Colorado University Athletics
CU Travels To Virginia
THE GAME: Colorado faces its first road test of the season by facing No. 11 (Associated Press)/No. 16 (WBCA/USA Today/ESPN) Virginia on Monday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. MST in John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
BROADCAST: MondayGÇÖs game can be heard live on KKZN AM 760. Mike Rice will deliver play-by-play of WednesdayGÇÖs game with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing color commentary. Live internet audio of all CU basketball games is available through Yahoo! Sports. A live webcast is available through the ACC Select/CBS College Sports All Access online subscription service.
OPENING TIP: ItGÇÖs homecoming for Colorado head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller who was a four-year letterwinner for the Cavaliers from 1985-89 and she will be facing her former head coach, WomenGÇÖs Basketball Hall of Fame member Debbie Ryan, in her 32nd year at Virginia. McConnell-MillerGÇÖs Buffaloes will be looking to reach 3-0 for the first time since 2003-04 and to do so will have to knock off a Cavalier team that recently defeated defending national champion Tennessee in Knoxville.
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 2-0 for the first time since 2003-04 after convincing home wins over UCF (86-59) on Nov. 16 and Colorado State (93-63) on Nov. 19.
The Buffaloes offense has started the season red hot, breaking the 80-point mark in both games and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring at 89.5 points per game. It is the first time CU has opened the season with back-to-back 80-plus point games since the 2002-03 campaign when the Buffs began with home wins over Rice (85-66) and Detroit Mercy (86-43). The 179 combined points are CUGÇÖs most since 2000-01 when the Buffs scored 189 in wins over Albany (93-43) and Howard (96-45).
Colorado is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field (63-of-127) and 41 percent from 3-point range (15-of-37). The Buffs ball movement has been strong over the first two games, averaging 16.5 assists per contest and theyGÇÖve been protecting the ball too. CU has more assists than turnovers (33 to 31) and holds a +5.5 turnover margin over its opponents.
Sophomore Brittany Spears has led CU through the first two games averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals. She tied her career high with 24 points against Colorado State and is the first CU player to hit 20 points in the first two games of the season since Jamillah Lang in 1993-94, who scored 20 or more in her first four contests. Spears also notched her eighth career double-double in the Colorado State game, pulling down a team season-high 10 rebounds.
Senior center Kara Richards has had an equally impressive start to her season. SheGÇÖs averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds over the first two games while hitting 72 percent from the field (13-of-18) and 92 percent from the free-throw line (12-of-13). Richards scored a career-high 25 points in the win over Colorado State, which included a personal best 9-of-9 performance from the free throw line. Her 38 points in two games are more than one-third of the way to her junior season point total of 97 in 30 games.
Junior guard Bianca Smith has averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the early season totals. The scoring is not a surprise for Smith, but the rebound numbers are vastly improved. She held a career 1.7 rebound per game average coming into this season, but had a personal-best eight rebounds against Colorado State, bettering her previous career high of six which she reached in the season opener against UCF and against Marquette in the final game of the 2007-08 season.
Sophomore point guard Kelly Jo Mullaney has had a solid start running the Buffaloes offense. SheGÇÖs averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Mullaney scored 14 points and dished out six assists in win over Colorado State, a team which she played for in 2006-07. True freshman guard Alyssa Fressle has started the seasonGÇÖs first two games averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest.
ColoradoGÇÖs bench, albeit short due to injuries, has been very productive. The bench has averaged 20 points per game for Colorado, led by freshman forward Julie Seabrook who has averaged 7.0 points over the first two contests while hitting 5-of-7 from the field. Senior Hannah Skildum has 11 points and six rebounds on the season, dishing out a career-high five in the win over UCF. Sophomore center Courtney Dunn has four 3-point field goals in two games.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: No. 16/11 ranked Virginia is 2-1 and coming off a 78-70 loss to instate rival Old Dominion on Nov. 21. The Cavaliers hold one of the noteable wins of the young basketball season, defeating then defending national champion Tennessee in Knoxville on Nov. 17.
Junior forward Monica Wright, a 2007-08 All-ACC second team selection, leads the Cavaliers at 24.7 points per game. She had a career-high 35 points in VirginiaGÇÖs win at Tennessee. An honorable mention All-American as a sophomore, Wright also averages four rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. The Cavaliers sport four players scoring in double digits. Senior center Aisha Mohammed averages 15 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. The honorable mention All-ACC selection is hitting 59 percent from the field on the young season (17-of-29). Freshman guard Ariana Moorer is averaging 11 points per game while freshman foward Chelsea Shine is averaging 10 points off the bench.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be just the second meeting between Colorado and Virginia with the Cavaliers picking up a 65-63 win in Charlottesville on Jan. 7, 1980.
The Buffaloes are 3-3 all-time against the ACC. This will be CUGÇÖs first game against an ACC opponent since its 86-67 win over North Carolina in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Kathy McConnell-Miller has never faced her alma mater as a head coach and is 1-3 against the ACC, all four games coming while she was at Tulsa.
