Brian Howell: Buffs Blog

Pac-12 coaches picked the CU women’s basketball team to finish 11th in the conference.

Media members picked the Buffs to finish 12th.

With CU just about an hour away from tipping off against Utah in its first Pac-12 game, here’s my predicted order of finish for the conference:

1. Stanford

2. Cal

3. USC

4. Colorado

5. UCLA

6. Utah

7. Arizona St.

8. Arizona

9. Washington St.

10. Oregon St.

11. Washington

12. Oregon

Maybe I’m biased because I see them all the time, but I like what I see from this Buffs squad. I also don’t like what I see out of the rest of the league. USC and UCLA have both lost significant players to ACL tears. Cal has had a great season, but that’s a team CU beat a year ago in the WNIT. Other than Stanford, I’m not sure there’s a team in the Pac-12 CU can’t beat.

In the long run, the decision to get her hip surgically repaired is a good one for Colorado freshman Arielle Roberson. She’ll come back next year stronger and ready to roll (hopefully) and have four years of eligibility left.

It’s unfortunate for this year’s team, however, that Roberson won’t play. Although she’s only had a few college practices, by all accounts her game is similar to that of her brother, CU sophomore Andre Roberson. Andre has an unbelievable nose for the ball when it comes to rebounding, and he’s a developing scorer.

The CU women’s team has done a nice job with rebounding this season without Arielle, but she’ll be missed when Pac-12 play  hits and the Buffs run up against bigger and better teams.

After Sunday’s 68-59 win against Idaho — coupled with some upsets in the Top 25 — Colorado is now one of just 15 undefeated teams in Division I women’s basketball.

That’s right, out of nearly 350 Division I schools, the Buffs are in some rare air right now.

Still, with a not-so-sparking schedule, CU isn’t quite knocking on the door of the Top 25 rankings.

But, considering where they sit right now, let’s see how they rank among the undefeated teams. This is purely  my opinion, but here’s how I’d rank the 15 unbeatens (with my AP Top 25 rank in parenthesis).

1. Baylor (1)
2. Connecticut (2)
3. Maryland (6)
4. Kentucky (10)
5. Rutgers (13)
6. Ohio State (14)
7. Green Bay (17)
8. Texas Tech (18)
9. Delaware (22)
10. Vanderbilt (23)
11. Colorado
12. Oklahoma State
13. UTEP
14. Stephen F. Austin
15. Wofford

Of the 15, the top 10 are no-brainers. They’re among the best 25 teams in the country. As for the other 5, let’s take a closer look:

COLORADO (7-0): The Buffs survived a scare from Idaho — a team they should have decked by at least 20 — on Sunday, but overall they’ve been dominant this season. Unfortunately, they’ve played just one BCS school: a mediocre/bad Wisconsin squad. Best win – 58-48 vs. Wisconsin.

OKLAHOMA STATE (4-0): The plane crash that took the lives of the Cowgirls’ head coach and assistant caused a pair of games to be postponed. Of the games they have played, OSU has looked good, winning them all by 11 or more. Like CU, their best win came against a bottom-rung Big Ten squad. Best win – 83-72 at Indiana.

UTEP (7-0): The Miners have blown out most teams, but needed overtime to defeated New Mexico State. That was their only road game to date. Thirteen days later, they played New Mexico State again, this time at home, and won 63-27. Best win – 80-49 vs. Denver (5-2).

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (7-0): Great start, but the Lumberjacks have had a few close calls, including a 59-57 win at home against Wiley College. Yes, Wiley College. Best win – 68-58 at Louisiana-Monroe.

WOFFORD (6-0): It’s the best start in school history, but the Terriers haven’t defeated anyone of note. Best win – 58-50 at Gardner-Webb.

Also, for what it’s worth, as of Sunday night, RealTimeRPI.com ranked the Buffaloes 143rd in the country, with their strength of schedule at 327 (out of 342). Of course, this same web site has Delaware as the No. 1 team in the country and has Hofstra at No. 9 — two spots ahead of undefeated and perennial power Connecticut.

There’s no question the Colorado women’s basketball team has had a great start. The Buffs are 5-0 with all five wins by 10 points or more.

Yet, here’s how good the rest of the country is: While filling out my Associated Press Top 25 poll on Sunday, the Buffs weren’t even on my radar — and not just in the top 25, but among the top 35 or 40.

That’s not to say the Buffs can’t be a Top 25 team this season. But to get there, they’ve got some work to do.

So why, at 5-0, did I not even consider the Buffs?

Mainly because of their schedule. CU hasn’t beaten anybody worth talking about. Combined, their opponents are 9-21 this season. Northern Arizona (4-3) is the only Buffs opponent with a winning record. Wisconsin is the only team from a BCS conference the Buffs will play in their 11-game non-conference schedule. While Saturday’s 58-48 win was nice, Wisconsin is still one of the bottom feeders in the Big Ten, sitting at 2-5.

