Colorado University Athletics
No. 25 Colorado To Host Utah Valley Saturday
THE GAME: No. 25 (AP) ranked University of Colorado will host Utah Valley University on Saturday, Dec. 22, at 1:30 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
BROADCAST: Saturday's game will be broadcast live on KKZN AM 760. Mike Rice will have the play-by-play with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary. A live video stream will be available on the Pac-12 Digital platform at Pac-12.com. All CU women's basketball home games, and select road Pac-12 games, that are not televised will be available through Pac-12.com at this link: http://pac-12.com/live/cubuffs.aspx. The live stream is free to the public and not tied to a Pac-12 Network carrier.
OPENING TIP: Colorado will be looking for the 700th win in program history.
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is off to a 9-0 start for the fourth time in team history, and a second straight year after defeating No. 8 (AP & WBCA) Louisville, 70-66, on Dec. 14. The win vaulted the Buffaloes into the No. 25 spot in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll, the team's first appearance since Jan. 14, 2008.
The Buffaloes have been especially good in the nonconference schedule under head coach Linda Lappe. Colorado has won its last 22 nonconference regular season contests and 29 of 33 dating back to the 2010-11 season.
Colorado's offense has played well, averaging 72 points per game and three times hitting at least 75. The Buffaloes are shooting 43 percent from the field, and 48 percent inside the 3-point arc. Colorado has shared the ball well averaging 14.4 assists per game, and it has come from a multitude of players. Seven Buffaloes are already in double-figures for assists through nine games. Colorado also has held a sizeable advantage in rebounds (+14.3 rpg), and ranked eighth in NCAA Division I through games of Dec. 16.
Defensively, the Buffaloes are holding teams to 57 points per game on 35 percent from the field. Colorado ranks in the top five of the Pac-12 in 14 of 21 statistical categories, including first in offensive rebound percentage (.479), second in offensive rebounds (18.1 orpg) and rebound margin and third in scoring offense and rebounding defense (30.8 rpg).
Redshirt freshman forward Arielle Roberson leads Colorado and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring at 16.1 points per game. A three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, Roberson scored a career and team-season high 25 points in the win at Illinois, hitting 7-of-8 from the field and a team-season best 10 free-throws made on 14 attempts. She also ranks second in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and is third in field-goal percentage (.536). Along with her scoring success, Roberson ranks ninth in offensive rebounds (3.2 orpg), 10th in field-goal percentage and 18th in overall rebounding on the Pac-12 leaderboard.
All-Pac-12 guard Chucky Jeffery leads the team in assists (4.0 apg), rebounds (8.1 rpg) and steals (2.5 spg), while ranking second in scoring (12.4 ppg). Jeffery ranks fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), fifth in steals and assists, eighth in free-throw percentage (.808), ninth in defensive rebounds (5.8 drpg) and overall rebounding, 14th in offensive rebounds (2.4 orpg) and 16th in scoring on the Pac-12 charts.
Junior guard Brittany Wilson has started all nine games and ranks second on the team in steals (1.8 spg) and assists (2.6 apg) while coming in at fourth in scoring at 9.7 points per contest. She has led Colorado in scoring over the last three games (14.3 ppg), including a season-high 19 points at Denver. Over that same span she has shot 47 percent from the floor (15-of-32), including 7-of-16 from 3-point range (.438). Wilson ranks second in the Pac-12 in free-throw shooting at 91 percent. She made her first 19 attempts of he season before missing her last two. She also ranks 10th in 3-point percentage (.353), 12th in 3-pointers made (1.3 3mpg) and 14th in steals on the Pac-12 leaderboard.
Sophomore forward Jen Reese has made a successful return from an eye injury that kept her out of the final nine games of 2011-12. She is third on the team in scoring (9.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg) while hitting 49 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free-throw line. She matched a career-high with 15 points in the win at Illinois and is averaging 11.3 points over the last six contests. Reese scored in double-figures in four straight games prior to the Denver contest, the best stretch of her career. On the Pac-12 charts Reese is 14th in field-goal percentage, 15in offensive rebounding (2.3 orpg), 19th in overall rebounding and 30th in scoring.
Junior center Rachel Hargis joins Wilson as the only Buffs to start all nine games. A career 33 percent shooter entering the season, Hargis has made the most of her opportunity hitting 54 percent (22-of-41) through nine games. She also has 14 assists on the year, tied for fourth on the team, after registering just 17 in 35 games as a sophomore. Hargis had a career- and team-season high seven blocked shots against Louisville, just one off the school single-game record.
