WBB 2017-18 Schedule

[buffgal]

http://www.cubuffs.com/news/2017/10...u-announces-2017-18-schedule.aspx?path=wbball

BOULDER - Colorado's women's basketball team will have 14 nationally-televised games during the 2017-18 regular season as the Pac-12 Conference released the schedule for the upcoming season. All 14 televised games will appear on Pac-12 Networks.

CU will also play 16 home games at the Coors Events Center, in addition to an exhibition game in November.

The Buffs open the regular season on the road at Samford and North Carolina for two games. They return home to face Florida Atlantic and Miami (Fla.) in mid-November.

The 31st Omni Hotels Classic will feature Drake, George Mason and Mississippi Valley State over Thanksgiving weekend.

November wraps up with a game against North Dakota State in Boulder on Nov. 29.

CU will host Dartmouth and Westminster (Mo.) in home games in December before starting Pac-12 play New Year's weekend at home with Arizona State and Arizona.

Regular-season play wraps up at the end of February and the Pac-12 Tournament will begin on March 1 in Seattle.

Tickets: Season tickets can be purchased here. Single-game tickets will be available on Monday, Oct. 16 with a presale for season-ticket holders on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Radio: Just a reminder to Buffs fans that all games will be found on a new radio home this season, 630 KHOW on AM radio.

Outlook: CU finished the 2016-17 season 17-16 overall and reached the third round of the Women's NIT in head coach JR Payne's first season with the program. It was the first postseason appearance of the Buffs since 2014.

The Buffs return three starters from last season, including first-team All-Pac-12 guard Kennedy Leonard. The junior averaged a team-high 17.1 points, 5.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds last season. Alexis Robinson also returns to the backcourt for her junior season after averaging 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. Zoe Correal is also back for her senior season. She started 31 games last year and averaged 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Opponent-By-Opponent Matchups:
Colorado Christian (exhibition game in Boulder/Saturday, Nov. 4, 2 p.m.)
CCU is an NCAA Division II school located in Lakewood, Colo. ... the Cougars went 11-16 last season ... CCU returns one starter from last season, senior Alex Nelson, who led the team in scoring (15.2 PPG) and rebounding (7.3 RPG) ... the two schools have never previously played.

Samford (at Birmingham, Ala./Friday, Nov. 10, 5 p.m. MT)
First-ever meeting between the two schools ... the Bulldogs went 12-19 last season, including 4-10 in the Southern Conference ... Samford returns two starters from last season, led by senior Hannah Nichols at 13.3 PPG, the only Bulldogs player to average over 10 points last season.

North Carolina (at Chapel Hill, N.C./Sunday, Nov. 12, 12 p.m. MT)
CU won the only previous meeting between the two schools 86-67 in the 2003 NCAA Tournament ... the Tar Heels went 15-16 last season, including 3-13 in the ACC ... they return all five starters from last season, led by junior Paris Kea, who averaged 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 2016-17, and junior Stephanie Watts, who averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Florida Atlantic (in Boulder/Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.)
First-ever meeting between the two schools ... FAU went 4-25 last season, including 0-18 in Conference USA ... senior Sasha Cedeño is the leading returner after leading the Owls with 9.8 PPG last year.

Miami (Fla.) (in Boulder/Saturday, Nov. 18, 1 p.m.)
First-ever meeting between the two schools ... the Hurricanes went 24-9 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... two starters return, led by senior Erykah Davenport (6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG).

Mississippi Valley State (in Boulder/Friday, Nov. 24, 12 p.m.--Omni Hotels Classic semifinals)
CU won the only previous meeting between the two schools 76-64 in Itta Bena, Miss., last season ... the Delta Devils went 10-20 last season, including 7-11 in the SWAC.

Drake (Omni Hotels Classic participant)
Drake won the only previous meeting between the two schools 82-66 in Boulder in the 1999 WNIT ... the Bulldogs went 28-5 last season, including 18-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and reached the NCAA Tournament ... three starters return, led by sophomore Becca Hittner at 12.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG.

