LUBBOCK, Texas – It has been over a decade since the Colorado women’s basketball team made the voyage to northwest Texas. “Avatar” was the top-grossing movie and “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha was the No. 1 song in America.
It was January 10, 2010. The Buffaloes, led by then-head coach Kathy McConnel-Miller, made their final Big 12 Conference stop in Lubbock. Bianca Smith led CU with 18 points off the bench in a losing effort, 74-61. Colorado and TTU made one final trip to Boulder in 2011 before the 22-game series came to a halt.
That will change this week when the Buffs and Lady Raiders remake acquaintances in the final game of the Preseason WNIT on Wednesday (6 p.m. MT). But first, the Buffaloes will take on Louisiana, a recent WNIT foe, on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.)
“I think there’s probably only three or four of our players that would remember that game [against Louisiana],” head coach JR Payne commented. “But [we] definitely [remember] the style of play – undersized, really athletic, scrappy and tough. They take a ton of chargers and try to frustrate you defensively. All those things I think we remember.”
One Buff that had a memorable game against the Ragin’ Cajuns in that 2021 WNIT game was Frida Formann. Formann, then a freshman, posted 14 points and made four 3-pointers in CU’s 68-45 win in Collierville, Tenn. Tayanna Jones and Charlotte Whittaker are the two other remaining Buffs from the 2021 WNIT.
The Buffs will play back-to-back games, taking on Texas Tech a little more than 24 hours after tip-off against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Colorado will look at the early-season test as a chance to showcase the team’s depth.
“We need to focus on what we’re doing well right now,” Payne explained about the quick turnaround. “I feel like we are really deep. We’ll be able to showcase our depth, but it’s definitely going to be important because playing back-to-back is really difficult at this level. I think it’s good for us that we do have depth that we trust and believe in.”
Colorado hasn’t fared well in its previous eight trips to Lubbock. The Buffs are 1-7 on the road against their former Big 12 rivals and just 5-17 overall. The Lady Raiders are off to a 1-0 start this season, looking to improve on their 11-19 finish a year ago.
While the two teams haven’t played in 12 years, there is a fraction of familiarity between…
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