There are a bunch of teams that, like CU, are undefeated, but, unlike CU, have good, resume-building wins. Delaware is one of those teams. I ranked the Fightin Blue Hens 25th. They’ve knocked off then-No. 12 Penn State, a good Villanova team on the road and a good St. Bonaventure team on the road.

Delaware is just one example. Wisconsin-Green Bay, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Nebraska and Princeton also have unbeaten records with quality wins. Even Michigan, at 7-0, has a more impressive resume than CU right now, and I didn’t even consider the Wolverines for a top-25 spot this week.

Bottom line for CU: Keep winning. The Buffs’ schedule won’t impress anyone. In fact, it’s possible that CU’s two dates with Stanford will be their only games against ranked opponents.

As long as the Buffs keep winning, though, they’ll get their reward. Maybe it won’t come in a top-25 ranking, but it could come in the form of an NCAA Tournament bid.

My top 25 ballot for this week:

1. Baylor

2. Connecticut

3. Texas A&M

4. Notre Dame

5. Stanford

6. Maryland

7. Miami, FL

8. Louisville

9. Tennessee

10. Duke

11. Purdue

12. Kentucky

13. North Carolina

14. Rutgers

15. Penn State

16. Georgetown

17. Georgia

18. Oklahoma

19. Green Bay

20. Gonzaga

21. DePaul

22. Texas

23. Ohio State

24. Texas Tech

25. Delaware

It’s early, but I like what I see from the Colorado women’s basketball team to this point. They’re 3-0, but more importantly they’re 3-0 with three impressive wins. No, they haven’t played top-notch competition yet, but the Buffs have taken care of business against teams they should beat.

Fortunately for CU, the entire non-conference schedule is full of teams they should beat. Before Pac-12 conference play begins on Dec. 31, the Buffs will have 11 non-conference games under their belts. They SHOULD be 11-0, but I’ve got to figure they’ll have a letdown or two. So, at worst they should be 9-2 going into conference play.

Once conference play starts, the competition level will rise. By then, hopefully the Buffs have worked out the kinks, improved their game and developed the confidence they need to make a run at the top half of the standings. If they can finish in the top five in the Pac-12, an NCAA Tournament bid could come their way.

I am voting in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for women’s basketball. Here is the ballot I turned in this evening:

1. Baylor
2. Connecticut
3. Stanford
4. Texas A&M
5. Notre Dame
6. Tennessee
7. Maryland
8. Duke
9. Georgia
10. Miami, FL
11. Louisville
12. Oklahoma
13. Purdue
14. Kentucky
15. North Carolina
16. Rutgers
17. Penn State
18. Virginia
19. Gonzaga
20. Green Bay
21. LSU
22. Georgetown
23. DePaul
24. Texas
25. Georgia Tech

This year, I am voting in The Associated Press Women’s Top 25 poll. Here’ s the top 25 I turned in tonight:

1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. Connecticut
4. Tennessee
5. Stanford
6. Texas A&M
7. Miami, FL
8. Maryland
9. Louisville
10. Duke
11. Penn State
12. Georgia
13. Oklahoma
14. Purdue
15. Georgetown
16. Kentucky
17. DePaul
18. North Carolina
19. Rutgers
20. Florida State
21. LSU
22. UCLA
23. USC
24. Gonzaga
25. Green Bay

Colorado’s women’s basketball team will open the 2011-12 season tonight against Northern Arizona.

How will they do this season?

The Buffs will like the Pac-12 a lot better than the Big-12. Not that there aren’t good teams in the Pac-12. Stanford is one of the top programs in the country. The Pac-12 is not as deep as the Big-12, however. So, a top-six finish in the league is possible with a young and talented roster.

In addition, there’s not one game on the non-conference schedule CU can’t win. They may slip up once or twice, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t be at least 9-2 going into conference play.

How do you think they’ll do this season, Buff fans?

Today, the Colorado volleyball and women’s basketball teams announced recruiting classes that include highly touted prep players.

The women’s basketball team has a class that ranks 20th nationally by ESPN. It’s highlighted by the top player in Colorado (Lauren Huggins of Heritage) and the top player in Arizona (Jamee Swan of Marana High School in Tucson), as well as a true point guard (Kyleesha Weston from Park Hill High in Kansas City, Mo.).

Coach Linda Lappe and the Buffs have yet to play a game in the Pac-12, but this class shows they can compete with their conference rivals in recruiting. To land the top player in Arizona was huge. Stanford, a perennial top team nationally, was the only Pac-12 team to land a better class (No. 15).

Liz Kritza’s volleyball team has a long way to go to match their Pac-12 foes (CU has an 0-17 conference record), but took a good step in that direction today with a recruiting class that includes two highly respected preps (Alexis Austin of Houston, Texas, and Nicole Edelman from Fairview High in Boulder) and a stellar defensive specialists from Hawaii (Chelsey Keoho).

Time will tell if these recruiting classes pan out, but for now the staffs of both teams ought to be praised for a job well done.

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