FAMILIAR FACES: Kathy McConnell-Miller faces her former head coach, Debbie Ryan, for the first time in any coaching capacity. Kathy McConnell, played for Ryan from 1985-89, helping the Cavaliers to four NCAA Tournaments including a pair of Sweet 16GÇÖs and the 1988 Elite Eight.
Virginia sports two Coloradoans on its roster, the sister combination of junior forward Jayna Hartig and sophomore forward Kelly Hartig of Highlands Ranch. The Hartig sisters are graduates of ThunderRidge High School and competed against current CU freshman and Highlands Ranch graduate Alyssa Fressle in one of ColoradoGÇÖs most intense prep rivalries.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 50-107 all-time against ranked teams. CU had one of its more successful years against ranked teams in 2007-08, sporting a 3-4 records. Prior to the 2007-08 season, the Buffs had suffered 23 straight losses against ranked opponents from 2004-07.
One of the BuffsGÇÖ signature wins last year came on the road against another storied program in Vanderbilt. Colorado defeated the No. 20/17 ranked Commodores, 62-51, on Dec. 9, 2007. The win was ColoradoGÇÖs first on the road over a ranked opponent as an unranked team since defeating No. 12 Texas in Austin, 60-56, on Feb. 26, 1997.
ON THIS DATE: Colorado is 8-2 in games played on Nov. 24, but Monday will be the Buffaloes first ever game on Nov. 24 played somewhere besides Boulder.
Colorado is 101-29 all-time in the month of November, with the majority coming at home. When the Buffaloes do venture out on the road in the 11th month, they are 12-15 in true away games. The Buffaloes went 3-2 last November with wins at San Francisco and home against Rice and Northern Colorado. CU lost to USC on the road and Siena at home last November.
BUFFS IN OPENERS: Colorado improved to 30-5 (.857) all-time in season openers and an outstanding 33-2 (.942) all-time in home openers. Colorado has never lost its overall season opener when played at home (23-0).
HOUSTON TO MISS SEASON, DALE OUT UNTIL LATE DECEMBER: Junior guard Whitney Houston will miss the 2008-09 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on Sept. 24 during team individual workouts. She had successful surgery in October and will be able to use her redshirt season and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Houston has averaged 6.1 points and 1.8 assists for the Buffaloes in 59 games over the past two seasons. She was a starter in 20 of those and was in the mix for the starting point guard position once again. Houston was CUGÇÖs leader in scoring (4.3 ppg) and assists (1.4 apg) among those that primarily came off the bench in 2007-08 and averaged 6.5 points and just under two assists over the final 15 games.
Additionally sophomore guard Chelsea Dale underwent successful surgery to stabilize ligaments in her right ankle in early September. Dale, who saw action in 12 games as a true freshman in 2007-08, is currently in rehabilitation and is expected to return in December.
BUFFS PICKED 11TH...AGAIN: For the third straight season Colorado was picked to finish 11th in the annaul Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
Oklahoma was picked to win the 2009 title with seven first place votes and 124 points overall. Texas, earning one first place vote, edged out Iowa State for second place with 95 points. The Cyclones, who actually claimed a pair of first place votes came in third with 93. Baylor was fourth with 89 (and one first place vote), followed by Texas A&M (85), Oklahoma State (79, and one first place vote), Kansas State (71), Nebraska (56), Kansas (41), Texas Tech (36), Colorado (18) and Missouri (15).
The Buffaloes have fared better than the Big 12 coaches preseason prediction each of the last three seasons under Kathy McConnell-Miller:
Season Preseason Actual
2008-09 11th ??
2007-08 11th 9th
2006-07 11th t-7th
2005-06 12th 11th
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Colorado once again faces a tough schedule with no less than 17 games against 2008 NCAA or WNIT tournament teams. Seven of CUGÇÖs opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor, Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Six of those seven are ranked in the first regular season Associated Press poll, with Iowa State the second team listed in the others receiving votes category. Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Minnesota recevied votes in the coaches poll while K-State joined ISU in the AP receiving votes group.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 324-98 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.768). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 20 of the previous 30 years including a 15-6 mark in 2007-08. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CECC.
BUFFS ON TV: ColoradoGÇÖs schedule features seven games that will be televised either regionally or nationally, all at home and on FSN Rocky Mountain. The Buffaloes will host Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 31 in a nationally televised contest on FSN. Other games on CUGÇÖs FSN Rocky Mountain schedule are Colorado State (Nov. 19), Baylor (Jan. 10), Oklahoma (Jan. 21), Texas Tech (Jan. 28), Iowa State (Feb. 7) and Missouri (Feb. 28).
UP NEXT: Colorado returns home to host the 22nd Annual Coors Classic, November 28-29, at the Coors Events/Conference Center. The Buffaloes will host Massachusetts, Drexel and Minnesota.