Buffs start postseason against Southeastern Louisiana in round one of WBIT

Colorado forward Jade Masogayo goes up for a mid-range jumper in the Big 12 quarterfinal matchup against TCU. She scored a team-high of 22 points in the loss (Photo by Ryan Asaro/Sko Buffs Sports).

Although Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball (20-12) did not hear its name called on Selection Sunday, it claimed a No. 1 seed in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) and will face the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions on Thursday.

Colorado enters the WBIT after a strong showing in the Big 12 Championship, where they secured victories over Houston and Arizona before falling to top-seeded TCU in the quarterfinals. This season marks the Buffaloes’ fifth consecutive postseason appearance.

“We feel really good about how we played in the tournament and felt like we could’ve and should’ve beaten TCU, which would have been huge,” head coach JR Payne said Wednesday. “So we’re very confident going in [to the BIT].”

The Lady Lions were regular season champions of the Southland Conference with a 19-1 conference record. SLU is led by guard Alexius Horne who claimed Southland Player of the Year, averaging 14.3 points on 44.5% shooting. 

The Buffaloes return home to the CU Events Center where they dominated this season going 14-2. However, most of the Buffaloes' struggles were away from Boulder. Colorado only had one conference win on the road, including an overtime loss to the Texas Tech Lady Raiders that cost them a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament. 

Where CU has struggled most this season is taking care of the ball. The Buffs finished the season tied for last in the Big 12 averaging 18.1 turnovers a game. SLU can take advantage of these miscues, as they forced the most turnovers per game in the Southland with 19.9. 

“Our biggest challenge is just their athleticism and the way they can force turnovers and create chaos defensively,” Payne said. “We’ve fortunately had several days of preparation … We’ll be ready for that pressure.” 

The Buffs enter the WBIT adding back senior forward Nyamer Diew, who missed the Big 12 tournament with a concussion. Colorado missed her 7.5 points per game and physicality on defense in the tournament. 

With a couple of weeks off to nurse injuries, CU should also have Sara-Rose Smith at full strength, who spent the conference tournament on a minutes restriction nursing a foot injury. 

Tip-off from the CU Events Center is set for 7 p.m. MT with a broadcast on ESPN+. Thursday’s winner will advance to play either the Gonzaga Bulldogs or UTSA Roadrunners, who also tip-off tonight at 7.