Colorado has seven players averaging between four and 12 points per game. The Buffaloes are enjoying their best depth in the Lappe era. Thirteen different CU players have already hit the hardwood, with 12 of them having registered points.
ABOUT THE WOLVERINES: Utah Valley is 4-9 overall and has won two straight and three of its last five. This will be the eighth road game of the season for the Wolverines. UVU picked up its first road win on Dec. 15, a 62-44 decision at Northern Arizona. The Wolverines are averaging 65 points per game while shooting just under 40 percent from the field. Utah Valley is allowing just under 70 points per contest. The Wolverines are being outrebounded by four boards per game. Utah Valley is favored to win the Great West Conference, its final year in the league as the school plans to move to the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.
Senior forward Sammie Jensen leads Utah Valley at 17.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. The 2012 Great West Conference Player of the Year, Jensen shoots 42 percent from the field and 79 percent from the foul line. Junior guard Whitney Jenkins is second on the team in scoring at 8.4 points and leads the Wolverines in steals with 2.0 per game. Senior forward Kaycee Mansfield is third in scoring at 8.3 points while grabbing 6.4 rebounds an outing. Senior guard Alle Cardwell has a team-best 48 assists.
Cathy Nixon is in her 18th season as head coach at Utah Valley with an overall record of 301-226. She has led the Wolverines to a 111-153 record since the school joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 2003-04.
THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between Colorado and Utah Valley. The Buffaloes won their only other meeting with a Great West team, a 67-49 win over Texas-Pan American last year.
Linda Lappe has never faced Utah Valley as a head coach. Cathy Nixon has never faced Colorado as a head coach.
NATIONALLY RANKED: Fresh off its first top-10 victory in more than 10 years, CU debuted at No. 25 in the Associated Press Women's Basketball Top 25 poll, released Monday.
Colorado received 99 votes to make its first appearance in the AP poll since a similar No. 25 ranking on Jan. 14, 2008. The Buffaloes are 9-0 after defeating then-No. 8 ranked Louisville 70-66 on Dec. 14. CU's last win over a top-10 opponent was a 62-59 win over No. 5 Stanford in the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16.
The Buffaloes have a long history of rankings in the AP poll, dating back to the 1980-81 season. This week's ranking marks the 159th time Colorado has appeared in the AP poll, trailing only Stanford, USC and UCLA among Pac-12 Conference schools. CU had received one vote in last week's AP poll.
Colorado received 13 votes in the USA Today Sports Coaches poll released on Tuesday. The Buffaloes haven't been ranked in that poll since April 2004. CU received votes from the coaches poll during the squad's four-week AP run in 2007-08, but never reached the top 25.
LAPPE AND COLORADO IN THE POLLS: Head coach Linda Lappe joined some elite company when the Buffaloes received their first AP ranking in five years. She is only one of eight NCAA Division I women's head coaches to have played for an AP ranked team, and then return to lead that same program into the AP poll. Overall she is the 31st person to play for and coach an AP ranked program.
The Buffaloes were ranked for 29 weeks during Lappe's playing career (1998-03) including 27 straight from Jan. 22, 2001 through the end of her junior year (March 11, 2002). CU's highest AP ranking during that span was No. 10, on March 4, 2002.
AP Played for and Coached Same Ranked Program
Coach, School
Amanda Butler, Florida
Pokey Chatman, LSU
Linda Lappe, Colorado
Wendy Larry, Old Dominion
Cheryl Miller, USC
Carol Ross, Mississippi
Bev Smith, Oregon
Holly Warlick, Tennessee
JEFFERY'S HEADLINER WEEK: Senior guard Chucky Jeffery led the Buffaloes to their first Associated Press ranking in five seasons and their first top-10 win in over 10 years, and as a result has picked up some well-deserved conference and national recognition.
On Monday, Jeffery was named the espnW National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week for the week of Dec 10-16. She also received national and Pac-12 Player of the Week honors from collegesportsmadness.com.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named Jeffery its Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week.
Jeffery averaged 18 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line in wins over Denver and No. 8 ranked Louisville last week.
Against Louisville she had a game-high and personal season-best 22 points along with seven rebounds, four assists and one steal as the Buffaloes claimed their first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 5 Stanford in the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16. Jeffery recorded season highs from the 3-point line (2-of-5) and the foul line (8-10) as she became the 16th player in team history to reach 1,300 career points (1,317).
