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Colorado’s March Madness streak is in serious jeopardy

JR Payne and the Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Hoops squad are headed to Kansas City to face their biggest challenge of the season thus far: survival.

After a late-season skid due to injuries to key players like Frida Formann, Sara-Rose Smith, Lior Garzon and Kindyll Wetta, the Buffs’ three-year streak of making it to March Madness is in serious jeopardy.

With an overall record of 18-11 and 9-9 in conference play, Colorado heads to the T-Mobile Center in the City of Fountains ranked 57th in NET. CU’s fight to make the NCAAT is certainly an uphill battle, but it’s far from impossible.

The Buffaloes’ work is cut out for them: win three games at the Big 12 Tourney and you’re more than likely in. Winning a Big 12 title would be a nice cherry on top, but the Buffs have stacked some impressive quadrant one wins, so it wouldn’t be required to make it to The Big Dance.

CU enters the Big 12 Tournament completely off ESPN’s bubble. After suffering a tough overtime loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, the Buffs are locked in as the nine-seed, meaning they’ll forgo any byes and participate in first-round action on Wednesday. To win the conference crown, they’ll have to win five games in five days.

With the way the Big 12 Tournament bracket is situated, the Buffaloes already know what three teams they’ll need to beat to go dancing. Their first test will be against the lowly Houston Cougars, who are far and away the worst team in the conference with a record of 5-24. Next, they’ll battle an Arizona team that’s also fighting for their NCAAT lives. With the Wildcats currently listed as the second team to be left out by ESPN, the loser of this showdown will have their hopes of going dancing squashed. Lastly, with a win over Arizona, Colorado would face the Big 12 regular season champ TCU Horned Frogs, who are ranked #8 in the AP Poll and led by superstar and Olympic bronze medalist Hailey Van Lith.

Here’s a look at the bracket to the Big 12 WBB Championship ahead of Colorado’s game tomorrow against the Coogs.

Buffs likely need to beat Houston, Arizona and TCU to keep their three-year NCAAT streak alive. #CUBuffs pic.NOPE/vua8ZPWM0P

— Ryland Scholes (@rylandscholes) March 5, 2025​

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Colorado should easily beat Houston on Wednesday, but both Arizona and TCU will be tough tests. In regular season play, the Buffs took care of business against the Wildcats in Boulder, beating them 56-47 in early February. The Horned Frogs are another story, as CU fell to Van Lith and company 50-63 in Fort Worth on New Year’s Day.

Some good news for Colorado is that they’re finally starting to get healthy again before they play for their lives in Kansas City. Garzon and Wetta both made their return to the floor over a week ago, while Smith made her return in Lubbock on Saturday.

The status of Formann, Colorado’s undeniable best player, is still unclear. CU’s all-time leader in three-pointers suffered a stress fracture in her right foot playing against BYU in Provo on January 29th and hasn’t seen the floor since. Payne said the team is “hopeful” that Formann will be back in time for Big 12 Tourney play but didn’t provide any concrete updates on her status ahead of their trip to KC.

With Formann, Smith and new additions this season like Jade Masagayo and Johanna Teder, this Colorado squad has proven that they’re capable of anything. With wins against #14 West Virginia and #10 K-State, CU is a serious threat if they get hot at the right time. If the Buffs can find their footing, stay healthy and hit their shots in Kansas City, anything is possible.

Colorado’s do-or-die action starts on Wednesday when they tip off against Houston at 12:30 pm MT. Fans can tune in ESPN+.

by RylandScholes
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Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A look at the two Buffs who took part in the 2025 NFL combine drills

This past Saturday, two Colorado Buffaloes had their chance to impress NFL scouts at the 2025 NFL Combine.

After stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter opted to skip drills at the combine, the eyes of Colorado fans all turned to how CU’s receivers would grade in Indianapolis. Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester both participated in several key drills, looking to boost their draft stock and showcase their athleticism in front of league executives. With the wide receiver class being incredibly deep this year, every drill mattered for CU’s two dynamic playmakers as they aimed to separate themselves from the competition.

Both players put their explosiveness on display, proving why they were key contributors to Colorado’s high-powered offense. However, while they showed flashes of elite athletic traits, there were also areas where they likely wished they could have posted slightly better numbers. With the draft approaching, every measurable and drill result will be scrutinized by NFL teams looking to add speed and versatility to their offenses.

So, how did Horn and Wester stack up in the drills? Let’s break down their performances.

