Exhibition, Tip-Off Festival Usher In Basketball Season

THE GAME: The University of Colorado will play its lone exhibition game of the 2010-11 season by hosting Western State (Colo.) College on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.

BROADCAST: Video of Friday's game will be streamed live on BuffsTV, a subscription service through CUBuffs.com. Friday's game will not be broadcast on radio.

2010 Basketball Tip-Off Festival: Come join CU's men's and women's basketball coaches, Tad Boyle and Linda Lappe on Sunday, Nov. 7 from 2-4 p.m. at the Coors Events Center. The festival features CU's basketball teams, Chip the mascot and the CU cheer squad, interactive stations for kids, Chalk-Talk with Coach Boyle and Coach Lappe, giveaways, games and fun, ALL FOR FREE! Parking available in garage just north of arena. Please RSVP to Marcus Lara at: buffclub@cufund.org or (303) 492-3213.

SEASON PREVIEW: Since Linda Lappe returned to the University of Colorado as head women's basketball coach this past April, she's been preaching fundamentals, discipline and communication to her new team. After all those were traits instilled in her as a player for the Buffaloes from 1998-2003, an impressive ride that culminated with three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2002 Elite Eight.

Lappe, who amassed a 50-36 record in three seasons as head coach at Metro State (Colo.) before returning to her alma mater, welcomes in eight returnees, including three starters from the 2009-10 season, and four newcomers.

Senior forward Brittany Spears, who has started all 93 career games, has led Colorado in scoring and rebounding the last two seasons. She is coming off a junior campaign in which she averaged 17.7 points and 7.8 rebounds, earning honorable mention to the 2010 All-Big 12 Conference team. One of only six players in CU history to record 1,500 points and 700 career rebounds, Spears is sixth in 3-point field-goals made (156) and attempted (464), seventh in blocked shots (116), ninth in scoring (1,533), rebounds (720) and steals (176), 10th in field-goals made (557) and 16th in free-throws made (260) on CU's all-time charts.

A pair of sophomores who had solid first-year campaigns return in guard Chucky Jeffery and forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck. Jeffery topped the Buffaloes in assists as a true freshman in 2009-10 while averaging 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Jeffery also played solid defense, leading all Big 12 freshman in steals with two per outing, and ranking fourth overall on the league charts. Malcolm-Peck pitched in 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and was CU's top shot blocker with 34 in her initial season.

Colorado lost a lot of scoring from its backcourt, most notably with the graduation of Bianca Smith, who averaged nearly 13 points per game in 2009-10 and is CU's all-time leader in 3-point field goals. The Buffaloes will look to a balance of upperclassmen with minimal playing experience and newcomers to fill that void.

The senior back-court duo of Britney Blythe and Chelsea Dale have worked limited minutes for much of their three years, but have shown glimpses of what they can do between the lines. Dale, a sharp-shooting off guard, played in a career-best 23 games in 2009-10, hitting on 50 percent from the field, including 6-of-10 from downtown. Blythe, a natural point guard, appeared in only 10 games last year, but has starting experience, getting the opening call in 15 of 27 games as a sophomore in 2008-09, most of those starts logged during Big 12 play.

Newcomers in the back court will include 5-foot-8 twin sisters Ashley and Brittany Wilson whose prep resumes rank up with some of the best in the nation. The Wilson's teamed up for national prep powerhouse Long Beach Poly High School, compiling a four-year record of 131-9 which included three-straight California Division I-AA state titles and a runner up finish in 2010.

Spears will play a prominent role on the front line, but expects to get help from a pair of local products, one new and one returning. Freshman forward Shae Kelley hopes to continue her own personal Coors Events Center magic. Kelley was the Denver Post's 2010 Ms. Colorado Basketball after leading Denver East to its first state title, on CU's home floor last March. Brenna Malcolm-Peck, Meagan's twin sister, will hope to return from an injury plagued freshman season to contribute minutes. Malcom-Peck, at 6-2, can stretch the floor with her outside shot and also help out on the boards.

Down on the block, junior Julie Seabrook has the most playing experience, seeing action in 51 games over her first two seasons. The 6-3 forward averaged just over six minutes a game in 2010, connecting on 52 percent of her field goal attempts (11-of-21). The tallest player in Colorado women's basketball history, 6-7 center Melissa MacFarlane returns for her sophomore season, after playing in 18 games in 2010 against some of the best post players in the country.

Freshman Rachel Hargis, who is Lappe's first recruit as she signed this past May, will join the mix down low. A 6-4 center from Robinson, Texas, she led Robinson High School to the 2009 Texas Class 3A state title as was the tournament MVP.

Colorado will open the regular season by hosting Regis (Colo.) University on Nov. 12. The Buffaloes will play 10 of 13 nonconference games at home, including match-ups with Illinois (Dec. 4) and Colorado State (Dec. 8). For the 24th straight year, CU will host a tournament over Thanksgiving weekend as Evansville, Loyola-Chicago and Eastern Washington come to Boulder for the Omni Hotels Classic, Nov. 26-27.