George Mason (Omni Hotels Classic participant)
The two schools have never previously played ... the Patriots went 13-17 last season, including 6-10 in the Atlantic 10 ... three starters return, led by sophomore Jacy Bolton (8.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG).

North Dakota State (in Boulder/Wednesday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m.)
CU is 2-0 all-time vs. NDSU, including a 76-59 win in Fargo last season ... the Bison went 6-24 last season, including 4-12 in the Summit League ... four starters return, led by senior Taylor Thunstedt (14.5 PPG).

Colorado State (at Fort Collins, Colo./Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.)
CU is 36-12 all-time against CSU, including 12-10 in Fort Collins ... the Buffs won 74-56 in Boulder last year ... the Rams went 25-9 last season, including 15-3 in the Mountain West, and reached the second round of the WNIT ... three starters return, led by senior Hannah Tvrdy (8.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.4 APG).

Dartmouth (in Boulder/Monday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.)
CU won the only previous meeting 57-43 in 2007 in Boulder ... the Big Green went 8-19 last season, including 3-11 in the Ivy League ... Dartmouth returns three starters from last season, including leading scorer Kate Letkewicz (11.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG).

Air Force (at U.S. Air Force Academy/Friday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m.)
CU is 4-0 all-time against Air Force, including 1-0 at the Air Force Academy ... the Buffs won 95-68 in Boulder last season ... the Falcons went 4-25 last season, including 2-16 in the Mountain West Conference ... three starters return this season, led by senior Cortney Porter (8.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG).

Westminster (Mo.) (in Boulder/Thursday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.)
First-ever meeting between the two schools ... Westminster is an NCAA Division III school from Fulton, Mo. ... the Blue Jays went 9-15 last season ... three starters return, led by junior Mirrakohl Johnson (10.3 PPG).

Arizona State (in Boulder/Friday, Dec. 29, 7 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks) (at Tempe, Ariz./Sunday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks)
CU leads the all-time series 11-8 overall, including 6-4 in Boulder and 4-4 in Tempe ... ASU won last season's only matchup 71-52 in Boulder ... the Sun Devils went 20-13 last season, including 9-9 in the Pac-12 , and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... they return two starters from last season, led by sophomore Reili Richardson (8.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.3 RPG).

Arizona (in Boulder/Sunday, Dec. 31, 1 p.m.) (at Tucson, Ariz./Friday, Jan. 19, 6 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks)
CU leads the all-time series 15-4 overall, including 9-1 in Boulder and 6-3 in Tucson ... the Buffs won last season's only matchup 65-56 in Boulder ... the Wildcats went 14-16 last season, including 5-13 in the Pac-12 ... Arizona returns two starters, led by Lucia Alonso (5.3 PPG, 2.4 APG).

Washington State (at Pullman, Wash./Friday, Jan. 5, 9 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks) (in Boulder/Sunday, Feb. 18, 12 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks)
WSU leads the all-time series 8-5, including 5-1 in Pullman, but the Buffs are 4-2 against WSU in Boulder ... last season the Buffs were 1-2 in three matchups with the Cougars ... WSU went 16-20 last season, including 6-12 in the Pac-12, and reached the semifinals of the WNIT ... the Cougars return four starters from last season in addition to three starters who suffered season-ending injuries ... WSU's top five scorers last season by average are back and just one player from last season does not return ... Borislava Hristova (14.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, missed final 27 games), Chanelle Molina (12.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, missed final 19 games) and Alexys Swedlund (11.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG) are the top returners.

Washington (at Seattle, Wash./Sunday, Jan. 7, TBA) (in Boulder/Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.)
UW leads the all-time series 12-8, including 6-2 in Seattle and 5-3 in Boulder ... the Huskies won both meetings last season ... the Huskies went 29-6 overall last season, including 15-3 in the Pac-12, and reached the Sweet Sixteen ... senior Natalie Romeo is the lone returning starter after averaging 9.3 PPG and 1.5 RPG.

