It was in Las Vegas that the Colorado women’s basketball team delivered a message to the nation that it was going to be a force this season.
Exactly four months later, the Buffaloes are back in Las Vegas, hoping to send a reminder to the nation – and themselves – that they are still one of the elite teams.
On Wednesday, the 18th-ranked Buffs will face Oregon in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Itap not the same venue, but not far from where CU stunned and dominated defending national champion and then-No. 1 LSU, 92-78, on Nov. 6 in the season opener.
“Hopefully we can kind of recreate what we had there and that confidence that we were playing with,” senior guard Maddie Nolan said.
Ranked No. 20 going into that game against LSU, the Buffs certainly weren’t expected to beat the mighty Tigers. They actually controlled the entire game, however, and that result propelled them to No. 5 in the next week’s rankings. It also set the tone for a 20-3 start that kept CU in the top eight of the national rankings for 14 consecutive weeks.
Having lost five of its last six games, however, CU has dropped in the rankings four weeks in a row. And, the Buffs come into Vegas as underdogs once again – not against Oregon, but in terms of winning this week’s tournament.
“We know that losing five out of six games is not us,” senior Quay Miller said. “I think that if anything that just put that chip back on our shoulder that (associate head coach Toriano Towns) has been talking about that we’ve been missing.”
Regular season champion and No. 2-ranked Stanford is the favorite, as usual. But, red-hot No. 5 USC, in the top five for the first time in 30 years; rock steady UCLA (ranked No. 7); and resurgent Oregon State (No. 13) are also among the top four seeds and they come in with much more momentum than the Buffs. Even sixth-seeded Utah (No. 22) finished stronger than CU.
During the past couple of seasons, however, CU has thrived in the underdog role.
“I felt like people were waiting for us to lose so they can be like, ‘Colorado wasn’t meant to be in that position anyways,’” Miller said. “But I think for us, we play better when people say those things about us. … We like when no one talks about us. We like being the underdog and I think that we work best when we are underdogs.”
If Monday’s practice in Boulder is any indication, this could be a good week for the Buffs. Just two days after a surprising and crushing 72-63 loss to Washington State in the home finale, CU hit the court on Monday with a renewed fire.
“We were so focused, so much energy,” head coach JR Payne said. “It was awesome, so I think we feel really good. We’ve got sort of a mission in mind (this week) and just excited to play again.”
From the moment CU lost to Iowa in the Sweet 16 on March 24, 2023, to end a sensational run, the mission has been to get back and go further. Not that anyone overlooked the regular season, but Payne senses her veteran club having a different mindset with the postseason now here.
“I really do,” she said. “I think we did a good job of that from two years ago to last year of really just trying to learn from mistakes and be better in the postseason. I think we’ll do the same thing again this year.”
The first step in that is beating Oregon. The Ducks finished last in the Pac-12 and have lost 13 in a row, which includes two losses to the Buffs. CU dominated the last meeting, 90-57, on Feb. 9 in Boulder.
Beat Oregon again and CU will get a rematch with Oregon State, but Payne isn’t worried about her team looking ahead.
“I don’t think anybody on the team or in the program will overlook anybody,” Payne said. “We’re too smart for that. We’re too veteran for that. But definitely, we just want to come out and play well.”
The Buffs did that the last time they were in Vegas and they’re hoping to do so again this week.
“We’re just ready to pick it back up and make a big run,” junior Aaronette Vonleh said. “We’ve been kind of in a slump with the losses we’ve had, but like this is the time where it matters the most.”
No. 18 CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. Oregon Ducks
TIPOFF: Wednesday, 1 p.m. MT, MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network/630 AM
RECORDS: Colorado 21-8 (11-7 Pac-12); Oregon 11-20 (2-16 Pac-12)
COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 8th season (140-101; 241-214 career). Oregon — Kelly Graves, 11th season (223-110; 605-273 career).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Sr. (12.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg, .440 FG%, .415 3PT%, .931 FT%); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (9.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, .333 3PT%); G Maddie Nolan, 5-11, Sr. (6.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .459 3PT%); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2.1 spg, .443 FG%); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, Jr. (14.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .566 FG%); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, Jr. (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 spg, .467 FG%). Oregon — F Kennedy Basham, 6-7, So. (4.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg); G Chance Gray, 5-9, So. (14.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, .347 3PT%); C Phillipina Kyei, 6-8, Jr. (12.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 bpg, .525 FG%); F Grace VanSlooten, 6-3, So. (15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.7 apg).
NOTES: Fifth-seeded CU and 12th-seeded Oregon will kick off the 13th and final Pac-12 tournament. … No. 5 seeds are 10-2 against No. 12s. The only upsets by No. 12 seeds came in 2012 (Arizona) and 2020 (California). … CU is 9-12 all-time at the Pac-12 Tournament while Oregon is 12-10, winning titles in 2018 and 2020. … This will be CU’s 75th all-time game in a conference tournament, dating back to the Big Eight and Big 12 days. The Buffs are 38-36 with five championships (1989, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997). … Oregon leads the series with CU 19-12, but the Buffs have won the last four meetings, including twice this season. … CU has defeated a Pac-12 opponent three times in the same season only once before (UCLA in 2013-14). … Both teams are limping into Las Vegas. Oregon has lost 13 in a row and CU is 1-5 in its last six games. … CU is 17-1 against unranked teams this season. Oregon is 0-12 against top 25 ranked opponents. … As of Monday, CU was No. 19 in the NET rankings, while Oregon is No. 95.
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