Colorado University Athletics
Final Regular Season Weekend Tips Off With Oregon
THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts the University of Oregon in a Pac-12 Conference game on Thursday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
BROADCAST: Thursday's game will be televised live on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain. Marc Stout will handle the call with legendary CU head coach Ceal Barry with the color commentary and Abby Waner on the sidelines. Thursday's game will be broadcast on AM 760 KKZN with Mike Rice handling play by play duties and Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary. Live audio is available at CUBuffs.com through BuffsTV and the BuffsRadio free subscription.
OPENING TIP: Colorado has clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003-04.
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 16-11 overall and resides in 10th place in the Pac-12 at 5-11, just one game out of eighth behind Utah and Thursday's opponent, Oregon. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Colorado could still finish as high as a tie for seventh place in the final league standings. As far as Pac-12 Conference Tournament seeding, the Buffaloes could be anywhere from an eighth to an 11th seed. Colorado has won four of 15 games since beginning the season 12-0.
Colorado has shown balance with five players averaging between seven and 15 points per game. Overall the Buffaloes are averaging 60.9 points per game and shooting 40.2 percent from the field. The Buffaloes rank third in the Pac-12 in rebounding defense (34.8), fourth in rebounding margin (+4.9) and fifth in field-goal percentage and scoring defense (58.9 ppg).
Junior guard Chucky Jeffery leads the Buffaloes at 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She is prominent on the Pac-12 leader board, ranking third in steals (2.5 spg), fourth in assists, sixth in defensive rebounds (5.6 drpg), seventh in scoring, ninth in free-throw percentage (.718), 10th in overall rebounding and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8) and 12th in blocked shots (1.0 bpg) and field-goal percentage (.445).
Jeffery has scored in double-figures in 23 of Colorado's 27 games and has reached the 20-point mark on six occasions. She has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 18 contests this season. Jeffery became the 24th player in team history to reach 1,000 points during her 18-point performance against Oregon. She has a team-best six double-doubles on the season, tied for 10th in the Pac-12. She was the MVP of CU's Omni Hotels Classic and was named Pac-12 Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 4.
Senior forward Julie Seabrook leads Colorado in field goal accuracy at 52 percent while also ranking 14th in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds (2.2 orpg). Seabrook has shot 50 percent or better in 18 of 27 games, 10 of 16 in Pac-12 play. She has made 84 percent from the line (16-of-19) during conference play, tops among the Buffaloes.
Sophomore guard Brittany Wilson is second on the team in assists (53), steals (34) and 3-point field goals (31) and third in scoring at 8.4 points per contest. During Pac-12 play, she is Colorado's second leading scorer, slightly below her overall season average at 7.9 points per game. On the Pac-12 charts Wilson ranks 15th in 3-pointers made (1.1 3mpg).
Brittany's twin sister Ashley Wilson is hitting 50 percent from the floor while averaging 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. She is coming off back-to-back career-highs in minutes played, logging 26 minutes against both Stanford and California. She tied a league-personal best with nine points against the second-ranked Cardinal and tied an overall career high with seven rebounds at California.
Freshman guard Lexy Kresl averages 9.1 points per game and leads the Buffaloes in both 3-point field goals (47) and free-throw accuracy at 88.2 percent. Kresl scored a career-high 17 points in the loss to Oregon, matching a personal best and her own team season-high with five 3-point field goals. Her 47 3-pointers are the fourth-most by a CU freshman and the most since Emily Waner had 51 in 2003-04. She ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in 3-pointers made (1.7 3mpg).
Junior forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck is averaging 4.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. She second on the team in offensive rebounds (49), third in assists (32) and fourth in 3-point field goals (16). She broke out of a three-game scoreless streak with eight points at California, which also saw her surpass the 500-point mark in her career. Sophomore Rachel Hargis, who averages 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest, is second on the team in blocked shots at 21.
Freshman guard Jasmine Sborov has seen extended minutes over the last 12 games, scoring 48 of her 58 season points. She filled up the box score nicely against Arizona, scoring a career high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Sborov has hit 63.2 percent from the field over the last six games (12-of-19).