Southern California (in Boulder/Friday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks) (at Los Angeles, Calif./Saturday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m.)
USC leads the all-time series 9-6 overall, including 5-2 in Los Angeles and 4-3 in Boulder ... the Trojans won last season's only matchup 79-54 in Los Angeles ... the Women of Troy went 14-17 overall, including 5-13 in the Pac-12 last season ... three starters return, led by senior Kristen Simon (14.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG) ... sophomore Minyon Moore started just four games, but was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and averaged 11.7 PPG and 4.0 APG.

UCLA (in Boulder/Sunday, Jan. 14, 4 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks) (at Los Angeles, Calif./Thursday, Feb. 22, 9 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks)
UCLA leads the all-time series 8-5 overall, including 4-2 in Boulder and 4-2 in Los Angeles ... the Bruins won last season's only matchup 87-74 in L.A. ... UCLA went 25-9 last season, including 13-5 in the Pac-12, and reached the Sweet Sixteen ... the Bruins return three starters, including Jordin Canada (17.8 PPG, 7.1 APG, 5.2 RPG), Monique Billings (16.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG) and Kennedy Burke (12.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG).

Oregon (in Boulder/Friday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks)
Oregon leads the all-time series 13-8 overall, including 5-4 in Boulder ... the two teams split last season's two meetings with the Buffs winning the second meeting 76-66 in Boulder ... the Ducks went 23-14 last season, including 8-10 in the Pac-12, and reached the Elite Eight ... they return all five starters from last season, led by sophomores Ruthy Hebard (14.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG), Sabrina Ionescu (14.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.5 APG) and Mallory McGwire (7.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG).

Oregon State (in Boulder/Sunday, Jan. 28, 2 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks)
OSU leads the all-time series 7-6 overall, but the Buffs lead the series 4-3 in Boulder ... the Beavers won both meetings last season ... the Beavers went 31-5 overall, including 16-2 in the Pac-12 to win the regular season championship, and reached the Sweet Sixteen ... they return two starters, led by Marie Gulich (9.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG).

Utah (at Salt Lake City, Utah/Thursday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks) (in Boulder/Sunday, Feb. 4, 12 p.m.--Pac-12 Networks)
The all-time series is split 15-15 with the Buffs leading 9-4 in games in Boulder and the Utes leading 10-3 in games in Salt Lake City ... the two teams split last season's two meetings ... the Utes went 16-15 last season, including 5-13 in the Pac-12 and reached the WNIT ... they return three starters, led by Emily Potter (13.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG).

California (at Berkeley, Calif./Friday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks)
Cal leads the all-time series 10-7 overall, including 4-3 in Berkeley ... the two teams split last season's two matchups with the Buffs winning the second meeting 64-59 in Berkeley ... the Bears went 20-14 overall last season, including 6-12 in the Pac-12, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... they return four starters, led by sophomore Kristine Anigwe (21.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG).

Stanford (at Stanford, Calif./Sunday, Feb. 11, 4 p.m. MT--Pac-12 Networks)
Stanford leads the all-time series 17-4 overall, including 9-0 in Stanford ... the Cardinal won both meetings last season ... the Cardinal went 32-6 last season, including 15-3 in the Pac-12, won the Pac-12 Tournament, and reached the Final Four ... they return two starters, led by Brittany McPhee (13.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.0 APG).

 

[buffgal]

If you pull up the schedule on the website, the November 29 game against North Dakota is not mentioned. Who runs the website?

