Colorado (13-4, 6-3 Pac-12) is looking to get back on track against a Stanford team that’s coming off a big win. The Buffaloes are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against the Cardinal and will have to play tough defense in order to beat them.
The Buffs are favored by 5.5 points in this game. They’ve beaten three ranked teams in their last four contests and will look to do the same against the top-ranked team in the country.
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Frida Formann
Frida Formann was a part of a successful freshman campaign at Colorado, averaging 12.4 points per game, three rebounds a game and shooting 41% from the 3-point line. However, her sophomore season saw a significant downtick in her overall performance, but coach Kendra Payne believes that was due to mental issues and a lack of confidence.
Formann played for the Danish national team during the summer, and her experience helped her regain her freshman form this season. She also learned to let go when she has a bad game, so she doesn’t care as much about her shots not falling and can focus on her overall game.
A strong defender, Formann has been a valuable asset to the Buffs this year. She’s currently second on the team with 11.5 points a game and has hit 43.3% of her 3 pointers this season, averaging 2.5 more per game than last season (27.2%).
She’s also a good rebounder and has been working hard on that this year. As a result, she’s currently averaging 8.7 rebounds a game and is tied for the team lead in steals with senior center Quay Miller.
As a team, the Buffs are averaging 69.1 points a game, which is tied for third best in the Pac-12. They’re also averaging 38.2 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 9.1 steals and 2.4 blocks.
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Quay Miller
CU’s Quay Miller had a stellar season last year and is off to another strong start in her sophomore season with the Buffs. She scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the team’s win over New Mexico State Monday, and she’s been on fire all season long, shooting 50 percent from three-point range and averaging 10.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
She’s the main reason CU has won 11 of its last 13 games, and she’s a huge reason why CU finished fourth in the Pac-12 and will be favored to win the conference tournament if it beats 10th-place Cal on Saturday (Feb. 3).
This team will feature a handful of newcomers, including transfer Aaronette Vonleh from Arizona, but the Buffs need to find a way to mesh as a unit and make sure the freshmen don’t disrupt the flow of the game. They’ll also want to see the senior guards Frida Formann and Jaylyn Sherrod continue to score and defend at a high level, along with junior forward Kindyll Wetta, who has been steady all season and was named to the All-Pac-12 second team this week.
The Buffaloes are in the middle of a tough stretch, with three games against Oregon, three against Stanford and two against Arizona before the Pac-12 tournament begins. They’ll need to stay in the top three to secure the top seed and avoid a road trip to Utah.
Colorado’s top four players earned all-conference honors this year and are all ranked in the Pac-12 preseason top 25. The Buffs are 15-4 overall and have a chance to win the conference for the first time since placing third in the Big 12 in 2003-04. But they need to keep their underdog mentality in check and play with a lot of heart if they hope to compete at the highest levels.
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Jaylyn Sherrod
Jaylyn Sherrod is a star player who excels at both ends of the floor and is one of the most dominant players in the Pac-12. Sherrod is probably the fastest player in the conference and has a knack for attacking defenders off the dribble and scoring clutch buckets. She also has the ability to run in transition and is an outstanding defensive player.
Sherrod led the Buffs in both points and assists and was named Pac-12 All-Defensive this season. Sherrod averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game. She also had a strong presence on the glass, with 3.0 rebounds per game.
The Buffs swept the Washington schools this weekend and Sherrod helped lead the way. She scored a career-high-tying 27 points in a come-from-behind 71-68 win over Washington State on Friday and tied a game-high with six assists in Sunday’s 65-43 victory against Washington.
In that win, she also had a strong second half, hitting 5-of-9 shots from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sherrod also made an important steal in the final minute to tie the game at 67 and force overtime.
This week, she will be a major part of the team’s success in the tournament, which starts this Thursday in Las Vegas. Sherrod will be playing for her first Pac-12 title and is a huge part of the reason why CU has such a strong chance of winning the title.
Sherrod was honored by the Pac-12 on Monday as a member of the all-conference first team, along with Quay Miller. Sherrod also earned all-defensive honors and co-most improved player honors with Aaronette Vonleh, who also made her first all-conference first team.
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Aaronette Vonleh
When Aaronette Vonleh first started playing basketball, she wasn’t sure if she could be good enough to play college basketball. She’s now in her second season at Colorado and has already made a name for herself as one of the top center players in the Pac-12.
She joined the Buffs for the 2018-19 season after transferring from Washington and has been a valuable part of the program since. She ranked eighth nationally in rebounding per game last season and is a candidate for the Lisa Leslie Award, which is given to the best center in women’s college basketball.
Throughout her career, she’s been a leader on the court and off. She’s volunteered at homeless shelters, food banks and coached youth basketball teams.
With a big, 6-foot-3 frame, she’s also capable of being an effective post player and has already been rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN. She’s averaging 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds this year, and has made a significant impact on the team in her freshman year.
As a young player, she’s had to learn how to adjust to different coaches and teammates while also learning how to take her game to the next level. But she’s found a mentor in her younger brother, Noah Vonleh, a 2015 NBA Draft pick.
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Kindyll Wetta
Kindyll Wetta has been a key off-the-bench player for Colorado this season. The 5-foot-9 freshman from Valor Christian High School is known for her tenacity and great passing ability. In CU’s semifinals appearance last week at the Pac-12 Tournament, she came up big in the scoring department as well.
The Buffaloes (22-8) advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2013 by defeating Stanford in Las Vegas. The Cardinal led by eight early in the fourth quarter before CU rallied for a comeback win. During the game, Kindyll Wetta had a huge defensive play in which she stole the ball on an inbounds pass and dished it to Jaylyn Sherrod for the go-ahead basket that forced overtime.
She also had an incredible ‘never say die’ mentality despite a nasty ankle injury that saw her in pain for most of the fourth quarter and into overtime. She kept right at Stanford guard Abby Belibi and earned foul calls, even as she looked in great pain.
In the end, the Buffs snagged the win 73-70 in overtime. It was the first time CU beat a top-10 team in Boulder since a 79-77 win over UCLA in 2015-16. Quay Miller paced the Buffaloes with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaylyn Sherrod added 18 and six assists.
The Buffs have had some ups and downs this season but are coming off of a second straight NCAA tournament appearance. They face Middle Tennessee in the first round of the Seattle 4 bracket on March 18. Head coach JR Payne has loved the toughness of Wetta from day one and is confident she will lead CU to its first tournament victory since 2013.