BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball team is in the midst of a season to remember.
As of the writing of this article, they sit at the top of the Pac-12 for the first time all season, after their electrifying win on Sunday over No. 8 Stanford extended their win streak to open conference play to five games.
In the latest Associated Press poll released Monday, CU reached No. 3 for the second time this season, trailing just behind undefeated South Carolina and a Caitlin Clark-led Iowa team on a 15-game win streak. The Buffs hold their own win streak of nine, having not lost since the third day of a back-to-back-to-back against now No. 4-ranked NC State on Nov. 25.
But now, CU's biggest test of the regular season, at least so far, lies ahead.
On Friday at 6 p.m. MT, they take on the No. 5-ranked UCLA Bruins. The game will be the first top-five matchup in the history of the program, both in regular and postseason match-ups.
Then on Sunday at 2 p.m. MT, Colorado will face the team that just handed the Bruins their first loss of the season this past Sunday: the No. 6-ranked USC Trojans.
Both games will take place at the CU Events Center, where the Buffs have dominated and attendance records continue to be shattered. 9,111 fans attended Sunday's game against Stanford, the ninth-largest crowd in the history of the program.
A claiming process for student tickets, usually reserved for football and men's basketball, is being introduced for this upcoming weekend's games, also for the first time in program history. After decades of underappreciation, the women's team finally no longer needs any incentive to attract the attention of the masses.
The black and gold is as red-hot as ever, with a 15-1 overall record. But how will they fare against the 14-1 Bruins and 13-1 Trojans?
Personnel-wise, CU will have to deal with an array of weapons Friday night against UCLA, then turn around and place a majority of their focus on containing one single player on Sunday against USC.
The Bruins have arguably the most well-balanced offensive attack in the country, with five players averaging 11.5 points or more per game this season. As a team, they average 84.8 points a night, 10th-most in the nation.
Leading the charge is sophomore center Lauren Betts, who averages 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game while converting an impressive 71.2% of her field goal attempts.
Betts should provide one of the most fun to watch match-ups all season for Buffs' center Aaronette Vonleh, who has already gone toe-to-toe with some of the nation's best frontcourt players in Angel Reese, Alissa Pili, and Cameron Brink.
UCLA's backcourt of Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice will also provide a tough challenge on both ends for CU's guard rotation of Jaylyn Sherrod, Maddie Nolan, Kindyll Wetta, and Tameiya Sadler. Osborne and Rice both average almost two steals per game and provide a potent combination of playmaking, outside shooting, and shot creation.
Londynn Jones, Gabriela Jaquez, and Angela Dugalic provide UCLA with size and a scoring punch of their own to force CU's defense not to take much attention off of any one Bruin on the court at any point.
One must-have area where head coach JR Payne's squad will have to win or at least stay competitive in order to take a victory from the Bruins is rebounding.
The Bruins average 45.3 rebounds a game, 11th-best in the country and eighth-best among Power 5 schools. Colorado has struggled on the boards since senior forward Sara-Rose Smith suffered a mild concussion against Arizona State and missed the past two contests.
Smith has averaged 9.0 rebounds per game since the start of conference play, 5.4 per game overall. She is quickly becoming one of CU's most valuable bench contributors since her transfer from Missouri this past offseason, and her presence will be direly needed against the Bruins.
Even though losing the rebound battle has not cost the Buffs their games against California and Stanford in Smith's absence, this discrepancy is not sustainable, especially against a team like UCLA.
The Bruins are also coming off their first loss of the season, so a mental component could also come into play Friday night. They were ranked at No. 2 in the country until their loss to USC dropped their ranking below CU's.
Speaking of USC, their clash with the black and gold on Sunday will be a critical test to see if the electric talent of freshman guard JuJu Watkins can be contained.
Watkins has sky-rocketed with the Trojans to become one of women's college basketball's brightest stars in just a few months of experience. Her 26.5 point per game average ranks second in the country, with only future No. 1 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark (31.0) averaging more.
Her scoring ability is also complimented well by her excellent hands and IQ, averaging 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals a game. These layers to her game make her a game-breaking type of talent that CU will have a handful with
She has been held under 27 points in a game just four times in her first 14 collegiate appearances, as well as already notching six 30-point performances.
The Buffs will have to dedicate a team effort in order to slow down Watkins, with a point of emphasis likely being to avoid fouling her. While she averages a staggering 20.7 field goal attempts per game, she has a 7.5 free throw attempt per game average as well. She makes 82.7% of these freebies, making her a threat to draw fouls if double-teams or traps come her way.
Overall, if Colorado wants to come out on top of what will be one of the toughest, yet most highly-anticipated weekends of basketball in the program's history, they will have to do what they have done best all season long: win in different ways.
Maybe Sherrod could take over like she did against Utah, who has established herself as arguably a top-three point guard in the country this season. Maybe Vonleh can grind out buckets in the paint and control either contest's tempo. Maybe Quay Miller can continue her strong play on the interior since the start of Pac-12 play.
Maybe Frida Formann could break out of her brief recent slump and scorch earth from three-point range, or role players like Nolan, Wetta, Smith, or Sadler become the x-factor. Maybe the altitude that has helped the Buffs dominate the closing minutes and go on catalytic runs in so many of their games could be the deciding factor. Maybe it could be a combination of any of these.
History continues to be made by head coach JR Payne's group, quickly developing into a juggernaut among the elite of college basketball. Whatever the results may be, Colorado is set for a high-profile, high-stakes weekend of hoops that may be a precursor to just how deep this team can play into the month of March.
To reiterate, tip-off against No. 5 UCLA is set for 6 p.m. MT on Friday night, while the No. 6 USC game will tip at 2 p.m. MT on Sunday. Both games will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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