December 21st 2024.
In a thrilling game on November 30, 2024, Colorado's Frida Formann showed off her impressive dribbling skills as she maneuvered past Louisville's Tajianna Roberts at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado. It was a great start to the season for the Colorado women's basketball team, known for their ability to embrace the underdog role and rise to any challenge.
One thing that has changed for the team this year is their roster, with ten new players joining the team. However, fifth-year senior Frida Formann believes that their mentality remains the same. When asked about it, she confidently replied, "Yeah, I think so." She explained that the team still sees themselves as the underdogs, with no one in the Big 12 expecting them to do big things. This mentality has fueled the team's attack mentality, with a determination to win every game, regardless of their opponent's ranking.
Although CU has made back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in the past two years, they were projected to finish ninth in their return season to the Big 12. This is mainly due to their new-look roster, but the team's head coach, JR Payne, believes that they are ready for conference play after playing 11 games together.
"We're definitely ready," she said. "We're very excited. The preseason was challenging, with lots of road games, but we're ready to get going."
The team is eagerly anticipating their first Big 12 conference opener against No. 14-ranked West Virginia this Saturday. Despite being one of three ranked teams in the conference, the Buffaloes are not shying away from the challenge. "We always love a challenge," Payne said. "And we're always glad to play at home, like every team in the country. So, we might as well play one of the best right off the bat."
As the only returning starter from last year, Formann has been a part of many big games with the Buffaloes, including multiple victories against ranked opponents. Although they lost to then-No. 24 Louisville on November 30, Formann believes they played one of their best games, aside from a few minutes of struggle. With this in mind, she is excited to face another Power Five team and is looking forward to the challenge.
"We shouldn't play down to our opponent or anything," Formann said. "But it's just really fun to play good opponents with great players and coaching. So I'm just really excited to do that every single week, and really getting into our prep, executing the scout, and really caring about all that stuff. I'm just very excited for that to start."
Formann is also looking forward to seeing how this year's team responds to a significant challenge before the holiday break. "You know us from past years, we don't really back down from a challenge," she said. "Being the underdog is fine with us. I think it's honestly perfect for us, them coming here right before Christmas. It'll be good."
This Saturday, the Buffaloes will face off against West Virginia at the CU Events Center. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and KHOW 630 AM. Both teams have impressive records, with Colorado at 9-2 and West Virginia at 10-1. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams, as West Virginia joined the Big 12 a year after CU left.
Both teams have a strong lineup, with key players like Colorado's Nyamer Diew and Frida Formann, and West Virginia's Kylee Blacksten and Jordan Harrison. With both teams eager to prove themselves, it's sure to be an exciting game. The Buffaloes are bringing a three-game winning streak into their first Big 12 game in over 13 years, and they are determined to start off strong in their new conference. Let's go Buffs!
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