Colorado University Athletics
CU Returns Home To Host No. 7/6 Oklahoma
THE GAME: The University of Colorado plays its third-straight game against a ranked Big 12 Conference Southern Division opponent as the Buffaloes host No. 7/6 University of Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. MST at the Coors Events/Conference Center.
BROADCAST: SaturdayGÇÖs game will be televised live by Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, with Tim Ring on the play by play and former CU head coach Ceal Barry with the color commentary. All Colorado womenGÇÖs basketball regular and post season games are broadcast live on KKZN AM 760, BoulderGÇÖs Progressive Talk station. Mike Rice will handle play by play duties and is joined by USA BasketballGÇÖs Carol Callan with the color commentary. Live internet audio can be accessed through Yahoo! Sports.
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 8-8 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 after dropping pair of league road games in the last week. CU has been a streaky team this season, compiling two separate three-game winning streaks while having a four-game losing streak and a current two-game slide. The Buffaloes need just one win to equal both their overall and Big 12 win totals from the 2005-06 season (9-21, 3-13 Big 12).
Junior forward Jackie McFarland is living up to her All-Big 12 second team status in 2006, and then some. She is averaging 19.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, ranking third and second in the Big 12 respectively. Through games of Jan. 14, McFarland ranked second in NCAA Division I in field-goal percentage at 69.2 percent (101-of-146). She has 10 games of shooting 70 percent or better this season.
She is the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and also just the 10th to register 1,000 points and 600 career rebounds. She was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the seasonGÇÖs opening weekend (Nov. 13) and named to the Coors Classic All-Tournament Team.
McFarland has 10 double-doubles this season, ranking second in the Big 12, and 29 in her career which ranks third on CUGÇÖs all-time list.
Senior guard/forward Jasmina Ilic is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. She has a team-high 20 steals, which equals her 30-game total in 2005-06. Ilic has 26 3-point field goals while her 87.8 percent efficiency from the free-throw line ranks second in the Big 12.
After missing seven games with a fracture in the fourth metatarsal of her left foot, sophomore center Kara Richards has returned to the starting lineup for the last five games. CU is 3-2 since her return and she has averaged 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game while hitting 72.4 percent from the field (21-of-29). Playing in her first game against Big 12 competition since the 2005 Big 12 Tournament, Richards recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a personal-best 13 rebounds in the win over Missouri. Through four conference games, Richards has made 16-of-21 field goal attempts (.762), tops in the Big 12. In nine games total games this season, Richards is averaging 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and hitting 65.4 percent from the floor (34-of-52).
Junior guard Susie Powers had a breakout game against Iowa State. She scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 from 3-point range, all of which were career highs. Her 45.7 percent efficiency from 3-point land ranks sixth in the Big 12 and her 37 assists rank second on the team.
Colorado is receiving strong support from its freshman class. Redshirt freshman guard Bianca Smith has made 10 starts and is averaging 6.8 points per game including a career-high 18 points in the win over Iowa State. She has 25 3-point field goals and ranks seventh in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (.417).
Freshman Whitney Houston is averaging 6.9 points per game and leads the Buffaloes with 42 assists. She provided a spark off the bench in her first career Big 12 contest, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field against Missouri. HoustonGÇÖs 2.8 assists per game ranks fifth among freshmen in the Big 12 and 14th overall. Fellow Memphis, Tenn., native Candace Rucker started three games during the nonconference schedule and is averaging 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds per game. She is second on the team in steals with 18 and her 1.3 per game average is eighth among freshmen in the Big 12. She tied a career high with seven points on 3-of-4 from the field in the loss at Texas A&M.
Forward Aija Putnina is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, tops in the Big 12 among freshmen and 18th overall. She had a team-high nine rebounds, two blocks and two assists against Texas on Jan. 13.
