Colorado University Athletics
Buffaloes Open Final Big 12 Championship Against Kansas
March 07, 2011 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The University of Colorado is the No. 9 seed in the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship and will play the No. 8 seed University of Kansas in a first round game on Tuesday, March 8, at 10 a.m. MST at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
BROADCAST: All CU games in the Big 12 Championship will be broadcast live on KKZN AM 760. Mike Rice will give the play by play with USA Basketball's Carol Callan with the color commentary. Tuesday's first round game will be televised on FSN Rocky Mountain, as well as being streamed live, and free, on Big12Sports.com It is also televised in the Kansas City area on Metro Sports cable. Leif Lisec will have the play-by-play with Brenda Van Lengen giving the color commentary. The quarterfinals through Saturday's championship game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. Live internet audio of all CU basketball games is available on BuffsRadio, a free subscription service through CUBuffs.com.
OPENING TIP: Senior guard/forward Brittany Spears enters Tuesday's game with 2,054 points, needing just 14 to pass Lisa Van Goor (2,067 from 1980-85) as CU's all-time leading scorer.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS: Some facts about Colorado and the Big 12 Championship:
- Colorado is 8-13 in Big 12 Championship tournament games.
- Colorado won the inaugural Big 12 Tournament in 1997 as the No. 3 seed defeating No. 5 Kansas State, 55-54, in the championship game.
- Colorado has five conference tournament titles in its history, four of which came in the old Big Eight Conference.
- Colorado has been the No. 9 seed twice before, in 1999 and 2008 (0-2). It's the third time in the past five years the Buffaloes have played in No. 8-9 game (No. 8 seed in 2007).
- Colorado is 3-6 in Big 12 Championship first round games (seeded fifth or lower).
- Colorado is 2-10 when seeded lower than its opponent.
- The No. 9 seed is 8-6 in the Big 12 Championship against the No. 8 seed. No. 9 Kansas State defeated No. 8 Texas Tech 59-51 in the 2010 Championship.
- This will be Colorado's final Big 12 Championship as the school joins the Pacific-12 Conference for the 2010-11 season.
- Kansas and Colorado have never met in the Big 12 Championship. It is the 10th different Big 12 Championship opponent for the Buffaloes. Oklahoma State will be the only school Colorado never faced in Big 12 Championship play.
COLORADO BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY (8-13):
1997 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 56, Iowa State 39
Semifinals: Colorado 64, Texas 50
Championship: Colorado 54, Kansas State 44
1998 No. 8 Seed
First Round: Colorado 71, Oklahoma 66
Second Round: Texas Tech 81, Colorado 51
1999 No. 9 Seed
First Round: Kansas State 55, Colorado 51
2000 No. 10 Seed
First Round: Colorado 83, Missouri 68
Quarterfinals: Texas Tech 76, Colorado 60
2001 No. 4 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 83, Missouri 72
Semifinals: Oklahoma 102, Colorado 93
2002 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Iowa State 58, Colorado 56
2003 No. 4 Seed
Quarterfinals: Colorado 73, Oklahoma 68
Semifinals: Texas 62, Colorado 47
2004 No. 3 Seed
Quarterfinals: Oklahoma 63, Colorado 56
2005 No. 12 Seed
First Round: Iowa State 64, Colorado 62
2006 No. 11 Seed
First Round: Nebraska 67, Colorado 59
2007 No. 8 Seed
First Round: Colorado 71, Texas Tech 67
Quarterfinals: Texas A&M 62, Colorado 45
2008 No. 9 Seed
First Round: Iowa State 76, Colorado 50
2009 No. 12 Seed
First Round: Kansas State 68, Colorado 51
2010 No. 11 Seed
First Round: Baylor 72, Colorado 65
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 15-14 overall and finished its final Big 12 regular season tied with Kansas for eighth place in the league standings at 6-10. The Jayhawks earned the No. 8 seed over
Colorado by virtue of their season sweep over the Buffaloes. The winner of Tuesday's game will face No. 1 seed, and No. 3 (AP & WBCA) ranked Baylor on Wednesday at 10 a.m. MST.
Colorado has its most overall wins since the 2008 WNIT semifinal team finished 19-15, and its best league mark since finishing 6-10 in 2007. The Buffaloes had their three-game win streak snapped by No. 3 Baylor, 81-59 in their final regular season game. Despite the loss, the late surge has guaranteed Colorado a .500 or better record, regardless of Big 12 Championship play, and thus eligibility for postseason competition.
