Colorado University Athletics
Weather-Ready Colorado Welcomes Cyclones To Boulder Wednesday
THE GAME: The University of Colorado continues Big 12 Conference action by hosting Iowa State University on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 8 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 is 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 after claiming a 71-59 decision over the University of Missouri in the league opener 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, which won just three Big 12 games in 2005-06 (3-13), will be gunning for its first 2-0 start in league play since the 1996-97 Buffs started 3-0 in the Big 12GÇÖs inaugural season. CU needs just two wins to equal its win total for the entire 2005-06 season (9-21).
Junior forward Jackie McFarland has had a fantastic start to the season. She is averaging 19.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, ranking third and second in the Big 12 respectively. McFarland currently ranks third in NCAA Division I in field-goal percentage at 68.5 percent (89-of-130), which is also tops in the Big 12. At South Dakota State she became the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and also became just the 12th to register 1,000 points and 500 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. She opened the season with three-straight double-doubles and has eight on the season, ranking second in the Big 12. It is only the third time in CU history that a player has began the season with three-straight double-doubles, and McFarland is two of those instances (2005-06). The only other player to start a season with three straight is CUGÇÖs all-time leading scorer Lisa VanGoor who did it in 1982-83.
Senior guard/forward Jasmina Ilic is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game and has averaged 16 points over the last six contests. She has a team-high 18 steals, which is just two shy of her 30-game total in 2005-06. Ilic has a team-high 20 3-point field goals while her 85.4 percent efficiency from the free-throw line ranks third in the Big 12.
Sophomore center Kara Richards has returned to the starting lineup the last two games after missing the previous seven with a fracture in the fourth metatarsal of her left foot. 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. She hit all five of her field-goal attempts and finished with four assists and one blocked shot in 36 minutes. In six games total games this season, Richards is averaging 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and hitting 63.9 percent from the floor (23-of-36).
Colorado is receiving strong support from its freshman class. Redshirt freshman guard Bianca Smith has made seven starts and is averaging 6.6 points per game, including 19 3-point field goals. Smith ranks sixth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (.422) and has made 12 of her last 24 (.500).
Freshman Whitney Houston is averaging 7.4 points per game and leads the Buffaloes with 37 assists. She provided a spark of the bench in her first career Big 12 contest, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field against Missouri. HoustonGÇÖs 3.08 assists per game average ranks fourth among freshmen in the Big 12 and 10th overall. Fellow Memphis, Tenn., native Candace Rucker made her first career start against Cal State Fullerton and is averaging 3.6 points, 2.8 rebounds per game. She is second on the team in steals with 16 and her 1.23 per game average is eighth among freshmen in the Big 12.
Forward Aija Putnina has played limited minutes in the last two games after missing the previous two, and most of a third, with a stress reaction on the third metatarsal of her left foot. The injury was not a fracture, rather a "hot spot" on the bone. Prior to her injury, she had moved into the starting lineup with the foot injury to Richards and made an immediate impact. In her four starts she averaged 10.5 points, a team-best 13.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Her 6.6 rebounds per game tops all freshmen in the Big 12 and ranks 15th overall.
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 16-27 with the Buffaloes and has an overall head coaching record of 107-115.
ABOUT THE CYCLONES: Iowa State is 13-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12. The Cyclones, who are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls, saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end with a 66-56 setback to Missouri on Jan. 6. This will be just their fourth game outside of the state of Iowa this season (1-2). Iowa State tops the Big 12 and ranks ninth in NCAA Division I in 3-point field goals at 7.7 per game. The Cyclones also play well on the boards, holding a plus-8.4 rebounding margin over their opponents.
ISU is led by senior All-Big 12 guard Lyndsey Medders who averages 13.3 points and 6.7 assists per game. Junior forward Toccara Ross is enjoying a solid first season with the Cyclones, pulling down a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game while averaging 12.1 points per contest and hitting 52.6 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Nicky Wieben ranks second on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and tops the squad with 28 blocked shots.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 57th meeting between Colorado and Iowa State with the Buffaloes holding a 35-21 edge in the series that dates back to the 1976-77 season. The Cyclones have held the advantage in recent years, riding a five-winning streak and a 14-6 edge since the 1997-98 season. Colorado is 17-7 in Boulder against Iowa State, but has dropped the last two. CUGÇÖs last win over Iowa State came on Feb. 11, 2004, a 72-67 decision at the Coors Events Center.
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 0-2 in her career against Iowa State, both with Colorado.
HEY, WE PLAYED THEM TOO: Colorado and Iowa State have one common opponent, Cal State Fullerton, from the preseason schedule. The Buffaloes fell to the Titans, 89-77, in Fullerton, Calif., on Dec. 7. Iowa State defeated the Cal State Fullerton at home, 85-62, in its season opener on Nov. 15. CU and Iowa State each played Missouri already in the Big 12 slate. The Buffs defeated the Tigers 71-59 on Jan. 3 in Boulder, while the ISU dropped a 66-56 decision to MU in Columbia on Jan. 6.
BIG 12 OPENERS: Colorado is now 5-6 in Big 12 Conference openers and 19-14 overall in conference openers. CUGÇÖs 71-59 win over Missouri on Jan. 3 snapped a two-game skid in Big 12 openers and a three-game slide in Big 12 home openers.
ON THIS DATE: Colorado is 5-4 all-time on Jan. 10, including a 2-2 record in Boulder. CU defeated Kansas last season on Jan. 10, 74-65, in Kathy McConnell-MillerGÇÖs first Big 12 win.
MILESTONE WINS: With a 56-51 win over Colorado State, CU won its 600th womenGÇÖs basketball game and now stands 602-359 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 303-89 (.773) all-time at the facility.
CLIMBING THE 3-POINT LADDER: Jasmina Ilic hit a pair of 3-point field goals against Missouri to increase her career total to 114, 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 1,042 points through 70 career games (14.9 ppg). McFarland is also just the 12th Buff to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Jasmina Ilic needs 107 points to reach 1,000, which by using her season average of 13.3 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 27 career double-doubles which ranks third on the CU charts and her 27 double-digit rebounding games are fourth on the BuffsGÇÖ all-time list. She has eight double-doubles this season, ranking second in the Big 12. 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 17th player in CU history to reach 500 rebounds, surpassing the mark during the win over Nevada on Nov. 24. She is currently 13th on the career list with 581 and needs 66 to move into CUGÇÖs Top 10. She is ninth on CUGÇÖs career list for blocked shots with 76. McFarland needs 24 to reach 100 and would be just the sixth Buff to reach the century mark. She is 11th on CUGÇÖs career list with 298 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.
STILL IN NEED OF A WIN OVER A RANKED TEAM: After its competitive 81-76 loss to No. 16/15 Vanderbilt, Colorado is still searching for its first win over a ranked team in 17 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.
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 303-89 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.773). 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, 7-2 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 endure its first road Big 12 test of 2007 as the Buffaloes play the University of Texas on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m. MST in Austin.