Simply making the tournament demonstrates tremendous growth for CU’s women’s basketball program under the watch of head coach JR Payne.
This tournament bid represents the first for the program since the 2012-2013 season, a whole decade ago. Plus, the Buffaloes will likely be favored to beat the Blue Raiders. Securing a first-round victory would make this the first Colorado women’s basketball team to reach the second round since 2002-2003.
Although the season has already been a rousing success and getting the bid is a major victory for Payne and Co., it should be noted that ‘Selection Sunday’ didn’t go as well as many of the Boulder faithful would’ve hoped.
Entering the day, the women were projected to receive a No. 5 seed by ESPN’s top bracketologists, though of course there’s always some margin for error. Given that concession, the women on the team, and the team’s fans, were hoping the team might somehow receive a No. 4 seed, as the top-four seeds in each region get the advantage of hosting the tournament’s first two rounds.
Unfortunately, it went the opposite way, as the Buffs receive a No. 6 seed, giving them a tougher first-round matchup.
Though, on the plus side, they now won’t have to face one of the No. 1 seeds — a deadly quartet of South Carolina, Stanford, Virginia Tech, and Indiana — in the third round.
The current obstacles of Middle Tennessee State and the winner of Duke vs. Iona aren’t a stiff draw.
It’s a thought that should be reserved for the distant future, but if the Colorado Buffaloes do advance to the Sweet Sixteen, it would be just the seventh time in the history of the program and the first time without legendary head coach Ceal Barry leading the way.
