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JR Payne’s team remains on the bubble.

Following consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances, JR Payne and the Colorado Buffaloes are hoping for another berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Hoping is all they can do after the Big 12 Tournament concluded with TCU cutting down the nets. The Buffs did well in Kansas City as they beat up a bad Houston team, popped the bubbly Arizona Wildcats, and then nearly upset the top-ranked Horned Frogs.

Colorado’s resume would look a lot different if they had beat TCU. The Fort Worth bunch are one of the top 10 teams in the country and that would have been an emphatic win. Payne has a history of season-defining upset wins, but that hasn’t happened this season. It’s the one thing missing from CU’s resume.

Part of that is the Big 12 schedule is a step down from the brutal Pac-12. Another is that the Buffs have been hit hard with injuries, as Frida Formann has missed weeks while Kindyll Wetta and Lior Garzon picked up injuries down the stretch. Even when healthy, this team isn’t as good as it was before — no slight to the women, it’s just the reality when you have to replace three all-conference-level players.

Colorado’s final resume: 20 wins and 12 losses, 2-8 against Quad 1 and 2-2 against Quad 2, 67th in the RPI.

The Buffs are on the fringes of the bubble and there’s nothing more they can do. They needed another big win, or a few more mid-tier wins. Baylor at home, Texas Tech on the road, TCU in KC — they needed one or two of them to build the momentum needed for an at-large bid.

None of this is to point this season as a disappointment. To the contrary, reaching the NIT is a great outcome for this transition season. Payne had to replace Jaylyn Sherrod, Quay Miller and Aaronette Vonleh, as well as veterans Charlotte Whittaker and Tameiya Sadler. Those Sweet Sixteen teams were truly special in their togetherness and fighting spirit. They spent much of this season re-establishing that identity and winning culture that took years for those women to build.

Celebrate this season and these women while they’re here. The Buffs will likely host one or two NIT games those games need to be sold out and raucous. Formann, Wetta and Smith deserve the send off, while Payne and the underclassmen need to roll that momentum into next season and the years beyond.

by Sam Metivier
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The best signing of the off-season? Retaining DC Robert Livingston ... Meanwhile, the defensive line is one of the best at CU in a generation, but the line's coaches have no experience ...

Stuart
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It’s always good to win on senior day.

Winning is always good, but winning on Senior Day is even better. The Buffaloes sent their seniors off right, beating the TCU Horned Frogs 76-56 in their final regular season game.

Nearly everything went right for the Buffaloes from the get-go. Colorado got off to a hot start, fueled by two quick three-pointers from Javon Ruffin on his senior day. Trevor Baskin, another one of CU’s five seniors to be honored on Saturday, also got in on the action. Baskin got to work early, making two buckets and snagging multiple key rebounds early, to put the Buffaloes up.

Something must’ve clicked for the Buffs in practice this week, as they were slinging the rock around unlike we’ve seen this season. Five of CU’s first 12 buckets were assisted and the Buffaloes took full advantage of that ball movement to find good looks.

To go along with some stellar ball movement, the three-point shot was working wonders for the Buffs. Javon Ruffin got CU started with his two makes from deep, but it didn’t stop there. Julian Hammond, RJ Smith and Trevor Baskin wanted in on that action as well, each making one three-pointer.

An unfortunate side effect of that ball movement proved to be the turnover bug. Colorado turned the ball over eight times in the first half, allowing TCU to hang in with CU’s offensive burst. The Buffs would take a 37-31 lead into halftime, looking to go out on a high note.

Right out of halftime, Ruffin would open the half by drilling another three-pointer and Elijah Malone set up shop in the paint as his teammates fed him down low, slamming three dunks in three minutes to start the second half.

Following a Hammond three-pointer to put CU up 51-39, the Buffaloes began to unravel. As we’ve seen too many times this year, the turnover bug bit the Buffaloes yet again. Colorado turned the ball over five times in a 3:30 minute stretch midway through the half, fueling an 11-0 TCU run, cutting CU’s lead to only 51-50 with 10:11 to play.

With the thought of losing on Senior Day looming, the Buffaloes bounced back in a big way. RJ Smith hit two quick buckets, as Baskin and Hammond decided to follow suit. Colorado’s defense hunkered down, forcing TCU’s streaky offense into bad looks, resulting in enough bricks to build a house.

In no time at all, the heroics of Smith, Baskin and Hammond led the Buffaloes to an 11-0 run of their own directly after TCU’s run, showing that the Buffaloes meant business.

From here on out, it was smooth sailing to the Buffs to the finish line. After some clutch freebies from Hammond, Felix Kossaras and Bangot Dak, and a Hammond three-pointer and Dak dunk for good measure, Colorado iced out the Frogs.

