Buffs Continue Pac-12 Schedule Against Utah Wednesday

THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts the University of Utah in a Pac-12 Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.

BROADCAST: Wednesday's game is scheduled to air live nationally on the Pac-12 Networks. Anne Marie Anderson will have the play-by-play with Mary Murphy with the color commentary. Wednesday's game will air live on KKZN 760 AM. Cory Lopez will have the call with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary.

OPENING TIP: Colorado has never started a conference season with five straight losses.

ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-12 after falling to USC (81-61) and UCLA (90-84) at home this past weekend. The Buffaloes have dropped their last five and seven of their last eight, four of those contests on the road and two of them to ranked teams. Colorado's five-game skid is its longest since a similar streak in February 2012. The Buffaloes are 0-4 in the Pac-12 for the first time and is off to their slowest conference start since losing the first four games of the 2009 Big 12 season.

Colorado is averaging 71.9 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting. The Buffaloes broke out of a mini scoring slump with 84 points on 57.9 percent from the field in the loss to UCLA. CU had been held to 57.8 points over the previous four games. It was the fifth time hitting 80 points this season and the 84 points against the Bruins was the most against a conference opponent since putting up a similar number against Oregon on Feb. 10, 2013.

Defensively, Colorado has allowed 70.5 points per game on 38.1 percent from the field. The Buffaloes are the Pac-12's top rebounding team, pulling down 45.3 per game and also top the conference in blocked shots at 5.5 per contest. The Buffaloes rank second in rebounding margin (+7.3) and third in 3-point percentage (.367).

Senior Jen Reese leads Colorado in scoring (15.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (.817) while ranking second in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (.489). She scored a career and team season-high 30 points in the loss to UCLA which put her over the 1,000-point mark in her career. She made 14-of-19 from the field and also dished out five assists, all career-highs. The 30 points are the most by a CU player since Chucky Jeffery had 30 against Idaho on Dec. 4, 2011. Her 14 field goals tied for the third most in a single game in team history.

Reese has scored in double figures in 12 of 15 games and has three double-doubles. She has four games of 20 or more points this season. On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Reese is sixth in free throw percentage, eighth in overall rebounding and scoring, ninth in defensive boards (5.5 drpg) and 12th in offensive rebounding (2.3 orpg).

Junior forward Jamee Swan tops Colorado in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg) while ranking second in scoring (13.5 ppg) and third in field goal percentage (.471). Swan has led the Buffaloes in scoring in five of the last six contests including a 14-point effort in Friday's loss at USC where she also tied a career and team season best with five blocked shots. She scored 21 at Cal, hitting 20 points for the third time this season and the fifth time in her career. She led Colorado against Stanford with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The double-double was her third of the season and fifth of her career.

In the Pac-12 Swan ranks second in blocks, fifth in offensive rebounds (3.1 orpg), seventh in overall rebounding, 12th in defensive rebounds (4.9 drpg), and 13th in scoring.

Senior guard Lexy Kresl is averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while ranking second in steals (14). She leads Colorado in 3-pointers with 24, including a 4-of-6 effort against UCLA. She returned to the lineup for the Stanford game after missing the previous two. In her first action in a little over three weeks, Kresl knocked the rust off early with eight points, six rebounds and five assists against the Cardinal. She was MVP of the Omni Classic averaging 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the two-game classic. During that stretch, not only did she record her first career double-double, she topped that with just the fourth triple-double in program history in the win over Colorado State (12 points-11 rebounds-11 assists).

Kresl is fourth in the Pac-12 in assists and also ranks eighth in 3-pointers made (1.8 3mpg) and 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).

Sophomore guard Haley Smith leads the team in field goal percentage (.493) while ranking third in scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Smith scored a personal Pac-12 high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting against UCLA. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds against San Jose State; both numbers marking personal bests. She hit 10-of-14 from the field during her career-best day against the Spartans. On the Pac-12 leaderboard Smith ranks 12th in field goal percentage, 18th in rebounding and 27th in scoring.

Senior guard Jasmine Sborov is averaging 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds and ranks second on the team in assists with 40. She scored in double figures for the fourth time this season with 10 points against USC on 5-of-10 from the field. Her 10 points marked just her third Pac-12 game scoring in double-digits and just one off her league best of 11 set at UCLA last season. Her five field goals made were a Pac-12 best. Against Iowa, Sborov led Colorado with career-highs in points (17) and rebounds (12) for her second career double-double. Sborov also dished out a career-high nine assists against San Jose State.

Sophomore forward Zoe Beard-Fails has picked up her play and earned a starting role for the Buffaloes front court for a recent five-game stretch. Overall on the season she has averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. Against Long Beach State she had career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and field goals made and attempted (7-of-13).