 

[Cardinal22]

This is to me a disappointing schedule to get behind. I know that we shouldn't expect to be a world beater, but a lot of lower tier teams litter this schedule. I'd normally be excited by teams like Drake or CSU, but I think both teams will be down this year. George Mason is iffy depending on Natalie Butler. I don't think it's to the Buffs advantage to waltz through non conference and then run straight into the challenges of pac12

 

[Buffballer]

This is to me a disappointing schedule to get behind. I know that we shouldn't expect to be a world beater, but a lot of lower tier teams litter this schedule. I'd normally be excited by teams like Drake or CSU, but I think both teams will be down this year. George Mason is iffy depending on Natalie Butler. I don't think it's to the Buffs advantage to waltz through non conference and then run straight into the challenges of pac12

Buffs are a young squad with 8 new players, schedule reflects that fact. Also, Miami and NC will arguably provide PAC 12 type competition

 

[buffgal]

Strangest game on here to me is a December game against a DIII school. Why was that scheduled?

 

[Cardinal22]

Yes, I do agree with that being a strange game. I mean, I understand that the team is incredibly young, but given that Miami and UNC are the only real tests on this schedule, along with a weakened Colorado State (lost Nystrom and Gustavsson.) before we head into Pac-12, it's going to be a baptism by fire come Pac-12 Play. That's just my opinion. Drake is a well coached team, but they lost stalwarts Lizzy Wendell and Caitlin Ingle. The concern to me is the fact that we're playing teams like North Dakota State, Florida Atlantic, and Dartmouth. When you compare the schedule that CU has compared to what CSU is playing, I'm frankly disappointed. CSU lost their top leading scorers--and they are playing Oklahoma, BYU, Gonzaga, Northern Colorado (Big Sky Champs) and of course Colorado. Those five teams are better than anything that Colorado can put on their non-conference schedule. Heck, also look at what Northern Colorado plays: Depaul, Louisiana State, Quinnipiac, BYU and Colorado State. Heck you could even throw a traditionally strong Liberty in there. I get that I'm probably getting held up on the name brand, but there are plenty of regional rivals that the Buffs can play that are not on the schedule this year. Where is the game with Northern Colorado? Where is the game against a tough Wyoming squad? Why aren't we playing BYU? There's plenty of opportunity here for growth against these types of teams. I hate to be a naysayer--especially knowing the strength of the Pac-12, and that there are probably some scheduling issues--but we can do better.

 

[BeBe]

Have to agree with Cardinal22's analysis of the schedule. Just seems like somebody missed the boat in putting this together. Now this IS their first go-round on scheduling here at Colorado since last seasons schedule was mostly if not entirely completed by Lappe and her staff. So hopefully they have learned some lessons for the future schedules and we see stronger schedules in the future without anymore D3 games.
Gotta ask Cardinal22 .... sounds like you have adopted the Buffs as your team (except when they play the Cardinal, of course) since you moved to this area. Is that true?

 

[AeroBuff99]

Strangest game on here to me is a December game against a DIII school. Why was that scheduled?

Exhibition game. A chance to get the younger players some meaningful playing time. http://www.wcbluejays.com/sports/wbkb/2017-18/releases/20170911tpqg7n
With no obvious connections between the coaching staffs, I assume that this was arranged at some coaches conference.

 

[BeBe]

Exhibition game. A chance to get the younger players some meaningful playing time. http://www.wcbluejays.com/sports/wbkb/2017-18/releases/20170911tpqg7n
With no obvious connections between the coaching staffs, I assume that this was arranged at some coaches conference.

Doesn't look like it's an exhibition. Look at the first game on the schedule on 11/4. That is marked as an exhibition. The 12/21 game against Westminster has no such indication. Of course it might as well be an exhibition since I don't think a non-D1 game even counts in the rpi and record for a D1 team.

 

[MarkW]

Non-conference schedules always seem to come up for criticism. I think a big part of the logic behind this one is the high number of newcomers with as many as likely to be starters as well as a few others being critical back-ups.

I too wish Wyo, UNC and DU were on the schedule. Perhaps one of them will be an opponent in a closed scrimmage?

Additionally, many (most?) of the non-conference foes aren't going to get casual fans excited about attending games.