Colorado's offensive and defensive scoring numbers are very similar. The Buffaloes are averaging 61.3 points per game while giving up 61.6 an outing. Just nine points separate Colorado's point total from its opponents through 29 games (1,777-1,786). Colorado shoots 39.4 percent overall from the field while opponents have shot 39.1 percent. Numbers favor Colorado a little more from long range with the Buffaloes hitting 33 percent from downtown, and have 49 more 3-pointers than their opponents who have shot just 30.3 percent. The opposition has the advantage from the line, having nearly 100 more free-throws made and attempted than the Buffs, shooting at 71.0 percent compared to 64.7 percent for CU. Colorado has been winning the battle of the boards, outrebounding or equaling its opponent in 20-of-29 games (more on CU rebounding below).
Senior guard/forward Brittany Spears leads CU and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.0 points per game. She is also second in defensive rebounds (5.9 drpg), fourth in 3-point field goals (2.3 3mpg) and overall rebounding (8.0 rpg), seventh in free-throw percentage (.811) and 10th in blocked shots (1.1 bpg) and steals (1.9 spg).
Spears is averaging 23.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and three steals over the past three games in which CU is 3-1. She had a team-best 23 points against Baylor, her 43rd career 20-plus point game, and nearly had her ninth double-double of the season, claiming nine rebounds. She has logged double digits in scoring in 27-of-29 games this season and in 106-of-122 career outings. Her 106 career games in double-figures ranks as the second most in team history, trailing only Lisa Van Goor, who had 108 from 1980-85. Spears also leads the team in 3-point field goals (66) and blocks (32) and is second in steals (54) and rebounds on a per game basis (8.0 rpg).
Sophomore guard Chucky Jeffery, who missed the Baylor game to attend her great-grandmother's funeral, is CU's top rebounder on a per-game basis (8.1 rpg) while ranking second on the team in scoring at 13.7 an outing. Jeffery has eight double-doubles this season, ranking fifth in the Big 12, including the second triple-double in team history by recording 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against Loyola Chicago.
Jeffery leads the Big 12 in steals (2.7 spg) and defensive rebounds (6.0 drpg) while ranking third in overall rebounding, seventh in assists (4.3 apg), 13th in field-goal percentage (.466), 15th in offensive rebounds (2.2 orpg), and 17th in scoring.
Sophomore guard/forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck is averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and is second on the team in 3-point field goals (35) and third in blocked shots (15). Malcolm-Peck scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Baylor, her third double-double of the season. She also tied a career-best with four 3-point field goals, on eight attempts. Malcolm-Peck is fifth in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage during league play at 40.4 percent (20-of-49) and is 11th on the league's overall season charts at 37.6 percent (35-of-91). Malcolm-Peck is 14th on CU's all-time list for 3-pointers made with 57.
Junior forward Julie Seabrook is averaging 5.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting a team best 48.1 percent from the field (65-of-135). She has shot 60 percent or better in 14 games, and 50 percent or better in 17 outings. Seabrook has four games of double-digit rebounds, including a season-best 11 boards in the home win over Missouri.
Freshman guard Brittany Wilson is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and is one of three Buffs -- joining Spears and Jeffery -- with at least 30 assists and 30 steals. Her 32 total steals rank sixth among freshmen in the Big 12. Wilson had 12 points and five rebounds against Baylor, her best numbers in eight games. She has 10 games of scoring double-digits this season.
Senior guard Britney Blythe has had recent success from downtown making 18 of her last 41 (.439). Blythe hit the clutch go-ahead 3-pointer against Missouri with just 14.1 seconds left, giving the Buffs a 61-59 lead. She has hit 39.6 percent from deep during the Big 12 season, ranking eighth on the league charts.
Freshman center Rachel Hargis is becoming a solid player off the bench, especially on the defensive side. Hargis ranks second on the team in blocked shots with 23, and has stepped it up in that category during league play. Sixteen of those 23 blocks, have come in conference games, ranking 11th on the league charts, including a personal-best four at Iowa State.
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS: Kansas is 19-11 overall and finished tied for eighth with Colorado in the Big 12 at 6-10. The Jayhawks have lost their last two, but have won four of their last seven and five of nine. The Jayhawks average 70.5 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field, a number which ranks second in the Big 12.