HOME COOKING: Colorado is 8-2 overall at home this season averaging 71.7 points and 41.7 rebounds per game and shooting 46.1 percent from the field (257-of-603). The Buffaloes defense is holding oppenents to 64 points a contest and just 33 rebounds per game and 38.8 percent shooting (234-603). Jackie McFarland is averaging 20.4 points and 11.2 rebounds through 10 games at the Coors Events Center while shooting 71 percent (70-of-99). Jasmina Ilic is averaging 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while Kara Richards is at 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
RECORD HALF FROM "3": Colorado set a school record for 3-point field goals in one half by drilling 10 in the first stanza of the BuffsGÇÖ 81-67 win over Iowa State on Jan. 10. Bianca SmithGÇÖs long-range jumper -- her fourth of the half -- with 7 seconds remaining in the period gave CU the record, breaking the previous mark of nine set against the University of Buffalo on Jan. 3, 2004. The 13 3-pointers CU had in the game was its most since a similar bakerGÇÖs dozen put up against the University of Northern Colorado on Dec. 29, 2004.
A SUCCESSFUL BEGINNING: Colorado began the Big 12 season 2-0 for the first time since 1996-97. The start also agave the Buffaloes their first two-game league win streak since defeating Oklahoma State and Kansas on Feb. 21 and 24, 2004. Colorado opened the Big 12 season with a 71-59 win over the University of Missouri on Jan. 3. The win was the first for CU in a Big 12 opener since defeating Baylor to begin the 2004 league schedule and the 12-point margin of victory was CUGÇÖs highest in the leagueGÇÖs 11-year history. Colorado is now 5-6 in Big 12 openers and 19-14 overall in conference openers.
HOUSTON GAME CANCELLED: CUGÇÖs game against the University of Houston that was scheduled for Dec. 30, was cancelled when the Cougars opted not to travel to Boulder for the game due to the winter weather conditions that had spread across the Midwest that weekend. The game is not expected to be rescheduled this season.
LUBIN LEAVES BUFFALOES: Junior guard Lauren Lubin has decided to leave the CU womenGÇÖs basketball program, but will remain at the university as a student, head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced on Dec. 27.
Lubin, who earned a pair of letters with the Buffaloes, averaged 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds over 49 career games. She played in five contests for the Buffaloes this winter, recording three steals and two rebounds. Lubin originally walked on in 2004-05 as a freshman, where she played in 16 games before missing the last half of the season with mononucleosis. Lubin earned a scholarship for the 2005-06 campaign, averaging 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore, including a team-best 42.9 percent from 3-point range (12-of-28).
RICHARDS GRANTED MEDICAL HARDSHIP: Center Kara Richards received some good news on Dec. 2 as the Big 12 Conference office granted her a medical hardship for missing the 2005-06 season. Richards season was lost after suffering a Jones fracture ? a fracture to the fifth metatarsal ? in her left foot on Nov. 15, 2005, just three dayGÇÖs before CUGÇÖs season opening win over Cal State Fullerton. The medical hardship means she returns to sophomore standing for the 2006-07 season and will have two more years of eligibility remaining.
McFARLAND BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jackie McFarland was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 WomenGÇÖs Basketball Player of the Week by a media voting panel on Nov. 13 for the opening weekend of games.
This is McFarlandGÇÖs third career weekly honor from the Big 12 as she was twice named the leagueGÇÖs Rookie of the Week during the 2004-05 season.
McFarland averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and two steals while shooting 71 percent from the field (17-of-24) in games against San Francisco and No. 16/15 ranked Vanderbilt over the weekend.
McFarland had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 12 rebounds in the season-opening 62-56 win over San Francisco. She scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds along with two assists and three steals against No. 16/15 Vanderbilt. McFarland recorded double-doubles in both games for the 20th and 21st of her career. She had nine points ? a 3-pointer and two conventional 3-point plays ? in the final minute against VU as Colorado nearly erased a 17-point second half deficit.
THE COACH: Kathy McConnell-Miller is in her second season as ColoradoGÇÖs head coach and in her eighth season at the helm of an NCAA Division I program. She is 17-29 with the Buffaloes and has an overall head coaching record of 108-117.
