Colorado University Athletics
CU Hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff
THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events/Conference Center.
BROADCAST: TuesdayGÇÖs game can be heard live on KKZN AM 760. Mike Rice will deliver play-by-play with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing color commentary. Live internet audio of all CU basketball games is available through Yahoo! Sports. TuesdayGÇÖs game will also be streamed live on CUBuffs.com through the BuffsTV subscription service.
OPENING TIP: Colorado will be looking to break a three-game losing streak, its first during nonconference play since the 2006-07 season. The Buffaloes, which dropped both games in the Coors Classic last weekend, have never lost three straight home nonconference games.
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 2-3 overall and is out to end a three-game slide which included losses to UMass (70-62) and Drexel (67-63) in the 22nd Annual Coors Classic held last weekend in Boulder. It was the first time that Colorado had lost both its games in its own Classic. Despite the setbacks, the Buffaloes return to the Coors Events Center where they have won eight of their last 11 games overall and 13 of their last 16 against nonconference opponents.
Sophomore Brittany Spears leads Colorado and ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring at 20.6 points per game. She averaged 26 in the two games of the Coors Classic, earning All-Tournament honors. She scored a career high 36 points against UMass, a Classic record and tying for the third best total in team history (Jasmina Ilic scored 36 against Nebraska on Jan. 4, 2006). Spears also set Classic records for field goals in one game (12 vs. UMass) and field goal attempts over two games (40). She also tops Colorado in rebounding (8.0 rpg), 3-point field goals (10) and fee throws made (23) and attempted (32).
Senior center Kara Richards is off to her best start since her freshman year, averaging 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 block over the first five games. Richards tops CU in field-goal percentage at 66 percent (21-of-32) and would lead the Big 12 in that category, but she falls just shy of the league minimum of five field goals made per game. 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 60 points in five games is nearly two-thirds of her junior season point total of 97 in 30 games.
Junior guard Bianca Smith has averaged 9.4 points and 5.8 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. She has six or more rebounds in five of her last six games, dating back to last season.
True freshman guard Alyssa Fressle has started the seasonGÇÖs first five games averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game. Her 13 steals leads Colorado, ranks fourth in the Big 12 and is the top number by a league freshman. She averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the two Coors Classic games. Fressle is coming off her best performance of the season, logging 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals against Drexel.
Sophomore point guard Kelly Jo Mullaney is averaging 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 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.
ColoradoGÇÖs bench, albeit short due to injuries, has been very productive. Freshman forward Julie Seabrook has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while hitting 7-of-11 from the field. Senior Hannah Skildum recorded 10 points on 4-of-7 from the field against Drexel for her best scoring output since she had 11 against Siena in 2007. She is second on the team in assists with 11 and is averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore center Courtney Dunn is averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Colorado is averaging just under 70 points per game while allowing 67.2 to opponents. The Buffaloes are shooting 41 percent from the field and 66 percent from the free throw line. ColoradoGÇÖs field goal percentage defense has been good, limiting opponents to just 36 percent from the floor and 27 percent from 3-point range, but opponents are enjoying a 7.6 rebound per game edge over the Buffaloes.
ABOUT THE LADY LIONS: Arkansas-Pine Bluff is 1-3 overall and has lost its last three since a season-opening win over UT-Pan American (65-53) on Nov. 14. The Lady Lions, who will be playing their fourth of nine straight road games when they come to Boulder, lost by wide margins to Mississippi State (94-52) and Oklahoma State (91-45) before being edged by Central Arkansas (71-70) on Nov. 29. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is averaging 58 points per game while giving up 77.2 to opponents. The Lady Lions are struggling from the field, hitting just 31 percent as a team and 25 percent from 3-point range.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is led by senior guard Arica Green who is averaging 18 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. SheGÇÖs coming off a 29-point effort against Central Arkansas where she made 11-of-16 shots and recorded six rebounds and five steals. Green is hitting 47 percent from the floor and is the only LionsGÇÖ player above 40 percent. Senior forward Ciara Shields is Arkansas-Pine BluffGÇÖs top rebounder at 6.5 per contest and she is the teamGÇÖs second leading scorer at 11 per game. Junior guard Tahsayla Jackson is averaging 10.8 points and 2.3 rebounds.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the first meeting between Colorado and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Colorado is a perfect 3-0 all-time against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, including a 65-29 win over Texas Southern last season.
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 2-0 as a head coach against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, both games coming while she was at Tulsa.
SCORING EARLY AND OFTEN AT COORS: The Buffaloes offense started the season red hot, breaking the 80-point mark in their first two games (89.5 ppg). It was the first time CU 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 were CUGÇÖs most since 2000-01 when the Buffs scored 189 in wins over Albany (93-43) and Howard (96-45).
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 50-108 all-time against ranked teams, after falling to No. 16/11 Virginia on Nov. 24. 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.
ON THIS DATE: Colorado is 6-4 all time in games played on Dec. 2, including a 4-1 mark at home. The last Dec. 2 game was the lone home loss, a 76-57 setback to USC in 2006.
Colorado is 150-67 all-time in the month of December. The Buffaloes were a perfect 7-0 last December and have won their last eight in the 12th month, dating back to 2006.
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 TO COME BACK SOON: 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.
Sophomore guard Chelsea Dale, who underwent successful surgery to stabilize ligaments in her right ankle in early September, should be available soon. Dale has been practicing with the team and is expected to make her season debut within the next few games. Dale saw action in 12 games as a true freshman in 2007-08.
BUFFS PICKED 11TH...AGAIN: For the third straight season Colorado was picked to finish 11th in the annual 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 latest regular season Associated Press poll, with Iowa State the fourth team listed in the others receiving votes category. Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas Tech received 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 324-100 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.764). 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 will travel to play Seton Hall University on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. MST in South Orange, N.J.