W, 77-67 (N)
3/8/92 Big Eight Semifinals W, 74-66 (N)
3/4/86 Big Eight Quarterfinals W, 96-90 (H)
*1/17/80 Big Eight Quarterfinals W, 85-70 (N)
*1/6/78 Big Eight Consolation Semis L, 61-63 (A)
*Mid-season Tournaments
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 0-2 against Nebraska as a head coach.
No. 100 FOR McCONNELL-MILLER: Kathy McConnell-Miller recorded career win No. 100 as a head coach with CUGÇÖs 73-62 win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 26. McConnell-Miller, now 100-108 overall in her seventh season, also recorded career win No. 1 against Oklahoma State while with Tulsa in 1999.
SOUTHERN DROUGHT GONE: Colorado snapped a 13-game losing streak against Big 12 Southern Division opponents with its win over Oklahoma State. CUGÇÖs previous win over a Big 12 South team had also come against OSU, a 72-57 decision in Boulder on Feb. 21, 2004.
RARE LATE BREAK FROM CONFERENCE ACTION: CUGÇÖs 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.
RECORD NIGHT FROM ?3GÇÖ: 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 IlicGÇÖs 36 point performance against Nebraska is the best individual total in the Big 12 Conference this year and third on CUGÇÖs 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 CUGÇÖs season-opening win over Cal State-Fullerton.
McFARLAND SCORING AND REBOUNDING: Jackie McFarland
scored 13 points at Iowa State on March 2 to become the eighth player in CU history with 500 points in one season. She needs 12 more points to pass Isabelle Fijalkowski, who had 516 in the 1994-95 campaign, for seventh place on the single-season list. McFarland leads Colorado in scoring at 17.4 points per game and her current average would place her seventh in school history. She is the first player in CU womenGÇÖs basketball history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds over the first seven games of a season.
CU SINGLE SEASON SCORING LEADERS:
Name Season Points
1. Lisa Van Goor (36 games) 1981-82 678
2. Jamillah Lang (32 games) 1993-94 615
3. Lisa Van Goor (33 games) 1980-81 610
4. Tera Bjorklund (32 games) 2002-03 592
5. Erin Scholz (35 games) 1995-96 544
6. Tera Bjorklund (30 games) 2003-04 542
7. Isabelle Fijalkowski (32 games) 1994-95 516
8. Jackie McFarland (29 games) 2005-06 505
9. Diane Hiemstra (28 games) 1983-84 493
10. Lisa Van Goor (29 games) 1982-83 492
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. Diane Hiemstra (28 games) 1983-84 17.6
7. Jackie McFarland (29 games) 2005-06 17.4
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
McFarlandGÇÖs 269 rebounds ranks 12th on CUGÇÖs single-season list, needing seven more to break the into the top 10. Her season averge of 9.3 would rank eighth if the season ended today.
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
8. Jackie McFarland (29 games) 2005-06 9.3
10. Erin Scholz (32 games) 1993-94 8.7
McFARLAND JOINS 500-250-50 CLUB: Jackie McFarland is just the second player in team history to record 500 points, 250 rebounds and 50 assists in one season. She has joined Erin Scholz who had 544 points, 279 rebounds and 80 assists in 1995-96. She is 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 14 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 19 for her career, which ties Britt Hartshorn (1998-02) on CUGÇÖs all-time list.
Speaking of doubles, McFarland has 19 career double-digit rebounding games, seventh on CUGÇÖs all time list.
CLIMBING THE ?3GÇÖ LADDER: Jasmina Ilic had one 3-point field goal at Iowa State to move her season total to 51 which ties three others for the 15th best single-season mark in team history. She is CUGÇÖs active leader in 3-point field goals and ranks eighth on the BuffsGÇÖ career chart with 90.
Sophomore Yari Escalera is12th on the career list with 53, junior Anna Nedovic is 15th with 47, while senior Whitney Law is 19th with 38.
BLOCK PARTY: Jackie McFarland is ninth on CUGÇÖs all time list for blocked shots with 65. She has 41 this season -- 17 more than her freshman season total -- including a school-record tying eight in one game against South Dakota State on Dec. 28. Her 41 blocks ties Patty Slighter (1983-84) for 12th on CUGÇÖs single-season list.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION: Jackie McFarland is having one of the top sophomore seasons in team history. Her 505 points as a sophomore trails only Lisa Van Goor who scored an overall school record 678 in 1981-82. McFarlandGÇÖs 41 blocked shots and 269 rebounds rank third on the CU sophomore charts.
GETTING TO THE LINE: Jackie McFarland has 144 free-throws made this season, ranking fifth on CUGÇÖs single-season list. She needs 11 more free throws to break the school single-season record of 154 set by Bridget Turner in 1988-89. McFarland, shooting 80 percent from the line this season, has hit 49-of-56 (.875) over the last 10 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) 144
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 74.2 percent, and ranks 30th in the nation (through games of Feb. 27). CU has five players with 30 or more free throws made hitting 75 percent or better. Yari Escalera leads the way at 81.9 percent followed by McFarland (.804), Jasmina Ilic (.792), Lauren Lubin (.780) and Whitney Law (.750).
ColoradoGÇÖs 480 team free-throws made are more than five Big 12 teams have attempted for the season. The nearest team to CU in terms of free throws made is Baylor with 438. Colorado has attempted 647 free throws, 27 more than second place Baylor.
ColoradoGÇÖs season mark of 74.2 percent would rank the eighth-best in team history if the season ended today.
FT SUCCESS UNDER PRESSURE: ColoradoGÇÖs success at the free-throw line in 2005-06 increases as games draw closer to the final buzzer. The Buffaloes have shot 70.9 percent from the line in the first half (173-of-244) and that number grows by percentage, and quantity, in the second 20 minutes. CU has shot 76.6 percent (301-of-393) in the final 20 minutes of games this year.
In the final five minutes of games, the Buffs are hitting 76.6 percent (131-of-171) and 77.1 percent (64-of-83) in the final two minutes. Jackie McFarland leads the way at 87.2 percent in the final five minutes (34-of-39) and 85.7 percent in the final two (12-of-14).
MILESTONES GALORE IN SEASON OPENER: Several milestones were reached in ColoradoGÇÖs 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. CUGÇÖs 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 dayGÇÖs before CUGÇÖs 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 CUGÇÖs 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-HeraldGÇÖs All-Big 12 Conference Freshman team in 2004-05 and was named the BuffsGÇÖ 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 womenGÇÖs coach to debut with a 100-point performance. Sox Walseth led the Buffs to a 107-73 win over Colorado WomenGÇÖs College in his first game as womenGÇÖs 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: ColoradoGÇÖs schedule has featured 14 games against 2005 NCAA or WNIT tournament teams. Oklahoma, who was ranked No. 16 in the coaches poll and No. 18 in the AP poll against CU in January, has climbed to No. 8 in the coaches poll and No. 9 in the AP poll. Defending national champion Baylor checks in at No. 10 in both polls. Texas A&M, who was unranked when the teams met in January, is currently No. 25 in the AP poll and just outside the top 25 in the coaches poll. Missouri and Wyoming are receiving votes in both polls.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 296-87 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.773). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 18 of the previous 28 years including five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94). At 7-9, CU finished its home season with a below .500 mark for just the third time in the 28-year history of the CECC.
For the complete release, statistics and player notes click below.