Sophomore forward Carolyn Davis leads the Jayhawks and ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.4 points per game. A 2010 All-Big 12 Freshman team pick, Davis leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage at 66.4 percent while also pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game. Junior forward Aishah Sutherland tops Kansas and ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rebounds at 7.7 per game while scoring 9.1 per contest. Guard Angel Goodrich is dishing out 6.0 assists per game. Monica Engelman is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 per contest and is KU's top deep threat with 37 3-pointers on 40 percent shooting.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 68th meeting between Colorado and Kansas with the Jayhawks holding a 34-33 lead. Kansas has won four straight and six of the last seven. CU has won 13 of 22 over the Jayhawks since 2001. The Buffaloes' last win over Kansas came in Boulder, a 69-62 decision on Feb. 18, 2009.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the Big 12 Championship, but the storied programs a have rich tradition of postseason competition. Colorado and Kansas met six times in Big Eight Conference Tournament play from 1983-96, each team winning three times and accounting for seven tournament titles. The Buffaloes and Jayhawks met four times in the finals alone, Kansas winning the first one (1988) and Colorado claiming the final three (1992, 1995 & 1996). Kansas holds a 5-3 edge in meetings on a neutral court.
COLORADO AND KANSAS, LAST 10:
Date Result Date Result
2/2/11 (A) L, 53-81 2/4/09 (A) L, 54-65
1/12/11 (H) L, 58-68 2/13/08 (A) L, 59-70
2/16/10 (H) L, 72-79 1/22/08 (H) W, 59-41
1/27/10 (A) L, 64-75 2/24/07 (H) W, 59-50
2/18/09 (H) W, 69-62 2/6/06 (A) L, 68-70 OT
ROAD MOMENTUM?: After dropping its first nine games away from Boulder this season, Colorado has won two straight away from the friendly confines. The Buffaloes' 64-61 over Nebraska on March 2 marked the first time they had won back-to-back Big 12 road games since defeating Iowa State and Missouri in January 2004. CU's only neutral site game this season was a 70-50 loss to Dayton in the consolation game of USC's Women of Troy Tournament on Dec. 19.
BIG 12 RECORD FINALIZED: Colorado finished its 15 years in the Big 12 with a regular season conference record of 100-140 (.417). The Buffaloes claimed win No. 100 with their 64-61 win at Nebraska on March 5.
RANKING NUMBERS: Colorado dropped to 2-3 this season against ranked teams after its loss to No. 3 Baylor, but the Buffaloes still have multiple wins against ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2007-08
Colorado's 66-60 overtime win over No. 17/16 Iowa State on Jan. 15 in Boulder broke a string of 24-straight losses to ranked teams and 21-game skid against teams ranked in both AP and WBCA Coaches polls (Iowa State was ranked only in the WBCA poll in one meeting last season as was Kansas State in two meetings in 2008-09). Prior to the upset, CU's last win over a ranked opponent was a 73-68 decision over No. 15/15 Kansas State on Feb. 23, 2008.
The last time the Buffaloes beat a ranked ISU team was on Jan. 23, 2002, in an 86-73 win at home. At that time, Colorado was ranked 20/19 as ISU secured a 14/10 position in the polls. The win marked the first time in history that a non-ranked Colorado team has beaten a ranked ISU squad.
Colorado's 73-68 win over No. 16/15 Oklahoma, was the first win over a ranked Sooner team since a 69-64 decision in Norman on Feb. 3, 1995 (CU was ranked No. 4, OU No. 25). It was the first unranked CU team to beat an OU ranked team since a 94-80 win on Jan. 27, 1987, OU was ranked No. 23 in the coaches poll.
LAPPE IN ELITE COACHING COMPANY: Colorado's Linda Lappe is the only rookie NCAA Division I head coach to beat a ranked opponent this season, and her teams have achieved it twice, knocking off No. 17/16 Iowa State and No. 16/15 Oklahoma.
Of 35 coaches in Division I that are in the first season at the helm of their respective programs, including those who have been head coaches elsewhere, there are six wins against ranked teams. Lappe has two of those wins, Missouri's Robin Pingeton (formerly of Illinois State) three and Houston's Todd Buchanan (formerly of Houston Baptist) the other.