 

[AeroBuff99]

Doesn't look like it's an exhibition. Look at the first game on the schedule on 11/4. That is marked as an exhibition. The 12/21 game against Westminster has no such indication. Of course it might as well be an exhibition since I don't think a non-D1 game even counts in the rpi and record for a D1 team.

The link I posted specifically said it was an exhibition game.

 

[Cardinal22]

Have to agree with Cardinal22's analysis of the schedule. Just seems like somebody missed the boat in putting this together. Now this IS their first go-round on scheduling here at Colorado since last seasons schedule was mostly if not entirely completed by Lappe and her staff. So hopefully they have learned some lessons for the future schedules and we see stronger schedules in the future without anymore D3 games.
Gotta ask Cardinal22 .... sounds like you have adopted the Buffs as your team (except when they play the Cardinal, of course) since you moved to this area. Is that true?

The Buffs have a .500 record in games I have attended. (W vs. Kentucky, L to Stanford.). I really WANT to like the Buffaloes and to support the program; however, given that I work down in Centennial it is extremely difficult to get to games on weeknights -- that Denver traffic is killer. I almost get to the point where I'd rather stay home and watch a number of live streams from around the country while keeping an eye on the Buffaloes. That being said, I have circled the Miami, Oregon, Oregon State, and the UCLA games as the games I'm interested in this year. It's a damn shame that we have no visit from Stanford and I'll be out of the country when Charli comes to town. I'd go to the Rams game versus Gonzaga if it wasn't on a Monday at 6. I'll have to see how I feel about the Oklahoma game when it rolls around. I'll likely make it to BYU as Cassie Broadhead was a stalwart on my Fantasy Team a season ago. Looking at DU's schedule, I'm thrilled that I get to see Liz Roberts and Wyoming, Northern Colorado and CSU all down here. I'm excited for some of the Summit League Teams led by formidable players such as Allison Arens (Yotes), Macy Miller (Jackrabbits), Emily Clemens (Leathernecks). This is honestly the schedule I'm most excited by in the area and it's easiest for me. Hopefully the rebuild goes well.

Non-conference schedules always seem to come up for criticism. I think a big part of the logic behind this one is the high number of newcomers with as many as likely to be starters as well as a few others being critical back-ups.

I too wish Wyo, UNC and DU were on the schedule. Perhaps one of them will be an opponent in a closed scrimmage?

Additionally, many (most?) of the non-conference foes aren't going to get casual fans excited about attending games.

That's the challenge. I mean, yes, you want to give your players some new experiences but we only have two more years of Kennedy and Alexis. They need to be challenged to up their games as well. I think that I'll have to adopt a position of wait and see and trust in the staff, but it's hard to get excited about this season on my end here compared to DU, CSU, and Northern Colorado.

 

[CUoldtimer]

Look at other programs that are not elite and you will see similar schedules. Last year wasn't that challenging either outside of U.K. and 1-2 other teams.

 

[Cardinal22]

It's interesting, because to me the quality of the schedule has slowly declined since the Linda Lappe days. In 2015-2016, Colorado played Kentucky, Florida, Colorado State, Long Beach State, and Missouri. That's 5 quality teams. 6 of the 11 teams that Colorado faced in 2015-2016 finished with winning records (Presbyterian being the other). In 2016-2017, Colorado played Kentucky, SMU, Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Wyoming. 5 Quality Teams (UNC and Wyoming Included here due to both significantly improving in 2016-2017.). 6 of the 11 teams that Colorado faced had winning records. (Idaho State being the other.).

In 2017-2018. We can reasonably expect North Carolina, Miami, either Drake or George Mason, and Colorado State to have winning records. While it's nice that we're playing two marquee names, the quality of the other teams that Colorado is facing outside of those names is in my opinion going down. Essentially, this season we've replaced Northern Colorado and Wyoming with Samford and Florida Atlantic. Idaho State was a better quality than Dartmouth. Again, this is all very subjective and I can get very opinionated about the schedule.