Sophomore wing Lauren Huggins leads the team and ranks 13th in the Pac-12 in 3-point accuracy at 37.1 percent. She has 23 3-pointers on the season which is second on the team. Huggins rebounded from a four-game scoring drought to make 3-of-9 from long range against USC and UCLA.

Freshmen Brecca Thomas and Alina Hartmann have been increasing their productivity. Thomas started two games while Kresl was absent from the lineup scoring a career-best nine points in the win over Wyoming. Hartmann has nine points over the last three games. Classmate Zoe Correal had a personal best six points on 3-of-6 shooting at Stanford.

ABOUT UTAH: Utah is 6-9 overall and looking for its first Pac-12 Conference win of the season. The Utes have dropped their last four and five of their last seven. Utah has yet to crack the 50-point mark during conference play, averaging just 45.5 points over its first four contests. Overall the Utes average 55.3 points per game while hitting 38 percent from the field and 69 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, Utah is allowing its opponents just 56.9 points per game and 36 percent shooting, both numbers ranking third in the Pac-12.

Senior forward Taryn Wicijowski leads Utah with a season double-double at 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, numbers that both rank in the top 10 in the Pac-12. Freshman forward Tanaeya Boclair is second on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per game, hitting 44 percent from the floor. Junior guard Danielle Rodriguez tops the Utes and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in assists at 4.2 per game while pitching in 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Paige Crozon averages just under seven points per game and has made 20 3-point field goals on 37 percent beyond the arc.

Anthony Levrets is in his fifth season as head coach at Utah with a record of 75-75.

THE SERIES: This will be the 25th meeting between Colorado and Utah with the series tied at 12-12. Colorado has won 5-of-7 since the two teams joined the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 campaign; and the Buffaloes have won 12 of the last 18 overall dating back to 1980. The teams split their meetings last year, each winning at home. Utah won the first game, 58-55, in Salt Lake City, on Jan. 29. The Buffaloes responded with a win at home, 61-45, on Feb. 2. This is the third year where the Pac-12 "travel partners" will face each other in consecutive games. Colorado will travel to play the Utes in Salt Lake City on Sunday.

Linda Lappe is 5-2 against Utah as a head coach. Anthony Levrets is 2-5 against Colorado as a head coach.

BACK TO THE BOARDS: Colorado has outrebounded, or been even, with 13 of its 15 opponents this season by an average of 7.3 per game ranking second in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 in overall rebounds (45.3 rpg), defensive rebounds (30.9 drpg) and offensive boards (14.3 orpg).

Colorado has five games with 50 or more rebounds, including the Long Beach State contest where the Buffaloes dominated the 49ers 50-26, the largest margin of the season and biggest since holding a plus-25 margin against Arizona (51-26) on Jan. 20, 2013. All five of Colorado's 50-plus rebounding games came over an eight-game span including a season-high 60 against San Jose State the program's most since pulling down 60 against Marquette in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

Colorado sports two of the top eight rebounders in the Pac-12. Junior Jamee Swan ranks seventh at 8.0 rpg while senior Jen Reese is eighth at 7.8 rpg.

KRESL'S DISH: Lexy Kresl recorded the fourth triple-double in team history by scoring 12 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists in the double overtime win over Colorado State on Nov. 29.

Her triple-double was the team's first since Chucky Jeffery recorded the second of her two triple-doubles at Oklahoma State on Mar. 25, 2012 during the Postseason WNIT. Sandy Bean achieved the program's first triple-double against Utah State on Feb. 16, 1979.

For Kresl, both the rebounds and assists figures were career-highs. It was actually her second "double" of the week. Kresl put together her first career double-double in the win over Denver with 10 points and 10 assists.

Nine of her assists in the Denver game came in the first 20 minutes, tying a school record for assists in one half originally set by Whitney Law against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 18, 2005.

Counting Colorado's prior three triple-doubles, Kresl's points-assists double-double was the 14th in team history and first since Jeffery's triple at OSU (12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists).

WORKING OVERTIME: Colorado played in overtime in three of its first seven games. The Buffaloes won the last two, defeating San Jose State 97-89 on Dec. 5 and Colorado State 87-81 in double overtime on Nov. 29, after dropping a 79-78 decision to Western Kentucky on Nov. 17.

Colorado played back-to-back overtime games for the first time in team history with the San Jose State and CSU contests. The Buffaloes had two overtimes in a three-game span in February 1988.

The double overtime game with CSU was just the sixth in team history and first since an 84-77 setback to Iowa State on Jan. 13, 2008. Lexy Kresl set a school single game record by playing in 49 minutes against Colorado State.

Colorado's win over San Jose State improved its all-time record to 23-23 all-time in overtime. The Buffaloes are 3-3 in double overtime games.