Jeffery had 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the road win over Denver on Dec. 11. She notched her second double-double of the season, and 22nd of her career, tying Sandy Bean (1978-82) for fifth on CU's all-time list.
Jeffery's Pac-12 Player of the Week honor is her second, as she received the same award on Dec. 5, 2011.
FAST OUT OF THE GATE: Colorado is 9-0 for the second straight year; its fourth start of 9-0. The Buffaloes began last season 12-0, tying the second-best mark in team history. CU's best start was a 15-0 mark to begin the 1992-93 season.
MORE ON THE BOARDS: Colorado entered the week ranking eighth in NCAA Division I in rebounding margin at +14.3, the second best mark in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes have either tied or led the rebounding battle in each game this season and have enjoyed double-digit margins in five games.
The Buffaloes grabbed a season-high 59 rebounds in the win over Colorado State, their most since also recording 59 against Bowling Green on Nov. 23, 2001. CU had 24 offensive rebounds, nearly matching Colorado State's overall total (26). Colorado's 24 offensive rebounds were its most since it had 24 at Iowa State on Feb. 18, 1996.
Colorado's +33 advantage against the Rams tied for the ninth largest single-game margin in team history, most recently achieved against San Francisco on Nov. 30, 2011 (53-20).
Colorado had 50 rebounds against Denver, hitting the 50 mark for the second straight game for the first time since grabbing 50 against UC Irvine and 52 against Illinois-Chicago in the first two games of the 2009-10 season.
CU's 109 rebounds over a two-game span are its most since hitting the same number during the 2001 Coors Classic (59 vs. Bowling Green, 50 vs. Houston). The Buffaloes 46 offensive rebounds during that stretch are their most since grabbing 48 in back-to-back games in December 1994 (25 vs. Montana State, 23 vs. Notre Dame).
STRONG FINISHES: Colorado has benefitted from strong second half finishes, averaging 39 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. In first half action during that same stretch Colorado is averaging 33 points on 42 percent shooting. The Buffaloes are outscoring their opponent by 7.8 points per game in the second 20 minutes.
Colorado has scored at least 34 points in all nine second periods this season and have hit 40 three times with a high of 46 at UMKC. The Buffaloes have scored 30 or more second half points in their last 14 games dating back to the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament.
SUCCESS ON THE ROAD: Colorado is 3-0 away from Boulder this season and is 12-7 in its last 19 true road contests since the tail end of the 2010-11 campaign. Prior to the start of this run, The Buffaloes had just five wins in their previous 37 road games dating back to the 2008 Big 12 Conference schedule.
The Buffaloes are averaging 76.7 points on 45 percent shooting in those three road contests. CU has also held its opponent to 60 points per game and enjoys a plus-14 rebound margin.
Colorado scored an overall season-high 83 points at Denver, the most in a true road contest since scoring 83 in a 3-point loss at Colorado State on Nov. 30, 2005. CU's 10-point halftime lead was its largest on the road since leading Colorado State 38-22 on Nov. 20, 2011
Colorado's win at Illinois was its first road win against a major conference opponent in a nonconference regular season game since defeating No. 20/17 ranked Vanderbilt, 62-51, on Dec. 9, 2007. The Buffaloes trailed by six at halftime against the Illini, allowing Colorado to claim its largest halftime deficit overcome to win on the road since defeating Missouri 80-79 in overtime on Feb. 23, 2010 after trailing by seven at the break (43-36).
Colorado's 23-point win at UMKC, was its biggest on the road since an 82-47 win at Colorado State on Dec. 1, 2007.
ROBERSON AMONG ELITE COMPANY: Freshman guard Arielle Roberson has scored in double-digits in the first nine games of her career and will be looking to match Tracy Tripp's school record of 10, set during the 1985-86 season.
BENCH PRODUCTION: Colorado is getting good production from its bench to the tune of 24.8 points (34 percent) and 22.0 rebounds (49 percent) per game. Sophomore forward Jen Reese has headed the bench effort averaging 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, ranking third overall on the team in both categories.
Colorado scored a season-high 42 bench points in the win over UMKC. The bulk of those came from freshman forward Arielle Roberson who scored 23 points in 19 minutes on 9-of-12 from the field in her lone game off the bench this season. Her 23 bench points are tied for the second most in the past 10 years and her nine field goals are the most. Only Bianca Smith, with 25 points off the bench against San Jose State on Dec. 22, 1999, had a bigger bench game in the last 10 years.
