Colorado University Athletics
Buffaloes Renew Rivalry With Kansas State Wednesday
THE GAME: The University of Colorado returns home to host Kansas State University on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. MST at the Coors Events Conference Center.
BROADCAST: WednesdayGÇÖs 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, 8-11 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play, will be attempting to snap a season-high five-game losing streak. CUGÇÖs five game skid is due in part to a grueling stretch of four out of five games on the road, including three ranked teams, and the one home game was a tightly contested 82-67 battle against defending league champion and No. 7/6 ranked University of Oklahoma on Jan. 20. The Buffaloes return to the friendly confines where they are 8-3 this season with two of the three losses coming to teams currently ranked in the Top 15 in the nation (No. 9 OU and No. 15 Vanderbilt).
CU has been a streaky team this season, compiling two separate three-game winning streaks while having a four-game losing skid and its current five-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 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, ranking third and second in the Big 12 respectively. McFarland ranks third in NCAA Division I in field-goal percentage through games of Jan. 28 at 63.9 percent. She has 10 games of shooting 70 percent or better this season.
McFarland is just the ninth player in school history to register 1,100 points and 600 career rebounds and she currently ranks in CUGÇÖs career Top 10 in blocked shots, free-throws made and 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 12 double-doubles this season, ranking second in the Big 12, and five in seven conference games. She has 31 in her career which ranks third on CUGÇÖs all-time list.
Senior guard/forward Jasmina Ilic is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and has led the team in scoring in two of the last three contests. She also tops the Buffaloes with 33 3-point field goals, 24 steals and an 89.1 percent efficiency from the free-throw stripe. Her 24 steals are four more than she had in 30 games last season and her free-throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12 and 11th in the nation.
Sophomore center Kara Richards is third on the team in scoring (7.5 ppg) and second in rebounding average (5.1 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.619). She leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage during conference only games (.656) and would be second in the Big 12 overall, behind McFarland, but she has not yet reached the minimum percentage of CUGÇÖs games played to be ranked (75 percent). She missed seven games with a fracture in the fourth metatarsal of her left foot, but as returned strong. In her first game against Missouri this season, which was also her first 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.
Junior guard Susie Powers is averaging 4.0 points per game and is hitting 41.9 percent from 3-point range. She just dipped under the number of 3-pointers needed to rank among the overall Big 12 leaders after the Missouri game, but still ranks fourth in percentage during league only games (.471). She ranks second on the team in assists with 45.
Colorado is receiving strong support from its freshman class. Redshirt freshman guard Bianca Smith has made 13 starts and is averaging 5.7 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 (.385).
Freshman Whitney Houston leads the Buffaloes with 47 assists and is averaging 10.3 points over the last four Big 12 contests. She provided a much needed spark of the bench by scoring a career-high 14 points against Oklahoma State and added 10 against Missouri. HoustonGÇÖs 2.61 assists per game ranks fifth among freshmen in the Big 12 and 15th overall. Fellow Memphis, Tenn., native Candace Rucker started three games during the nonconference schedule and is averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She is third on the team in steals with 20 and her 1.1 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 5.1 rebounds per game, third on the team and second in the Big 12 among freshmen She had a team-high nine rebounds, two blocks and two assists against Texas on Jan. 13.
HOME COOKING: The Buffaloes are hoping the keys to erasing their five game losing streak reside within the confines of the Coors Events Center. Colorado is shooting 45.2 percent in 11 home games (277-of-613), far better than its 39.4 percent average in seven road losses (136-of-345). CU is also rebounding far better at home, with rebounding margin of 7.1 per game while pulling down 41 a contest. On the road, CU is pulling down just 34.3 per game and giving up 38.9 to its opponents. The Buffaloes have been battling turnovers all season long and average just under three more on the road (23.6 TOpg) than at home (20.7 TOpg). Rebounds and turnovers have allowed CU opponents to take 14 more shots per game (63-49) on the road than the Buffs, however the CU defense has held opponents to just 38.1 percent from the field on the road (167-of-438), which is slightly better than the 39.7 percent allowed at home (262-of-660).
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).
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Kansas State is 15-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12. The Wildcats are just completing a stretch similar to one the Buffaloes just went through, playing 4-of-5 on the road. KSU was able to pick up a win in its one home game during that span defeating last-place Kansas 59-55 in Manhattan on Jan. 24. The Wildcats are just 3-4 on the road this season and winless in Big 12 action (0-4). Kansas State is allowing opponents just 57.6 points per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12, but the Wildcats have given up 75 points per game in their four road Big 12 contests. Kansas State continues to be one of the better 3-point shooting teams, ranking second in the Big 12 by making 6.4 per game.
Junior Kimberly Dietz, a Boulder native, leads the Wildcats in scoring at 13.6 points per game and tops the Big 12 in 3-point field goals with 47. Senior Claire Coggins is averaging 13.4 points per game and has a team-best 41 steals. Sophomore Shalee Lehning dishes out 5.1 assists per game, second-best in the Big 12. The Wildcats have been without the services of sophomore forward Marlies Gipson who has missed the last four games with a left knee injury. She was averaging 12.8 points per game and leading the Wildcats with 8.3 rebounds per game and 39 blocked shots.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 58th meeting between Colorado and Kansas State with the Buffaloes holding a slim 29-28 series edge. The Wildcats have had the upper hand in recent years, claiming the last eight meetings. CUGÇÖs last win over Kansas State was a 79-58 decision at the Coors Events Center on Feb. 23, 2002. CU is 14-10 overall against the Wildcats in Boulder.
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 0-2 in her career as a head coach against Kansas State, both games coming with Colorado.
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.
MILESTONE WINS: With a 56-51 win over Colorado State, CU won its 600th womenGÇÖs basketball game and now stands 603-364 in 32-plus seasons. CUGÇÖs overall .624 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 304-90 (.772) all-time at the facility.
CLIMBING THE 3-POINT LADDER: Jasmina Ilic hit four 3-point field goals against Oklahoma State to increase her career total to 127, 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 16th on CUGÇÖs all-time scoring list with 1,143 points through 76 career games (15.0 ppg). McFarland is also just the ninth Buff to record 1,100 points and 600 rebounds.
Jasmina Ilic needs 24 points to reach 1,000, giving her a very solid chance to reach the milestone during the current two-game homestand. Her season-high for points is 29, on Jan. 20 against Oklahoma. Her 976 career points rank 21st on CUGÇÖs all time list.
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 31 career double-doubles and 31 double-digit rebounding games, which both rank third on the CU charts. Her 12 double-doubles this season, second-most in the Big 12, tie for fifth 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 10th on the career list with 648. She is seventh on CUGÇÖs career list for blocked shots with 82. McFarland needs 18 to reach 100 and would be just the sixth Buff to reach the century mark. She is 10th on CUGÇÖs career list with 326 free-throws made.
STILL IN NEED OF A WIN OVER A RANKED TEAM: Colorado has dropped 20 straight games to ranked teams 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.
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 304-90 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.772). 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, 8-3 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 return home to host Texas Tech University on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. MST at the Coors Events/Conference Center.