Saturday, November 18
Dallas, Texas
7:00 PM
Colorado
at
SMU
Photo by: Tony Harman
No. 5 Buffs Remain Even Keel
November 17, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Colorado heads to Dallas in first leg of travel
DALLAS – The No. 5 Colorado women's basketball team heads off for its first true road test of the season, kicking off an extended stay away from Boulder with a visit to SMU on Saturday.
The Buffaloes (3-0) have risen to the top of the college basketball world after the first week of the season, making the largest poll-to-poll jump in AP poll history. CU's No. 5 ranking is its highest since finishing the 1994-95 seas at No. 2.
"Whatever we did in the preseason, however we practiced before our previous games is what we have to keep up," senior guard Frida Formann commented. "Of course, there's a lot of buzz around us right now, but I think we are good at just keeping to ourselves and looking inward for the acknowledgment we need."
The excitement around the team has been noticeable. CU's last home game had nearly 4,000 people fill the CU Events Center on a Sunday afternoon. The 3,931 fans made for the largest attended game in November since hosting Northern Arizona on Nov. 11, 2011 (4,109).
"The community has been really happy about how we're performing and that's probably been the most fun part," Formann explained. "Within the team, I think it's always fun to be part of something successful. So you maybe get even more buy-in because everyone knows that what we're doing is special."
CU's ascension has been in the making and is due in large to the team's veteran presence. Formann, Jaylyn Sherrod and Charlotte Whittaker were part of the squad when CU upset No. 1 Stanford in 2021. Those three players are the longest-tenured Buffs and have since been joined by key pieces in Quay Miller, Tameiya Sadler and Kindyll Wetta. Aaronette Vonleh, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, is early into her second season in Boulder but has quickly vaulted to one of CU's most impactful players. Â
"We know that we have some big challenges ahead," Formann added. "We know what these preseason games really matter when we come to March. We just take it one game at a time, like everyone else."
The next challenge ahead for the Buffs is a quick trip to Dallas to take on the Mustangs. CU will play Saturday night and return to Boulder for a quick pit stop before heading back out on the road on Monday to the US Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Classic.
"Traveling is super hard," Formann expressed about the upcoming week. "I think we're just preparing by knowing we need to rest our bodies. Recovery is super important but also just trying to stay sane as a group and talk about things other than basketball."
SMU (3-0) finished 17-13 last season and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. CU owns a 3-0 record over the Mustangs that includes a 78-55 win in Boulder back in 2021. SMU ranks 24th in the country with 20.0 assists per game and it leads the American Conference with a 42.2 3-point field goal %.
Saturday's game is set for a 7 p.m. MT tip. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will be courtside on the Colorado Radio Network, starting with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. The game can be heard locally on AM 630 as well as the Varsity App and CUBuffs.com/Listen.
The Buffaloes (3-0) have risen to the top of the college basketball world after the first week of the season, making the largest poll-to-poll jump in AP poll history. CU's No. 5 ranking is its highest since finishing the 1994-95 seas at No. 2.
"Whatever we did in the preseason, however we practiced before our previous games is what we have to keep up," senior guard Frida Formann commented. "Of course, there's a lot of buzz around us right now, but I think we are good at just keeping to ourselves and looking inward for the acknowledgment we need."
The excitement around the team has been noticeable. CU's last home game had nearly 4,000 people fill the CU Events Center on a Sunday afternoon. The 3,931 fans made for the largest attended game in November since hosting Northern Arizona on Nov. 11, 2011 (4,109).
"The community has been really happy about how we're performing and that's probably been the most fun part," Formann explained. "Within the team, I think it's always fun to be part of something successful. So you maybe get even more buy-in because everyone knows that what we're doing is special."
CU's ascension has been in the making and is due in large to the team's veteran presence. Formann, Jaylyn Sherrod and Charlotte Whittaker were part of the squad when CU upset No. 1 Stanford in 2021. Those three players are the longest-tenured Buffs and have since been joined by key pieces in Quay Miller, Tameiya Sadler and Kindyll Wetta. Aaronette Vonleh, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, is early into her second season in Boulder but has quickly vaulted to one of CU's most impactful players. Â
"We know that we have some big challenges ahead," Formann added. "We know what these preseason games really matter when we come to March. We just take it one game at a time, like everyone else."
The next challenge ahead for the Buffs is a quick trip to Dallas to take on the Mustangs. CU will play Saturday night and return to Boulder for a quick pit stop before heading back out on the road on Monday to the US Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Classic.
"Traveling is super hard," Formann expressed about the upcoming week. "I think we're just preparing by knowing we need to rest our bodies. Recovery is super important but also just trying to stay sane as a group and talk about things other than basketball."
SMU (3-0) finished 17-13 last season and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. CU owns a 3-0 record over the Mustangs that includes a 78-55 win in Boulder back in 2021. SMU ranks 24th in the country with 20.0 assists per game and it leads the American Conference with a 42.2 3-point field goal %.
Saturday's game is set for a 7 p.m. MT tip. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will be courtside on the Colorado Radio Network, starting with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. The game can be heard locally on AM 630 as well as the Varsity App and CUBuffs.com/Listen.
Players Mentioned
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