REESE OUT WITH EYE INJURY: Freshman forward Jen Reese suffered a broken orbital bone under her left eye while playing defense in the opening minutes of the Stanford game. She is expected to miss the next 4-to-6 weeks. Reese played in the first 25 games, starting the last nine. She ranked second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 per game and is fourth in scoring at 7.8 an outing. She had four total games rebounding in double figures, including a career high 14 against UCLA. Reese led the Buffaloes, or shared the lead, in rebounding nine times, including six of nine games before her injury. On the Pac-12 charts she remains 11th in field-goal accuracy at 44.9 percent. She recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Washington State. Reese earned UTSA Holiday Classic All-Tournament honors by averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 66.7 percent over the two games (10-of-15).
ABOUT THE DUCKS: Oregon is 14-14 overall and tied with Utah for eighth place in the Pac-12 at 6-10. The Ducks and Utes will meet on Saturday in the regular season finale. Oregon has dropped three straight and four of its last five. Oregon ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring at 72.6 points per game and is the top 3-point team in the league at 7.7 per game. On the flip side, Oregon has by far the worst scoring defense in the Pac-12, allowing 75.8 points per game, just over 10 points on average more than 11th place Arizona. Oregon also allows its opponents nearly 40 percent from the field, 11th on the league charts.
Senior forward Amanda Johnson leads Oregon at 19 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Senior wing Jasmin Holliday is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 per game and rebounding at 7.2 per contest. Senior guard Nia Jackson tops the Ducks with 98 assists and 57 steals and ranks fourth in scoring at 9.1 per game. Freshman guard Jordan Loera, primarily a reserve, leads the Ducks with 43 3-point field goals.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 13th meeting between Colorado and Oregon with the Ducks holding a 9-3 edge in the series. Oregon has won five straight over CU, including a 67-62 decision in Eugene on Feb. 4 in the first league meeting between the two schools. Two of Colorado's three wins in the series have been on a neutral floor. The Buffaloes last win overall against Oregon was in Boulder, a 92-71 triumph in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
CU head coach Linda Lappe is 0-1 against Oregon as a head coach. Oregon head coach Paul Westhead is 1-0 against Colorado as a head coach.
CONNECTIONS: Colorado freshman forward Jen Reese was a two-time Gatorade Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Year for Clackamas High School. Oregon has one Colorado native on its roster. Freshman center Megan Carpenter is from Longmont. Oregon head coach Paul Westhead spent two years as head coach of the NBA's Denver Nuggets (1990-92).
CHUCKY REACHES 1,000: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery became the 24th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points during the loss to Oregon. She is the 10th player to achieve 1,000 before her senior year. Surpassing 1,000 in her 81st career game, she tied Tera Bjorklund (2000-04) for the ninth fastest to reach 1,000. Currently with 1,087 points, Jeffery is 22nd on CU's all-time scoring list and needs and 11 to crack the Top 20.
THANKS BUFF FANS, KEEP COMING OUT!: Colorado had a season-high 5,885 fans witness the nail biting overtime loss to UCLA on Jan. 29. The attendance number is the second highest for a Pac-12 league game this season, trailing only the California at No. 4 ranked Stanford rivalry game played the night before which drew 6,075. Overall the UCLA-Colorado attendance figure is the third best at a Pac-12 venue this season. Stanford had 7,329 for a nonconference game against national power Tennessee on Dec. 20.
The Buffaloes are averaging 2,857 for 14 home dates this season and 3,526 in seven Pac-12 home games, both figures trailing only Stanford (4,309 overall, 4,345 league) in the Pac-12 and ranking 39th in the nation. CU is on pace for its best home attendance average since the 2003-04 team drew 3,092 over 16 home games.
PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE: Colorado's 67-62 loss to Oregon snapped a seven-game winning streak in games decided by five points or less. The Buffaloes are 4-2 with that narrow margin this season. Five of those seven wins have come away from Boulder. The Buffaloes are 8-4 under Linda Lappe in games decided by five points or less.
