Colorado women’s basketball coach JR Payne went to Kansas City, Missouri, last week nervous about her team’s chances of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Following two straight losses to close the regular season, CU was barely hanging on to a tournament spot in projections by ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme.
Despite a crushing loss on Saturday night in the Big 12 semifinals, Payne left Kansas City feeling confident about the Buffaloes’ resume.
CU (22-11) went 2-1 during the Big 12 tournament at T-Mobile Center, defeating a fellow bubble team in Kansas, rolling past No. 3 seed and 20th-ranked Baylor, and then narrowly losing to second-seeded and No. 15 West Virginia, 48-47, in the semifinals. West Virginia would go on to win the Big 12 title on Sunday, beating top-seeded TCU.
Now, Creme has CU projected as one of the last four byes, a much stronger position than a week ago. He has them projected as a No. 10 seed.
“Oh yeah, of course,” Payne said of feeling better about her team’s chances of getting in. “I mean, I don’t think there’s any question that we have earned the right to dance, so to speak.”
Since the 1999-2000 season, 372 of 376 Power Four conference teams (98.9%) that won at least 11 regular season conference games made it to the NCAA Tournament. Three of those four struggled down the stretch of the regular season and then lost in their conference tournament opener.
CU (22-11 overall) went 11-7 in Big 12 play, 2-1 in the conference tournament and 10-4 in its last 14 games.
The Buffs also defeated four Associated Press Top 25 teams this season, including No. 20 Baylor in Friday’s quarterfinals. They went down to the wire – twice – with West Virginia.
“That team is deserving,” West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg said after Saturday’s game. “JR is one of the best coaches in the country. She does a phenomenal job. She’s been in that situation before. So much respect to that group, and certainly would hope to see their name called (for the tournament).”
Conference power
Creme has seven Big 12 teams projected as firmly in the tournament, including CU, with Arizona State as an eighth team, among the “last four in.”
Listed as the first two out are BYU and Utah, while Kansas State – despite an 18-17 record – put itself on the bubble with a run to the conference semifinals. Kansas (19-13) was on the bubble a week ago before losing to CU in the second round.
Coaches around the conference felt several teams stated their NCAA Tournament cases in Kansas City.
“I think it shows, obviously, the parity, but the league has been fantastic,” Kellogg said. “Our league has earned the right to probably have more teams in than some of the projections. We had a much better nonconference than we even had a year ago, and so I think we should be reaping some of those benefits.”
Colorado pride
Big 12 rosters feature seven players who went to high school in Colorado, including Cherry Creek graduate Jana Van Gytenbeek, the starting point guard at Baylor.
Grandview graduate Marya Hudgins has been a key player for BYU this season, although she didn’t participate in the tournament because of a foot injury. Still, Hudgins has pride in coming from Colorado.
“Itap so awesome,” she said of having so many players in the Big 12 from Colorado. “I think itap really cool to kind of find a community within the state. Obviously I’m not born and raised in Colorado. I moved there my sophomore year of high school, but itap just been really cool to move into that state and kind of make a name for myself. And now just being in college, there’ so many girls who look up to us. So it’s just so awesome.”
In addition to Van Gytenbeek and Hudgins, Colorado players include Cincinnati’s Ramiyah Byrd (Vanguard); Kansas’ Tatyonna Brown (Air Academy); Oklahoma State’s Macey Huard (Valor Christian); and Utah’s Samantha Crispe (Arapahoe) and Evelina Otto (Denver East).