CURRENT BIG 12 COACHES, FIRST YEAR (In order of overall wins):
Coach First Season Record (Big 12)
Gail Goestenkors, Texas 2007-08^ 22-13 (7-9)
Kim Mulkey, Baylor 2000-01* 21-9 (9-7)
Deb Patterson, Kansas State 1996-97* 19-12 (9-7)
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State 1996-97* 17-10 (9-7)
Linda Lappe, Colorado 2010-11 15-14 (6-10)
Kristy Curry, Texas Tech 2006-07 15-16 (6-10)
Robin Pingeton, Missouri 2010-11 13-17 (5-11)
Bonnie Henrickson, Kansas 2004-05 12-16 (5-11)
Gary Blair, Texas A&M 2003-04 9-19 (2-14)
Connie Yori, Nebraska 2002-03 8-20 (1-15)
Kurt Budke, Oklahoma State 2005-06 6-22 (0-16)
Sherri Coale, Oklahoma 1996-97 5-22 (1-15)
*NCAA 1st Round
^NCAA 2nd round
BUFFS REBOUNDING: One of Colorado's strengths this year is rebounding. The Buffaloes are currently averaging 38.9 rebounds per game while allowing just 35.2 per contest.
Colorado has equaled or outrebounded 20-of-29 opponents this season, and four of those games where CU was outrebounded, it was by two or fewer boards. Colorado equaled or outrebounded nine Big 12 opponents this year compared to just four of 16 Big 12 games in 2010.
CU pulled down a season high 53 rebounds in the home win over Missouri, tying for the most ever by the Buffaloes in a Big 12 game. CU also had 53 in a 69-40 win at Texas A&M on Feb. 8, 1997. Colorado's 20 offensive rebounds were its most in a Big 12 game since grabbing 20 in a 67-53 win over Texas on Feb. 16, 2008. Colorado's plus-18 rebound margin against Nebraska at home (45-27) was its most in a Big 12 game since out dueling Texas 50-29 (+21) on the boards on Feb. 16, 2008.
ON THE DEFENSIVE END: Second shot opportunities have been at a premium against Colorado as the Buffaloes rank second in the Big 12 in defensive rebounding percentage. When an opponent's shot goes up, Colorado claims the defensive board 71.3 percent of the time (754/1058), trailing only Iowa State at 73.2 percent (837/1143). The Buffaloes have given up the fewest offensive rebounds in the Big 12 this season (304). CU ranks fifth in overall rebounding defense at 35.2.
CU DOUBLES: Colorado is the only school in the Big 12 with two players sporting eight or more double-doubles this season. Senior Brittany Spears and sophomore Chucky Jeffery are tied for fifth in the Big 12 with eight double-doubles each.
Big 12 Double-Double Leaders
13 Toni Young, Oklahoma State
12 Danielle Adams, Texas A&M
9 Brittney Griner, Baylor
9 Kathleen Nash, Texas
8 Brittany Spears, Colorado
8 Chucky Jeffery, Colorado
Spears has 30 career double-doubles, ranking fourth on CU's all-time list. Jeffery's career total is nine after her 12-point, 10-rebound performance against Oklahoma.
JEFFERY, SPEARS BEST REBOUNDING DUO IN BIG 12: Chucky Jeffery ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.1 per game, just a fraction behind Oklahoma State's Toni Young and Texas A&M's Danielle Adams. Brittany Spears is right behind her in fourth at 8.0 per contest. The CU duo's 16.1 boards per outing is the best mark for a pair of teammates in the Big 12:
1. Chucky Jeffery (8.1), Brittany Spears (8.0), Colorado 16.1
2. Kathleen Nash (7.9), Ashley Gayle (7.2), Texas 15.1
3. Aishah Sutherland (7.7), Carolyn Davis (7.3), Kansas 15.0
4. Brittney Griner (7.9), Melissa Jones (6.8), Baylor 14.7
5. Danielle Adams (8.5), Adaora Elonu (5.8), Texas A&M 14.3
Jeffery and Spears also rank 1-2 overall on the league charts in defensive rebounds. Jeffery averages six defensive rebounds per game while Spears is right behind at 5.9 an outing.
BLYTHE PROTECTS THE ROCK: Senior guard Britney Blythe not only routinely takes on the task of guarding the opponents best offensive back court player, but she's among the best in the Big 12 this season in protecting the ball on the other end.
Blythe has just 29 turnovers this season, seven of which came in the first two games. She has turned the ball over only 22 times in the last 27 games and has had three different strings of two or more games without a turnover.
