Buffs Look For Second Straight Pac-12 Win at Utah

THE GAME: The University of Colorado travels to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in its first of two consecutive games against the Utes. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. MT.

BROADCAST: Thursday's game is scheduled to air live on the Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Mountain. Thad Anderson will have the call alongside Mary Murphy. The game will also be available on KVCU 1190 AM with Cory Lopez and Carol Callan of USA Basketball.

ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is 6-15 overall and 1-9 in Pac-12 play. The Buffaloes earned their first Pac-12 win of the season last Sunday (Jan. 31), defeating Southern California, 66-63 at home and snapped a 10-game skid, the second longest in school history.

On the offensive end, the Buffaloes are averaging 62.9 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field. Colorado is shooting 73.9 percent at the free throw line, 38th in the nation and third in the Pac-12 Conference. The team has also been solid from long distance as CU ranks fifth among Pac-12 teams in 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 34.9 percent of its shots behind the arc.

Defensively, Colorado has allowed 68.4 points per game on 40.7 percent from the field. The Buffaloes average 37.4 total rebounds, and are sixth in the Pac-12 with 4.3 blocked shots per game.

Senior Jamee Swan has been the team's top scorer and rebounder throughout the season, averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while hitting 43.7 percent from the field and 68.8 percent from the free throw line. Swan has also recorded a team-leading 34 blocks on the season and three double-doubles.

Swan ranks 14th in the Pac-12 in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage, 13th in overall rebounding, eighth in free throw percentage, is 11th with 5.3 defensive rebounds per game and is fourth in blocked shots (1.8 bpg).

Freshman Kennedy Leonard has made a significant impact for the Buffaloes in her debut season as the team's starting point guard and continues to grow into a leadership role on the floor. She enters the game as Colorado's second highest scorer, averaging 11.5 points per game and has also dished out a team-leading 94 assists, averaging 4.6 in each contest.

On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Leonard is tied for 19th in scoring, tied for sixth in assists and 11th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4).

Junior guard Haley Smith is having a strong 2015-16 campaign on both defense and offense. She's averaging 10.7 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds. She has been one of Colorado's most accurate shooters from the field at 47.4 percent and at the free throw line where she has gone 32-of-35 (.914).

Smith ranks 24th overall in the conference in scoring and 18th in rebounding.

Junior wing Lauren Huggins is averaging 8.4 points per game and is third on the team in 3-point shooting, connecting on 41-of-106 of her shots for a 38.7 field goal percentage from behind the arc. In eight Pac-12 games this season, Huggins has shot 40.5 percent from the 3-point line. She tied a career-high with five treys against Arizona. The Littleton, Colo. native is third in the conference in 3-point field goals made as she averages 2.2 per game and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage. She missed both games last weekend against UCLA and USC due to concussion protocol.

Freshman Alexis Robinson has earned a place in the starting line up since the Buffs' second Pac-12 game of the season (vs. Washington State) after providing a nice spark off the bench during non-conference action. The Ashland, Ky. native is averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She is shooting 37.8 percent from the 3-point line, third best on the team and has connected on 34.5 percent of her shots from the field. Robinson had one of her best offensive performances of her young career against UMass when she scored a personal-best 21 points and her best defensive performance came in the Buffs' Pac-12 opener when she held Washington's Kelsey Plum to a season low 18 points, 10 below her nation leading average of 28.1 per game at the time.

Among the Pac-12 leaders, Robinson is 14th in assists.

Junior Zoe Beard-Fails leads the team in scoring and rebounding off the bench. She is averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 71.1 percent at the free throw line.

Sophomore center Zoe Correal is averaging 2.1 points and 3.5 rebounds and is second on the team in blocked shots with 15 total. All 13 of her career starts have come this season.

Sophomore Brecca Thomas and freshman Makenzie Ellis have also contributed in various ways off the bench. Collectively, the duo is averaging 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season.

ABOUT UTAH: The Utah Utes are 12-9 overall (4-6 Pac-12) and have already surpassed their win total from last year. After opening conference play with a 4-1 record, the Utes have dropped their last five contests. Utah is averaging 68.3 points a game on 41.5 shooting from the field. Utah ranks fourth in the conference in free throw accuracy, connecting on 73.8 percent of its attempts at the line. Defensively, Utah allows 67.6 points per game on 38.0 percent shooting, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12. They are one of the league's top rebounding squads, averaging 43.0 boards and own the second-best rebounding margin at plus-8.2 per game.

Forward Emily Potter leads the Utes as she is averaging a double-double on 16.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. Potter is eighth in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding. She also ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage, shooting 50.6 percent from the floor. Wing Paige Crozon also averages double-figures in scoring, recording 12.4 points per game while pulling down 8.2 rebounds. Guard Danielle Rodriguez leads the team with 4.5 assists per game.

Head coach Lynne Roberts is in her first season with Utah.

THE SERIES: This will be the 27th meeting between Colorado and Utah with the Buffaloes owning a 14-12 series lead. Colorado has won 8-of-10 since the two teams joined the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 season and the Buffs have won 14 of the last 20 overall, which dates back to 1980.

Linda Lappe is 7-2 against Utah as a head coach. This will be the first time Lynne Roberts faces Colorado as a head coach.

WHAT'S NEXT?: The Buffaloes will host Utah to complete its home-and-home series on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.