Colorado Hosts New Mexico State in Opener

BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team begins its march to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid on Monday. The Buffaloes will open the 2022-23 season with an afternoon affair against New Mexico State at the CU Events Center (Noon MT).

Monday is Community Day at the game. Local elementary schools were invited to attend the game and fans can bring a brown bag lunch for the unusual tip time.

The early tip time won't keep the Buffs from being primed and ready to go.

"I don't think there will be any lack of emotion," head coach JR Payne explained. "We're all excited to play. We're excited that the season is actually here. We just can't wait to get on the floor."

The new-look Buffs got a chance to showcase a preview of what they will bring to the court this season with their exhibition win over Adams State on Tuesday. The team trotted out a starting lineup that featured just two players, Jaylyn Sherrod and Frida Formann, that have familiarity with that role. Tayanna Jones, who has started sparingly in her previous two seasons, was also joined by Quay Miller and Arizona transfer Aaronette Vonleh to open the exhibition.

All 13 players got time against ASU, allowing for everybody to soak in the atmosphere before it becomes real on Monday.

"We've been trying to prioritize the details of our execution," Payne said of the team's practice this week. "Especially in the half court where we're just trying to clean things up and make sure that we're all locked in on our jobs are on the floor and making sure we know what our different options are in various sets. Things like that."

Fans and outsiders of the Buffs might look at this team and see the obvious absence of mainstays Mya Hollingshed, Peanut Tuitele and Lesila Finau and have early doubts about the current squad. But inside the locker room, there is zero doubt that this roster has the talent and ability to lead this team into March.

"Outsiders might say 'Oh, you graduated Mya Hollingshed who was two-time First Team All Pac-12,' and that kind of stuff," Payne expressed. "My response is that we returned the Sixth Player of the Year [Miller], two All-Defensive players [Sherrod in 2021, Kindyll Wetta in 2022] and multiple players that are capable of scoring the ball in different ways. I love the balance that we bring. I think we're going to have much more balance this year, offensively and defensively. We're excited about that."

New Mexico State went 10-19 last season and was picked 10th in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches poll and 12th in the media voting. The Aggies' top returning scorer is Molly Kaiser, with 8.2 points per game last season.

Colorado owns a 10-2 series advantage, but the two teams haven't met since opening the 1995-96 season in Boulder. The Buffs have won the last nine meetings and haven't dropped a contest to the Aggies in Boulder in the previous five appearances.

Monday's game will be live-streamed on CUBuffs.com/WatchWBB. Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have the call on both the Colorado Radio Network and the live stream.

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