It's the fifth time Colorado has played three overtime games in one season and first since 1995-96; the most in any one campaign. This is the first instance where all three games have happened during the nonconference schedule. Overall it's the 14 time Colorado has played multiple overtime games in one season.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Colorado has a record of 51-30 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Of those 30 losses, 14 have been to ranked teams and 13 of those ranked higher than Colorado at the time the game was played. The Buffaloes have won 48 of their last 64 games against unranked opponents.

The Buffaloes have been dominant in regular season nonconference games under Linda Lappe. Colorado is 48-9 in that stretch since the beginning of the 2010-11 season. The Buffaloes have won 41 of their last 46 regular season nonconference contests. The Buffaloes put together 33 straight nonconference wins from Dec. 30, 2010 through Dec. 12, 2013.

REESE'S PIECES: Senior forward Jen Reese is the 15th player in team history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.

She reached the 1,000-point milestone during her career-high 30-point effort against UCLA on Jan. 11 and is the 26th player to reach that mark. She is currently 26th on CU's career scoring list with 1,013 points, 32 away from cracking the top 25.

Reese became the 21st player to reach 500 career rebounds during the Missouri State game. She is currently 16th on Colorado's all-time list with 581.

With 407 career field goals made, she is seven away from reaching the career top 20.

KRESL SOLID FROM ARC, LINE: Senior guard Lexy Kresl ranks seventh in career 3-pointers attempted (485) and is eighth in 3-pointers made (148)

She has made a 3-pointer in 78 of 108 career games and has 39 contests with two or more buckets from long range. Kresl hit five against Missouri, tying a season high and also marking her sixth career game with five or more 3-pointers.

Kresl has also been one of Colorado's most reliable free throw shooters over the past three seasons. Her career percentage of 82.9 (145-of-175) would rank fifth on the Buffs' all-time list (minimum of 100 attempts).

Kresl hit 84.1 percent from the line in 2013-14 (69-of-82) ranking third in the Pac-12 Conference. Her mark was also good for 19th on Colorado's single-season list.

Kresl has a shot at reaching 1,000 career points entering Wednesday's game at 859.

HUGGINS SHOOTS UP LIST: With 16 3-pointers over the last 11 games, sophomore Lauren Huggins has put herself among the Buffaloes' career leaders. She is currently 18th in career 3-pointers made with 63 and 19th in attempts at 172.

SWAN'S SWATS: Junior forward Jamee Swan ranks second in the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 1.9 per game. She has 12 blocked shots over the last five games (2.4 bpg) a number that includes a pair of career and team-season high five block efforts (Long Beach State, USC).

Swan has 93 career blocks ranking ninth CU's all-time list.

AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 0-2 against ranked teams this season after dropping a 62-55 decision at No. 15/15 Stanford on Jan. 3. The Buffaloes have dropped their last 14 against ranked opponents. Colorado is 62-156 all-time against ranked opponents.

OMNI HOTELS CHAMPS: Colorado won its Omni Hotels Classic championship for the 18th time by defeating Missouri State and Colorado State. The Buffaloes improved to 46-10 all-time in their home holiday classic and won their sixth straight title.

CHALLENGING START: Colorado opened a season with two teams that made the NCAA Tournament the previous year (North Dakota & Western Kentucky) for the first time since 2003-04 when the Buffaloes hosted Old Dominion and Notre Dame in the WBCA Classic. Only twice since then had the Buffaloes even played one team in their first two coming off a trip to the big dance, Loyola-Marymount in 2004-05 (Game 1) and Vanderbilt in 2006-07 (Game 2).

Two of Colorado's three opening opponents, North Dakota and Arkansas State, are their respective conference's top preseason pick and Western Kentucky was selected second. The Buffaloes have also faced two conference preseason players of the year in Western Kentucky's Chastity Gooch and Arkansas State's Aundrea Gamble.

HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 400-139 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.742). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CEC in 25 of 36 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CEC.

Colorado was 12-6 at Coors in 2013-14 and has won 24 of its last 35 and 35 of its last 49 at home.

BUFFS ON TV: Colorado women's basketball will be televised to a regional or national audience at least 13 times during the regular season, including 12 games on the Pac-12 Networks during league play. This marks the third consecutive year the Buffaloes will have double-digit regional or national television appearances.

Colorado made its television debut on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain on Nov. 25, defeating Denver 77-49. Colorado's first eight Pac-12 games will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks as will five of the Buffaloes' nine home conference games. All remaining home games, and conference road games, that aren't televised will be scheduled to be streamed live through Colorado's Pac-12.com video portal. In addition, CU's game at Missouri on Friday, Dec. 12, aired on SEC Network +, the SEC's online video streaming option.

Entering this season, Colorado has tipped off on 127 national or regional telecasts since the fall of 2001, and 28 since the advent of the Pac-12 Networks in 2012.