...AND IN EVEN TIGHTER CIRCLES: Three of Colorado's five Pac-12 wins have been by one or two points, including back-to-back wins over Arizona (56-54) and USC (69-67). Colorado hadn't been involved in back-to-back one or two point games since the final two contests of the 2004-05 season when the Buffaloes beat Nebraska in the home finale, 78-76, and then fell to Iowa State, 64-62, in the first round of the Big 12 Championship, which was also Ceal Barry's last game as head coach. Colorado hadn't won back-to-back games with that little margin since the 1983-84 campaign, squeaking out road wins at Northern Arizona, 62-60, and at Wyoming, 57-56.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 61-142 all-time against ranked opponents, including a 47-122 mark for those ranked in both AP & Coaches polls. The Buffaloes have won two of their last seven against ranked foes, both wins coming last season. Stanford has been Colorado's only ranked opponent this season, coming at No. 4 in both polls in the first meeting and No. 2 in the second. Unless the Buffaloes meet up with another ranked team in the postseason, the two games against ranked teams this season would match the fewest since 2005-06.
ROAD WARRIORS: Colorado has won seven of its last 13 road games and also seven of its last 13 away from home (both encompassing a slightly different set of games). Prior to the Washington game, the Buffaloes had won six-straight both in true road games and games away from Boulder, each being the program's best such streaks since the 2003-04 squad won six in a row in true road contests.
Additionally, Colorado has won five of its last 11 conference road games after only winning four of the previous 30 dating back to the 2007-08 Big 12 season. CU has three conference road wins this season, its most since the 2003-04 NCAA Tournament squad won five league games away from Boulder.
Colorado began the Pac-12 season with three straight on the road finishing 2-1. It was CU's first three-game conference road stand since 1997, the inaugural season of the Big 12. In that string, the Buffaloes lost at Kansas State on Feb. 19, but bounced back to win games at Missouri on Feb. 23 and No. 12 ranked Texas on Feb. 26, sparking an eight-game win streak that carried Colorado through the first Big 12 Tournament Championship and an appearance in the 1997 NCAA Sweet 16.
Colorado returned home for California and Stanford after nearly a month away from home, spanning five games, which hadn't happened since the end of the 2001 season with a final regular season road game and then four neutral site Big 12 and NCAA Tournament games. The five away from home hadn't been done entirely in the regular season since the 1993-94 team played seven in a row away from Boulder in the late preseason (5) and early Big Eight Conference schedule (2).
REBOUNDING WOWS: Colorado has been even or outrebounded its opponent in 19 of 27 games, including 11 in a row prior to the Washington game. CU's margin of plus-4.9 on the season, ranks fourth in the Pac-12. CU had a big night on the glass against San Francisco, ending with a margin of plus-33 (53-20). That plus-33 margin overall is tied for the ninth best margin in team history and tied for the fourth best since the NCAA/Big Eight Conference era began with the 1982-83 season. It's also the widest margin since the Buffaloes put up a similar plus-33 margin against Bowling Green (59-26) on Nov. 23, 2001. Those two games are the best since CU outrebounded Northern Arizona by 34 (56-22) on Dec. 18, 1993.
Colorado has grabbed 50 or more rebounds five times this season, including a high of 54 against Texas-Pan American. It's the most 50-plus rebound games for the Buffaloes since they had nine such outputs during the 1993-94 season.
On the other end of the spectrum, CU's 20 rebounds allowed to San Francisco tied for the second-lowest in team history. The Buffaloes held a team at 20 on three other occasions, most recently against Loyola Chicago in a 65-34 win on Nov. 27, 2010. The record low is 19, set against Northern Arizona on Feb. 7, 1981.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chucky Jeffery earned Colorado's first ever Pac-12 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor on Dec. 4. Her award was the fourth overall for the Buffaloes in their inaugural Pac-12 season, joining three football winners from earlier this fall. The league Player of the Week honor is also the first for women's basketball since Brittany Spears was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 23, 2009. For Jeffery, it's her second similar honor, as she was the Big 12 Freshman of the Week winner on Jan. 11, 2010.
Jeffery averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 64.5 percent from the floor, leading the Buffaloes to wins over San Francisco (84-66) and Idaho (68-59).
CHUCKY DOUBLES: Chucky Jeffery has six double-doubles on the season, tied for 10th in the Pac-12, including a string of three-straight (Wisconsin-San Francisco-Idaho). It was the first time a CU player had double-doubles in three-straight games since Jackie McFarland had two separate strings of three during the 2006-07 season. She joins Bridget Turner as the only other guard in team history with three-straight double-doubles. Turner pulled the trifecta during the 1988-89 season, with one of her doubles the points-assists variety.