ABOUT THE SOONERS: Oklahoma is 14-1 overall and is the only undefeated team in Big 12 play at 4-0. In fact, OU has won 23 games against Big 12 foes. The Sooners were ranked No. 6 in the latest USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Top 25 poll and No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. OklahomaGÇÖs lone loss of the season came in Norman against Ohio State 74-67 on Dec. 20. OU is 8-0 on the road and 10-0 away from Norman this season. The Sooners average 80.1 points per game while giving up just 58.5. OU shoots 49.7 percent from the field while allowing opponents only 31.8 percent shooting. On the boards, OU outrebounds its foes by 15.2 per contest (47.8-32.6).
Oklahoma is led by preseason All-American Courtney Paris, who is prominent on all of the national player of the year watch lists. The 6-4 sophomore leads the Big 12 at 22.9 points and 15.4 rebounds per game while hitting 62.4 percent from the field. She is complimented by a quartet of Sooner seniors. Guard Chelsi Welch is second on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and has a team-best 26 3-point field goals. Forward Leah Rush averages 10.3 points per game and is a 53 percent field goal shooter. Guard Britney Brown leads the Sooners with 60 assists (4.0 apg).
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 52nd meeting between Colorado and Oklahoma, with the Buffaloes holding a 33-18 series lead. The Sooners have controlled the series in recent years winning four straight and nine of the last 11 since 2000. ColoradoGÇÖs last win over OU was a 73-68 decision in the quarterfinals of the 2003 Big 12 Championship. Earlier that season, on Feb. 16, the Buffs claimed their last win over the Sooners at home, 61-57.
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 1-5 in her career against Oklahoma, 0-1 with Colorado.
AGAINST THE BIG 12 SOUTH: Colorado has won just one of its last 15 games against teams from the Big 12 South. The BuffsGÇÖ lone win in that span is also their last home game against a Big 12 South team, a 73-62 win over Oklahoma State in the 2005-06 home finale on Feb. 26.
STILL IN NEED OF A WIN OVER A RANKED TEAM: Colorado is searching for its first win over a ranked team in 19 tries dating back to January of 2004. The Buffaloes last win over a ranked opponent was a 69-59 decision at No. 24 Baylor on Jan. 7, 2004. CU was ranked No. 14 at the time. The last time CU was unranked and defeated a ranked opponent was in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament when the Buffaloes knocked off No. 12 North Carolina 86-67.
This will be ColoradoGÇÖs third straight game against a ranked team, its first such string since the 2004-05 season when the Buffs played at No. 18/17 Kansas State, at No. 13/13 Texas and hosted No. 6/8 Baylor in consecutive outings.
MILESTONE WINS: With a 56-51 win over Colorado State, CU won its 600th womenGÇÖs basketball game and now stands 603-361 in 32-plus seasons. CUGÇÖs overall .626 winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among Big 12 Conference teams, trailing only Texas, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
With its 78-65 win over Charlotte in the Coors Classic, Colorado won its 300th game at the Coors Events Conference Center, and now stands at 304-89 (.774) all-time at the facility.
CLIMBING THE 3-POINT LADDER: Jasmina Ilic hit four 3-point field goals at Texas A&M to increase her career total to 120, good for sixth place on CUGÇÖs all-time list.
Anna Nedovic had a pair of 3-point field goals against Cal State Bakersfield after sinking just two in the previous 10 games. The pair of treys pushed her career total to 51, tying her with former teammate Emily Waner (2003-04) for 13th on CUGÇÖs all-time chart.
McFARLAND REACHES 1,000, ILIC CLOSING IN: Jackie McFarland became the 20th player in CU history to reach 1,000 career points during the loss at South Dakota State on Dec. 13. McFarland hit the milestone on a second-half layup and now stands at 1,094 points through 73 career games (15.0 ppg). McFarland is also just the 10th Buff to record 1,000 points and 600 rebounds.
Jasmina Ilic needs 75 points to reach 1,000, which by using her season average of 12.8 ppg, she would reach around the game against Kansas on Feb. 6.
Ilic and McFarland would be the first pair of teammates to hit the mark in the same season since Britt Hartshorn, Jenny Roulier and Mandy Nightingale hit 1,000 within two weeks of each other in November 2001.