With a 20-point lead, Tad Boyle got the chance to put walk-on Jack Pease into the game on his senior day for the final two minutes. Pease had yet to enter a game in his four years in Boulder, but he made his time on the floor count. As a cherry on top, Pease was able to enter the scoring column, cashing in on a free throw to end the game.

Hammond capped off his Senior Day with 19 total points and seven assists, a new career high. Baskin would finish with eight points and 16 total rebounds, setting his new career record in boards at any level. Ruffin cashed in for nine points on the day off three triples. Although not a Senior, RJ Smith played a big role, tallying 12 points against the Frogs.

Unfortunately for the Buffs, their Senior Day win over the Frogs has no impact on their seeding in the Big 12 Tournament next week. With the worst record in the conference, the 3-17 Buffaloes are locked in as the 16-seed in Kansas City.

Colorado’s next game will be on Wednesday, March 19th, but we have yet to learn the tip-off time or opponent. The two options are between Utah and TCU, decided by the Utes’ game tonight in Provo. If Utah beats BYU, the Buffs will play the Utes. If not, they’ll get a rematch with the Frogs.

As soon as we know, we’ll keep you updated here at Ralphie Report.

by RylandScholes
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Join us for the Colorado Buffaloes - TCU Horned Frogs game today at 2:00 p.m. MT in Boulder, Colorado.

March 8th, 2025

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Where: CU Events Center - Boulder, Colorado

When: 2:00 p.m. MST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: AM 850 KOA

TCU Blog: Frogs ‘O War

Line: Colorado -2.5

Welcome to the Ralphie Report as the Colorado Buffaloes get ready to take on the TCU Horned Frogs in Boulder, Colorado for the thirty-first 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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Colorado’s March Madness hopes are likely slashed.

The Colorado Buffaloes took eighth-ranked TCU to the wire, but their comeback effort fell just short against the Horned Frogs, losing by a final score of 69-62.

The Buffs came to play against one of the nation’s best teams, giving the Frogs a legitimate scare in the first half. CU started the game by immediately finding their rhythm on the offensive floor by hitting shots and taking a 17-12 lead into the second quarter.

Despite Big 12 Player of the Year Hailey Van Lith being on the floor for TCU, Jade Masagayo showcased her ability to go toe-to-toe with the best players in the country. Masagayo was automatic for the Buffaloes, finishing the first half shooting a perfect 7-7 from the floor, tallying 14 points.

Fueled by Masagayo, Colorado’s offense may have looked the best it has all season, despite being without star guard Frida Formann. The Buffaloes finished the half shooting 66.7% from the floor, hitting 14 of their 21 attempts.

Unfortunately for the Buffs, TCU had a great offensive first-half performance of their own. The Frogs were lethal from beyond the arc, drilling seven of their 14 three-point attempts to even the field.

When it was all said and done, TCU’s three-point onslaught was enough to outweigh Colorado’s overall steady hand from the floor, as the Buffs headed to the locker room down 32-36 at halftime.

Colorado would get off to a good start in the second half, as Kindyll Wetta opened play by hitting her third three-pointer of the game. Right after, things began to go downhill for the Buffaloes.

CU started to unravel during the third quarter, capping off the period by going 0-5 from the floor with four turnovers in that span. TCU wouldn’t miss their opportunity to make Colorado pay, going on a 13-2 run during that time to build their largest lead of the game. The Frogs headed to the third quarter up 52-40, putting the Buffaloes on the ropes.

Much like yesterday against Arizona, the Buffaloes weren’t willing to go away without a fight. CU ripped off a 10-0 to open the fourth quarter, fueled by back-to-back three-pointers by Kennedy Sanders and Johanna Teder, to cut TCU’s lead to only three points.

Down three with only 46 seconds to play, Colorado needed to get a huge stop and hit some big-time buckets to stay alive, but that’s now how things played out. TCU’s Sedona Prince would hit two clutch buckets. Colorado would miss to make the game two possessions and the Frogs hit their freebies down the line to ice out the Buffs.

Masagayo was a monster for Colorado, finishing with 22 points and 11 buckets from the field. Kennedy Sanders continued her momentum for the Arizona game yesterday, shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 2-2 from the line for 11 total points. Tabitha Benson had a quiet offensive showing but was a menace off the boards, finishing the contest with seven rebounds.

Colorado, with an overall record of 20-12, now will have to sit out the remainder of the Big 12 Tournament and sweat out Selection Sunday. A win over TCU likely would have punched their ticket, but that wasn’t in the cards.

With their win over Arizona, there’s a non-zero chance the Buffaloes snag an at-large bid, but they’ll need some help. It’s looking unlikely that the Buffs will go dancing this March, but never say never.

by RylandScholes
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