Overall she is the seventh player to achieve three straight double-doubles. CU Athletic Hall of Famer Lisa Van Goor holds the consecutive mark of six during the 1980-81 season.
LEXY AMONG ELITE COMPANY: Freshman guard Lexy Kresl scored in double-digits in the first six games of her career, tying CU Athletic Hall of Fame member and All-American Shelley Sheetz for the second-most in team history. Current CU Director of Basketball Operations Tracy Tripp holds the mark of 10, set during the 1985-86 season.
CHUCKY REBOUNDS: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery became the 20th player in team history to reach 500 rebounds in the win over Washington State and now sits at 583, 15th on CU's all-time list. She has a career average of 6.8 per game which jumps to 7.6 since the beginning of her sophomore year (57 games). She had a career night on the glass at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over the Islanders. Her 16 rebounds were the most by a CU player since Jackie McFarland recorded 18 at Kansas on Feb. 6, 2007.
LEXY'S RECORD NIGHT: Freshman guard Lexy Kresl had a memorable collegiate debut making 5-of-6 3-point attempts in the first half of CU's 84-60 win over Northern Arizona. She tied a school record for 3-pointers made in one half, a feat that had happened five previous times by three players. Bianca Smith, who was the last person to hit five in one half (vs. Nebraska on Jan. 31, 2009), did it three times. Kate Fagan and CU Athletic Hall of Famer and All-American Shelly Sheetz are the other two.
STEALING THE SHOW: Chucky Jeffery has been frustrating offenses her entire career, but one of the top defensive players in the Pac-12 is on a tear as of late.
Jeffery ranks third overall in the Pac-12 at 2.5 steals per game, but her production has risen to 3.1 over the last 11 games (34). She has six or more steals three times this season including conference matches against UCLA and Oregon. Jeffery leads the Pac-12 in steals at 29 during league only games. She has 33 career games with three or more steals, including 12 this season.
As a team, Colorado recorded 16 steals against Northern Arizona in the season opener, its most in a single game since swiping 18 against Texas Southern on Dec. 14, 2007. It's just the third time since the 2003-04 season that the Buffaloes have had 16 or more steals in one contest (16 vs. Pacific on Dec. 8, 2005).
Seven different Buffaloes registered steals against Northern Arizona, led by sophomore Brittany Wilson who had a career high with five. Freshmen Jasmine Sborov and Jen Reese each had three in their collegiate debuts.
Picking it up in Pac-12 play, Colorado followed up a 12-steal performance at Oregon with 15 against Arizona. The 27 steals are the most for the Buffaloes over a two game span since the 2007-08 team had 28 over a pair of battles (18-Texas Southern, 10-Dartmouth).
MALCOLM-PECK CLIMBING IN 3-POINTERS, BLOCKS: Junior Meagan Malcolm-Peck drilled her 76th career 3-pointer in the California game, ranking 12th on CU's all-time list. She is also 12th in blocked shots with 64.
JEFFERY MOVING UP CAREER LADDERS: In addition to joining the 1,000 point club, junior guard Chucky Jeffery ranks among Colorado's all-time leaders in several categories. She is 9th in steals (202), 12th in assists (328), 15th in rebounds (583) and 16th in blocks (56). During the win over Arizona she had five assists and in the process passed her head coach, Linda Lappe, who had 318 for the Buffaloes from 1998-03.
HOME AT COORS: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 364-125 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.744). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CEC in 22 of the previous 33 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CEC.
BUFFS ON TV: Colorado's regular season schedule features nine regionally or nationally televised games. CU made its first appearance on The Mtn in the win over Colorado State on Nov. 20. Colorado will have eight games air on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain. The first was the San Francisco game on Nov. 30, followed by Idaho (Dec. 4), Denver (Dec. 8), Stanford (Jan. 14). at Arizona (Jan. 22) and UCLA (Jan. 29) and Utah (Feb. 18). The final ROOT Sports broadcast is scheduled for Oregon (Mar. 1). All ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain games are available nationally on DIRECTV and DISH Network.
The games with Arizona and UCLA were part of the Pac-12's FSN national package. CU has appeared on 91 regional or national telecasts over the last 10 seasons.