There are a lot of reasons why the Colorado women’s basketball team moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings this week.
This is a program that has been developing for years and currently has a veteran roster that plays dynamic offense to go with a stellar defense.
The Buffs (4-0) are well aware, however, that one of the main reasons they are ranked so high is because a lot of really good teams have lost. As they prepare for the challenge of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week, they’ve got that knowledge in the back of their minds.
“Itap a great reminder that anyone can lose,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “We talked before the SMU game (last Saturday) about the ranking doesn’t necessarily mean a lot to us, but it does mean a lot to everyone that plays against you. It doesn’t make them all of a sudden superhuman from the 3-point line, but it heightens their focus, it heightens their intensity, it heightens their desire to win every possession, so we have to be aware that ours also has to be heightened to match that.
“We’ve been in that position for years, so we understand it as well as anybody.”
In fact, the Buffs were in that position on opening night. They came into the year ranked No. 20, but upset top-ranked LSU, 92-78.
The college basketball season is only about 15 days old, but 10 of the top 12 teams in the Associated Press preseason poll have already lost, including four of the top five. And UCLA (No. 4 in the preseason, now No. 2) barely escaped against unranked Princeton.
“That can be us at any given day if we don’t do our best,” guard Frida Formann said.
This weekend will be CU’s biggest challenge of the season to date, with three Power Five conference opponents in three days. The Buffs face Cincinnati (2-1) on Thursday, Kentucky (2-2) on Friday and No. 10 North Carolina State (4-0) on Saturday. NC State began the year unranked, but has a win over preseason No. 2 Connecticut already.
“We’re gonna face a team that beat the No. 2 team in the country and we’re gonna face these other Power Five teams, and we know that every single Power Five team and (every) team that we play is capable,” Formann said. “You see ranked teams lose to unranked teams. Itap just a number, you know? But it makes it super exciting for fans and for us, too, because the landscape is just so competitive this year.”
That competitiveness is what gets Payne excited and why she and her staff put together such a difficult schedule early in the season. It won’t be easy to come out of this week with a perfect record intact, but at the very least, the Buffs will get a much-needed test.
“I think itap a huge challenge,” Payne said. “I think itap a huge challenge for all four teams that are going because anytime you’re playing three Power Five teams in three days – well, three anybody in three days; even three days of practice is difficult sometimes to focus and push through when itap intense. So, itap a great challenge for our team. We love to be challenged. We wanted the schedule that we built and so we’re actually really looking forward to it.”
As good as the Buffs have looked to this point in the season, they’re not a polished product. Formann said the team is working a lot on ball screen defense and creating more opportunities for various players offensively. Payne said she wants to see more consistency, especially with the Buffs missing too many layups.
“We just have to be able to really do what we’re supposed to do every single night,” Payne said.
The quest to get better will continue during the Paradise Jam, but the Buffs will also take some time to enjoy being in a tropical location that allows them to go to the beach, go on a boat tour and other fun things off the court.
“Itap just great that there’s some experiences outside of basketball,” Formann said, “because if you go somewhere and you’re just in the gym and thatap all there is to do, then you get kind of crazy. I think itap good that there’s something else to do and we can kind of enjoy that as well.”
No. 3 CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
TIPOFF: Thursday, 11 a.m. MT, University of Virgin Islands Eldridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/630 AM
RECORDS: Colorado 4-0, 0-0 Pac-12; Cincinnati 2-1, 0-0 Big 12
COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 8th season (123-93; 224-206 career). Cincinnati — Katrina Merriweather, 1st season (2-1; 153-71 career).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Sr. (15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 spg, .463 FG%, .414 3PT%, 1.000 FT%); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.8 apg, 2.8 spg, .486 FG%); G Sara-Rose Smith, 6-1, Sr. (6.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .668 FG%); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, Jr. (19.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, .717 FG%); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, .476 FG%). Cincinnati — F Jillian Hayes, 6-1, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, .519 FG%); G Mya Jackson, 5-7, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg; .533 3PT%); G Braylyn Milton, 5-11, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 3.0 apg); C Destiny Thomas, 6-4, So. (8.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg; .727 FG%); F Malea Williams, 6-4, Sr. (8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg).
NOTES: Colorado is seeking a 5-0 start for the fifth time in Payne’s eight seasons in Boulder. … In Payne’s tenure, the Buffs are 67-7 in regular season, nonconference games, including 21-5 away from Boulder. … The Buffs and Bearcats have never met in women’s basketball. … CU and Cincinnati will be Big 12 rivals a year from now. Cincinnati is in its first season in the Big 12 and CU will join it next summer. … Merriweather, a Cincinnati alum, was the head coach at Memphis the past two seasons. She led Memphis to a 22-11 record last year. Prior to Memphis, she was the head coach at Wright State for five years. … Hayes has 14 career double-doubles, including one this year. … The Bearcats were picked to finish 13th in the 14-team Big 12 in a preseason poll of coaches. … There are eight teams at the Paradise Jam, but they are separated into two pools of four. The other pool features Arizona State, High Point, South Florida and Texas.