ROBERSON DOMINATES PAC-12 HONORS: Forward Arielle Roberson has won three of the six Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards given out by the conference. The Pac-12 has added Freshman of the Week to its weekly honors for the first time this season.
In her most recent award on Dec. 2, Roberson averaged 19.5 points on 72 percent from the field (13-of-18) and 71 percent from the foul line (12-of-17) in wins over Wyoming and Illinois. She scored a career and team season-high 25 points, including a critical, late, 3-point basket, to lead Colorado to a 69-62 road win at Illinois as the Buffaloes claimed their 19th straight regular season nonconference victory.
She hit 7-of-8 from the field against the Illini and sank a team season-high 10 free throws on 14 attempts. Roberson also had five rebounds, three steals and an assist against Illinois. Earlier in the week, Roberson netted 14 points on 6-of-10 from the field in the home win over Wyoming.
Roberson earned the inaugural Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award on Nov. 12 after scoring 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with six rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks in her collegiate debut - a 70-65 win over Idaho on Nov. 11. Her second citation came on Nov. 26 after averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds en route to Omni Hotels Classic MVP honors.
Her three weekly conference awards in one season are the most since Brittany Spears won four Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week honors in 2007-08.
BUFFS EXPERIENCED FROM DEEP: While Colorado looks to continue an inside-outside balance on its 2012-13 squad, there is no questioning its experience from shooting from the perimeter. The Buffaloes have four players with at least 50 career 3-point field goals, and all four rank among CU's career Top 20. Senior Meagan Malcolm-Peck tops current Buffs with 85 and ranks 11th on CU's all-time list. Junior Brittany Wilson is 13th all-time with 82. Lexy Kresl, who set CU's freshman record in 2011-12 is 15th with 72. Senior Chucky Jeffery rounds out the current Buffs at 17th with 56.
JEFFERY MOVING UP CAREER LADDERS: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery became the 16th player in team history to reach 1,300 career points (1,317) in the win over Louisville and is just two away from catching Sandy Bean (1978-82) for 15th (1,319) and 14 away from Jeannie Raikes (1976-80) for 14th (1,331). She also needs two steals to pass former teammate Brittany Spears (2007-11) for seventh all-time.
On CU's career charts Jeffery also ranks sixth in assists (390), seventh in rebounds (732), 14th in free-throws made (275), 16th in field-goals made (493) and blocks (59) and 17th in 3-point field goals (56).
In other miscellaneous categories Jeffery is also tied with Sandy Bean (1978-82) for fifth in double-doubles (22), is seventh in double-figure rebounding games (24) and 15th in double-figure scoring games (71).
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado picked up its 14th all-time win over a top-10 ranked opponent with its 70-66 win over No. 8 Louisville on Dec. 14. The win marked the Buffaloes' first over a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 5 Stanford in the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16. It was the first top-10 win as an unranked team since knocking off No. 7 Texas Tech 63-49 on Jan. 11, 1997.
The win snapped a three-game slide against ranked teams as the Buffaloes improved to 3-5 against ranked opponents under Linda Lappe. CU improved to 62-142 all-time against ranked opponents, including a 38-45 mark at home.
The Buffaloes played just two games against ranked teams in 2011-12, both against Stanford. Colorado is on track to at least triple that number this year as Pac-12 rivals California, UCLA and Stanford have solid footing in both polls.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 372-126 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.747). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CEC in 23 of the previous 34 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed fi ve undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CEC.
BUFFS ON TV: Colorado's regular season schedule will feature at least 11 regionally or nationally televised games in 2012-13. Colorado will play nine regular season games on the Pac-12 Networks, and a guaranteed one, and potentially more, during the Pac-12 Tournament, March 7-10, in Seattle.
A program-best six regular season games will be televised nationally while three more will be on one of the regional networks. CU's first Pac-12 Tournament game will also be televised nationally, as would any ensuing round through the championship game, which will air Sunday, March 10, on ESPN2.
CU made its first television appearance on Dec. 11 at Denver on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain. The Buffaloes make their Pac-12 Network debut on Friday, Jan. 4 against defending league champion Stanford; their first of four straight televised games on the network. Colorado will have five straight road games televised beginning with Utah on Jan. 13, through a Super Bowl Sunday matchup at USC on Feb. 3. CU's final regular season televised game will be Feb. 8 at home against Oregon State.
Entering the 2012-13 season, CU has appeared on 99 regional or national telecasts over the previous 11 seasons.