CU will begin its final season as a member of the Big 12 on Saturday, Jan. 8, at Texas A&M and its home conference opener will be Wednesday, Jan. 12, against Kansas. The Buffaloes will join the Pac-10 Conference for the 2011-12 season, and will get an early taste of their new digs, traveling to play at USC's Tournament, Dec. 18-19.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAINEERS: Western State is an NCAA Division II school located in Gunnison, Colo., and competes in the prestigious Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, a league Colorado was once part of during the first half of the 20th century. Western State is coming off an 11-17 season, finishing fourth in the Western Division of the RMAC at 9-10. The Mountaineers were picked to finish eighth overall in the 14-team conference this season by a vote of league coaches.

Junior guard Brook Pendergraft is Western State's top returning scorer as she averaged 13.8 points per game last season. She was selected to the 2010-11 Preseason All-RMAC team, and was a post season third team all-league pick in 2009-10. Sophomore guard Katie Hall returns as the Mountaineers' top rebounder with 8.5 per contest while she also scored 8.2 per outing.

BUFFS IN EXHIBITION: Colorado returns to exhibition play after a one year hiatus. The Buffaloes played at least one exhibition game in 12 straight seasons (1997-08), before chosing not to hold one in 2009. CU's exhibition games have featured a mix of NCAA II schools, foreign teams and traveling all-star teams. The Buffaloes are a perfect 20-0 in those contests, outscoring their opponents by 30 points per game (86.0 to 56.0). CU's closest exhibition contest came in 1997, a 77-72 win over Athletes in Action. Colorado's last exhibition was an 86-44 decision over Regis (Colo.) University on Nov. 9, 2008. Colorado will meet Regis in its official season opener on Friday, Nov. 12.

Colorado has never played Western State in women's basketball in exhibition or in the regular season.

FAMILIAR FACES: Colorado's sophomore twins Brenna and Meagan Malcolm-Peck were Horizon High School teammates of Western State junior guard Nikki Trujillo. CU head coach Linda Lappe coached against the Mountaineers the last three seasons while she was the head coach of RMAC rival Metro State. Sophomore guard Chucky Jeffery, a Sierra High School grad, played club basketball in the Colorado Springs area with Western State guard Skyler Johnson who hails from Mitchell High School.

BUFFS PICKED 12TH, SPEARS MENTIONED: Colorado was picked to finish 12th in the annual Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll while senior guard/forward Brittany Spears recieved honorable mention to the Preseason All-Big 12 team.

2010 NCAA Women's Final Four participant Baylor was chosen as the preseason favorite for the second consecutive year earning 121 points and 11 of 12 first place votes. Texas A&M was second at 109 and received the other first place vote. Oklahoma was third (97) followed by Texas (88), Iowa State (85), Kansas (64), Nebraska (58), Oklahoma State (50), Kansas State (40), Texas Tech (39), Missouri (26) and Colorado (15).

Spears, who is the Big 12's leading active career scorer with 1,533 points, was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2008 and 2010 and a second team pick in 2009.

DALE TO MISS FIRST SEMESTER, BRENNA MALCOLM-PECK RECOVERING: Colorado will be without a pair of up-and-coming players for the first part of the nonconference schedule. Senior guard Chelsea Dale will sit out the remainder of the fall semester due to academics. She continues to participate fully in practices and other team events and will make her season debut once classes end in December. Sophomore forward Brenna Malcolm-Peck suffered a hyper-extended left knee during preseason workouts and has not yet been cleared to practice.

SPEARS IN ELITE COMPANY: Brittany Spears is one of just six players in CU history with 1,500 points and 700 rebounds in her distinguished career.

CU Career 1,500-700
Name (Years)                             Points       Rebounds
Lisa Van Goor (1980-85)            2,067                1,145
Jackie McFarland (2004-08)      1,957                1,048
Erin Scholz (1993-97)                 1,621                1,067
Tera Bjorklund (2000-04)           1,858                    723
Bridget Turner (1985-89)            1,599                    725
Brittany Spears (2007- )           1,533                    720

She has recorded double-digits in scoring in 56 of her last 63 games and 79 of 93 career outings.

TOUGH SCHEDULE: Colorado will potentially play 16 games - or 55 percent of the schedule - against teams that advanced to either the 2010 NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments. Six of CU's 2010-11 opponents are ranked in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll (#2 Baylor, #8 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #17 Iowa State, #20 Texas, #23 Nebraska) and four others are receving votes (Dayton, San Diego State, Oklahoma State and USC). Five are ranked in the preseason Associated Press poll (#2 Baylor, #8 Texas A&M, #10 Oklahoma, #17 Texas, #20 Iowa State) while five others are receiving votes (Dayton, Nebraska, San Diego State, USC and Kansas).

HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 340-114 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.749). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 21 of the previous 32 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CECC.

BUFFS ON TV: Colorado's regular season schedule features nine games televised either regionally or nationally, seven of which are at home. CU's season opener against Regis on Nov. 12 is part of a women's-men's double header on FSN Rocky Mountain as is the Dec. 8 slate against Colorado State. FSN Rocky Mountain will also televise home games against North Dakota (Jan. 4), Kansas (Jan. 12), Kansas State (Jan. 26), Nebraska (Feb. 6) and Oklahoma (Feb. 23) and road games at Kansas State (Feb. 16) and Nebraska (Mar 2). The home game against Nebraska will be televised nationally on FSN as part of the network's Big 12 package.

CU has appeared on 81 regional or national telecasts over the last nine seasons.