40-Yard Dash​

Both Horn and Wester ran identical times of 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash. While this is still a solid time for receivers, many expected Horn—who is known for his top-end speed—to push into the 4.3s. Wester’s time was about what was expected, but for Horn, scouts may have wanted to see just a little more burst.

10-Yard Split​

The first 10 yards of the sprint are crucial for evaluating acceleration, and both Buffs posted strong times. Wester clocked in at 1.53 seconds, while Horn was right behind him at 1.54 seconds. To put that in perspective, both times were only .05 seconds off the fastest mark of the entire combine, posted by Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten. This confirms that both players have elite short-area quickness, which will be key in route-running at the next level.

Vertical & Broad Jump​

Horn showed off his bounce, posting a 38-inch vertical jump, which tied for 10th among all receivers. Wester, on the other hand, recorded a 32-inch vertical, a number that may not stand out but is still respectable. In the broad jump, Horn again showed his explosiveness, leaping 10 feet, 8 inches, while Wester posted a 10-foot, 1-inch jump.

Shuttle Drill​

Only Horn participated in the short shuttle drill, where he finished with a time of 4.41 seconds. While not an elite mark, this still helps showcase his agility and lateral movement.

Final Thoughts​

Both Horn and Wester had solid showings, with Horn flashing the better overall explosiveness. While neither player ran the blazing 40-yard dash time that some might have hoped for, their acceleration, jumping ability and quickness were all on display. Colorado fans should expect Horn’s draft stock to receive a slight bump from what it was thought to be, while Wester’s draft stock more than likely stayed the same for most teams.

Now, both players will look forward to pro days and private workouts to continue making their case to NFL teams.

by Jacob.Thompson
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Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Poor shooting and turnovers, again.

The Colorado Buffaloes dropped another road game on Sunday afternoon, falling 65-56 to the Kansas State Wildcats. Credit to the Buffs for not giving up on the season or the game, but it was never as close as the final score, as K-State was in control start to finish.

The Buffs dug themselves an early hole. They started 3/13 from the field and 1/4 from the free throw line as K-State took advantage of some defensive breakdowns to build a 20-7 lead in the first nine minutes. CU was getting good looks, but they couldn’t make their layups, open threes or even FTs early on (or ever, really).

There were moments of positive play, as there always are for a young team like Colorado. Yet there were far more head scratching play for a Tad Boyle squad that has solidified in the last month or os. Those defensive breakdowns shouldn’t have happened. The Buffs just weren’t communicating, didn’t hustle back in transition, and lacked that bit of fight that’s helped them win twice in their previous four games.

It’s hard to say if CU played better in the second half, or if the Wildcats just played worse. It was not a good game of basketball in terms of execution, energy or suspense. K-State played like they had it in the bag, while the Buffs did just enough to make this game look competitive. Maybe if the Buffs had shot the ball decently well they could have pulled off the upset. But it’s hard to win when you shoot sub-40% from the field, sub-20% from three and sub-60% from FT — putrid numbers.

The Buffs play their final away game on Wednesday night, as they travel to Lubbock to take on the top-10 Texas Tech Red Raiders. After, the Buffs will celebrate their seniors on Saturday afternoon with a winnable game against TCU.

by Sam Metivier
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Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Join us for the Colorado Buffaloes - Kansas State Wildcats game today at 2:00 p.m. MT in Manhattan, Kansas.

March 2nd, 2025

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Where: Bramlage Coliseum - Manhattan, Kansas

When: 2:00 p.m. MST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: AM 850 KOA

Kansas State Blog: Bring on the Cats

Line: Colorado +6.5

Welcome to the Ralphie Report as the Colorado Buffaloes get ready to take on the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas for the twenty-ninth game of the 2024-25 season.

No need to go anywhere else today, The Ralphie Report has everything you need and we welcome you to weigh in with your live game analysis, critiques, observations and predictions.

Check out the old game thread from the Hawaii game to see how it works. Throw all your comments about the game below and let’s get this thing rolling. If you don’t have an account, sign up here for free and enjoy all that our site has to offer.

Make sure to follow us on BlueSky, X and Facebook. Go Buffs!

by Jon Woods
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Without Shedeur and Travis, the work of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur becomes more difficult ... CU has talent to work with, but the coaches room has precious little experience ... Can CU produce a balanced offensive attack in 2024? ... Let's find out ...

Stuart
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