Colorado looking for revenge in quarterfinals date with Baylor

The Colorado Buffaloes stand united after their second-round win in the Big 12 championship against Kansas Thursday (Photo via Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

Jake Chau, Xavier Michnewicz

One January loss still stings for the Colorado Buffaloes. The Big 12 championship tournament provides the opportunity for redemption. 

Free throws and a whirlwind ending were the difference-makers in Colorado’s loss to the then No. 16 Baylor Bears. Nearly two months to the date, the Buffaloes have a chance to seal their NCAA Tournament fate and deliver a dish best served cold. 

Colorado rematches No.3-seeded Baylor (24-7, 13-5 Big 12, AP No. 20) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 championship tournament. However, the chance at revenge won’t be easy.  The Buffaloes face off against the conference’s second-leading scorer and premier rebounder in guard Taliah Scott and forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. Scott averages 20.2 points per game alongside Littlepage-Buggs’ double-double average while shooting 53.2 percent.  

“We know them, and they're really good,” head coach JR Payne said. “But we're going to have to really study the film between now and tomorrow to take care of the basketball more effectively.”

Colorado has to take care of the ball ahead of their matchup with Baylor. The Bears are 15-4 in games in which they force more than 15 turnovers. However, the Buffs are 12-8 in games where they turn the ball over more than 15 times. 

Spearheading Baylor’s effort is guard Bella Fontleroy, with 1.5 steals per game. Making clean passes to beat Fontleroy will be a primary focus for Colorado.

“I think we turned it over like three times in a row trying to throw lobs, which we never do,” Payne said of her team’s win over Kansas that saw them turn the ball over 20 times. “Uncharacteristic type things and just making sure that we're super solid and making good, clean decisions.”

Colorado will also look to force bad passes on the other end. Five of the Bears’ seven losses on the season have come when they have fewer than 12 team assists.

With a double-bye in the tournament, Baylor enters the matchup after ending its regular season on a loss against TCU. In that loss, the Bears scored their season-low in points while Littepage-Buggs and Scott shot 30 and 26 percent, respectively. 

Littlepage-Buggs’ 30 percent was her lowest mark of the season, with the second-lowest coming in a loss against Texas in December. However, it’ll be key for the Buffaloes to limit her on the glass. In Baylor’s four Big 12 losses, Littlepage-Buggs was held to under 10 rebounds. 

In three of those same losses, Scott was held to under 20 points. However, Baylor can survive games when she shoots poorly. Through conference play, in games where Scott shot 30 percent or worse, the Bears went 6-2, including their win over Colorado.  

Expanding that out to a team-wide performance, Baylor has found success even when their other players' shots haven’t been falling. 

Baylor has made nearly one of every three 3-point attempts they’ve shot this season, but it doesn’t die by that shot. The Bears are still 4-3 in games in which they shoot less than 25 percent from 3.

What the Buffaloes will need to do against Scott is force her to turn the ball over. She has had four or more turnovers in five of their seven losses. Colorado has proven it can turn her over, forcing six in January, her second most of the season.   

“Lock her up. Nothing more, nothing less,” Colorado guard Desiree Wooten said.

Its matchup against Baylor could also be Colorado’s deciding factor in sitting comfortably on Selection Sunday or waiting to hear its name called. In the latest ESPN Bracketology, Colorado sits firmly in the “Last Four In” category, while Baylor sits at a six-seed. 

If the Buffaloes have another signature win under their belt, it could boost them out of the “Last Four In.” While Baylor will be firmly in the NCAA Tournament, Colorado is still looking to prove itself, especially after back-to-back losses to end the regular season. 

Colorado takes on Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 championship tournament. Tip-off from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is set for 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).