 

[CUoldtimer]

It's interesting, because to me the quality of the schedule has slowly declined since the Linda Lappe days. In 2015-2016, Colorado played Kentucky, Florida, Colorado State, Long Beach State, and Missouri. That's 5 quality teams. 6 of the 11 teams that Colorado faced in 2015-2016 finished with winning records (Presbyterian being the other). In 2016-2017, Colorado played Kentucky, SMU, Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Wyoming. 5 Quality Teams (UNC and Wyoming Included here due to both significantly improving in 2016-2017.). 6 of the 11 teams that Colorado faced had winning records. (Idaho State being the other.).

In 2017-2018. We can reasonably expect North Carolina, Miami, either Drake or George Mason, and Colorado State to have winning records. While it's nice that we're playing two marquee names, the quality of the other teams that Colorado is facing outside of those names is in my opinion going down. Essentially, this season we've replaced Northern Colorado and Wyoming with Samford and Florida Atlantic. Idaho State was a better quality than Dartmouth. Again, this is all very subjective and I can get very opinionated about the schedule.

This always happens in a total rebuild job. Also, to most casual fans, Samford and FA is about the same as N CO and Wyoming my.

 

[buffgal]

For the sake of long rivalries in the program, I wish Wyoming, DU and Northern Colorado were on the schedule year in and year out.

I remember one of Lappe's teams when they didn't lose in the nonconference in 2011-12, going 11-0. Lappe's second year. Ended up 6-12 in Pac 12 because they were not prepared. Team did go to WNIT that season and won 3 games before losing.

Perhaps teams don't want to play a home and home? I don't know the answer to that. I do know that a team in the kind of shape that the Buffs were when JR took over is not going to be a consistent NCAA team in it's 2nd year, 3rd year or probably 4th year. Surprised they did as well as they did with so many players leaving the program at the end of season. They must not have been happy. Often that shows on the court.

 

[EdB60]

I think some of you are making too much of this schedule thing. If you put them side by side, you will see that the only major difference is that Wyoming is missing and, in it's normal spot is the D3 team. This was obviously a snafu with this game with Wyoming and CU needed a quick fill. I can't really believe that either school would really want to drop this game, being it is such a traditional rivalry. It was due to be played at Wyoming so perhaps there was a conflict and things will be worked out by next year.
The other concerns about the quality of the opponents is all just subjective. Samford and George Mason both had decent seasons last year and come from, solid conferences. Florida Atlantic is now coached by Jim Jabir who coached Dayton to so much success and also coached here under Ceal, so I expect they will be up to his usual standards. They may not be up to his standards this year but this could be a recurring game with our recruit from Georgia coming in next year. Try to remember that you should always schedule teams that are located in the area that your players are being recruited from. That is why we went to Kentucky (Lex) and should still try to do again next year and it is why we are going to the SE, both NC, Samford, MS Valley, etc.
Now Dartmouth, I just don't understand, although I would have loved to see Harvard, since Jas Sborov is an assistant there. Maybe they will think about it if they want to go to Mass for JANEA BUNN next year.
Let's face facts here. The Buffs are just not a very good basketball team right now and may not be until they can do a better job of recruiting. And until they are better, they will not be able to attract non conference foes on demand.

 

[buffgal]

The reason CU played Illinois was for our Kansas City recruit (who ended up leaving due to her mother's illness). Also played UMKC that year. I met the family of that player at the Illinois game. Her mom couldn't make it because she was too ill.

I am pretty sure the Iowa games home and away were scheduled for Lappe herself.

Anybody know what Lappe is doing? She is not longer on the coaching roster at San Francisco.

Ceal often did not have challenging non conference schedules if you look at the program. In fact, it took her a while to build the program. Now everybody wants results yesterday. The players who left didn't fit JR's program. The players that are here do fit JR's program.

Being in the Big 12 and Pac 12 has taken care of getting some players to play near their homes.

 

[Buffnik]

Better to win and make the NIT via a weak OOC schedule than be in that .500 record donut hole. But the program needs to build to that next level.

 

[buffgal]

Season tickets are on their way!