MORE NUMBERS FOR McFARLAND: Jackie McFarland has 29 career double-doubles which ranks third on the CU charts and her 29 double-digit rebounding games tie for third on the BuffsGÇÖ all-time list with LeaAnn Banks (1984-86). Her 10 double-doubles this season, second-most in the Big 12, tie for sixth on CUGÇÖs single-season chart. McFarland had 14 double-doubles in 2004-05, a mark that is fourth all-time at CU. She began the season with three-straight double-doubles, equalling her output from the 2005-06 season. The only other player in CU history to record three-straight double-doubles to open a season is CUGÇÖs all-time leading scorer Lisa VanGoor, who did it in 1982-83.
McFarland became the 12th player in CU history to reach 600 rebounds, surpassing the mark during the loss at Texas on Jan. 13. She is currently 12th on the career list with 616 and needs 31 to move into CUGÇÖs Top 10. She is seventh on CUGÇÖs career list for blocked shots with 79. McFarland needs 21 to reach 100 and would be just the sixth Buff to reach the century mark. She is 10th on CUGÇÖs career list with 316 free-throws made.
COME FROM BEHIND WIN BREAKS LONG DROUGHT: CUGÇÖs 62-56 win over San Francisco broke a 26-game losing streak when the Buffaloes trailed at halftime dating back to a 56-51 win at Missouri on Jan. 18, 2005. USF led 30-26 at the break, but the Buffs outscored the Dons 36-26 in the second half.
BUFFS IN OPENERS: Colorado is 28-5 (.844) all-time in season openers and a whopping 32-1 (.970) all-time in home openers. The BuffsGÇÖ lone loss in a season-opening home game was a 77-63 setback to Michigan on Nov. 21, 1999. CU has won seven straight season debuts and 20 of its last 21 with the lone loss in that span coming at Denver on Nov. 19, 1999.
EARLY START: The Nov. 10 start against USF was the third earliest start for the Buffs and the second earliest home game in their 33-year history. CUGÇÖs earliest start came in season No. 2 as the Buffs dropped an 81-80 decision at Nebraska on Nov. 6, 1976. CUGÇÖs earliest start at the Coors Events Center is much more recent as the Buffs hosted Oral Roberts in a preseason WNIT game on Nov. 9, 2001, a 78-49 CU win.
BUFFS PICKED 11TH: CU was picked to finish 11th in the annual Big 12 Coaches Preseason Poll. The Buffaloes received 26 points, an improvement from the 14 points received a year ago when the CU was picked to finish last. CU was 9-21 overall in 2005-06 and finished 11th in the Big 12 race with a 3-13 mark.
Defending league champion Oklahoma was picked to repeat its title receiving all 11 possible first place votes for a total of 121 points. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Big 12 Southern Division teams dominated the upper half of the poll, taking the top four spots. Texas A&M was picked second with 107 points, followed by Texas (101) and Baylor (94).
Iowa State came in fifth with 68 points, just edging out Nebraska which was picked sixth with 66. Kansas State and Texas Tech tied for seventh with 57 points followed by Missouri (43), Kansas (36), CU (26) and Oklahoma State (16).
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Colorado once again faces a tough schedule with no less than 17 games against 2006 NCAA or WNIT tournament teams. The Buffaloes will host perennial NCAA womenGÇÖs powers Southern California and Vanderbilt during the non-conference season as well as region rival Colorado State. Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma come to Boulder this year out of the Big 12 South along with the BuffsGÇÖ usual Big 12 North opponents.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 304-89 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.774). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 18 of the previous 28 years including five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94). The Buffaloes, 8-2 at home this season, have only three seasons of sub-.500 play in the 28 years of the Coors Events Center.
BUFFS ON TV: ColoradoGÇÖs schedule features nine games that will be televised either regionally or nationally by Fox Sports Net. Two games are part of the Big 12GÇÖs national package with FSN: Sunday, Jan. 28, at Missouri and Saturday, Feb. 10, at home against Nebraska. FSN Rocky Mountain will televise six CU home games beginning with the regular season opener against San Francisco on Friday, Nov. 10. FSN Midwest will televise CUGÇÖs game at Kansas State on Wed., Feb. 14, which could potentially be picked up by FSN Rocky Mountain as well.
UP NEXT: Colorado will hit the road again, for the third time in four games, when the Buffaloes take on Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. MST in Stillwater, Okla.