Blythe leads the Big 12 in fewest turnovers over a 40 minute stretch and is sixth for straight up turnovers per game (minimums are 75 percent of games played and 400 minutes played):
Big 12 Turnovers Per 40 Minutes
Name, School MP TO TO/40 Min
1. Britney Blythe, Colorado 796 29 1.46
2. Melissa Jones, Baylor 877 34 1.55
3. Jordan Barncastle, Texas Tech 475 19 1.60
4. Jasmyn Otote, Missouri 873 36 1.65
5. Sydney Carter, Texas A&M 878 37 1.69
Big 12 Turnovers Per Game
Name, School GP TO TOPG
1. Kelsey Harris, Iowa State 29 20 0.69
2. Jordan Barncastle, Texas Tech 27 19 0.70
3. Maryann Baker, Texas A&M 29 27 0.93
4. Jessica Periago, Nebraska 30 29 0.97
5. Jordan Maddan, Baylor 30 29 0.97
6. Britney Blythe, Colorado 29 29 1.00
6. Carol Blair-Mobley, Oklahoma State 29 29 1.00
SPEARS CLIMBING CAREER LADDERS: Senior guard/forward Brittany Spears is now just 14 points from passing Lisa Van Goor (1980-85) for CU's all-time scoring lead. She has scored 14 or more points in 22-of-29 games this season.
She scored 26 points against Missouri, becoming the second player in team history to reach 2,000 career points. She reached the milestone on a 3-point field goal from the right side with 12:20 remaining in the second half to give CU a 40-37 lead. Chucky Jeffery had the assist on the basket.
Spears has 1,789 field-goal attempts, passing Van Goor's school record of 1,787 during the loss to Baylor. On CU's all-time charts, she also ranks second in scoring, minutes (4,042), field-goals made (758) and 3-point attempts (662), third in blocked shots (148) and games started (122), fourth in rebounds (952), double-doubles (30), and 3-point field-goals made (222), seventh in steals (230) and ninth in free-throws made (336).
SPEARS ON BIG 12 CHARTS: With 2,054 points Brittany Spears is the active leading scorer in the Big 12, just ahead of Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson who has 2,047. Spears is ninth on the Big 12's all-time scoring list and also ranks sixth in career field-goal attempts (1,789) and 10th in field-goals made (748).
ACADEMIC BUFFS: Sophomore Meagan Malcolm-Peck and junior Julie Seabrook were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Second Team on Feb. 15, sporting cumulative GPA's above 3.0.
The league academic honor is the second for Seabrook, who was a first team pick in 2010, and the first for Malcolm-Peck, who is in her first season of eligibility for this recognition. Both are majoring in business.
Since the formation of the Big 12 for the 1996-97 season, CU's women's basketball team has had 61 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including 40 first team honorees.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION: Junior Julie Seabrook was named CU's member of the 2011 Winter Chick-fil-A Community of Champions team. One student-athlete at each Big 12 institution is awarded each fall, winter and spring term based on academics, community service, leadership and sportsmanship.
SPEARS' STARTING STREAK: Senior Brittany Spears continues to add to her school records for consecutive overall starts and starts from the beginning of a career, now at 122 straight games. She passed the previous mark of overall consecutive starts set by Amy Mathern (1989-93) with her 113th straight start in the Texas game on Jan. 30. She passed Lisa Van Goor (1980-85) for starts at the beginning of a career, when she started her 101st game against Illinois on Dec. 4. She is third in most overall career starts, trailing only the 127 by Erin Scholz (1993-97) and the 126 by Shelley Sheetz (1991-95).
JEFFERY 'STEALS' THE SHOW: Sophomore Chucky Jeffery leads the Big 12 at 2.7 steals per game. Her 67 steals this season rank 13th on CU's single-season list. She has had six or more steals in four games this season (Regis, Evansville, Colgate and Kansas) and has at least three steals in 13 of 25 games. She had a career and team season-high seven steals in the win over Colgate. It's the 21st time a Buff has registered seven or more steals in a game, but the first since Damietta Velicica had seven vs. Tulane on December 6, 1997.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Four of CU's 2010-11 opponents are ranked in the latest USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll (#3 Baylor, #5 Texas A&M, #17 Oklahoma and #25 Iowa State) with one other receiving votes (Texas Tech). Four are ranked in the latest Associated Press poll (#3 Baylor, #5 Texas A&M, #18 Oklahoma and #23 Iowa State) while one is receiving votes (Texas Tech).
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 353-119 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.748). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 22 of the previous 33 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CECC.
BUFFS ON TV: Colorado's regular season schedule featured nine games televised either regionally or nationally, seven of which were at home. CU's season opener against Regis on Nov. 12 was the first FSN Rocky Mountain televised followed by Colorado State (Dec. 8), North Dakota (Jan. 4), Kansas (Jan. 12), Kansas State (Jan. 26), Nebraska (Feb. 6), Kansas State (Feb. 16) and Oklahoma (Feb. 23) and at Nebraska (Mar 2). The home game against Nebraska was 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.
