Buffs women’s hoops: Observations from Colorado’s exhibition win over Adams State
In Colorado’s final preseason tune-up, the Buffaloes women’s basketball team faced the Adams State Grizzlies on Tuesday in preparation for their season opener against New Mexico State on Nov. 7.
CU dominated the Grizz from the start, especially on the glass. Even with new faces getting time in the starting lineup, the Buffs were the better team in a 75-48 win
Colorado is looking to replace three starters this season, but the Buffs look well-positioned with their newcomers. Look for Colorado to make some noise this season and possibly secure another NCAA Tournament bid.
Here’s what you need to know from a lopsided affair at the CU Events Center:
The starters
The Buffaloes are breaking in a new lineup this season after a few starters from last season either graduated or transferred. CU rolled with the following lineup to start the game:
Guard Jaylyn Sherrod
Guard Tayanna Jones
Guard Frida Formann
Forward Aaronette Vonleh
Forward Quay Miller
Colorado is an experienced group as quite a few Buffs got playing time on last year’s squad. Vonleh played for Arizona as a freshman, Formann has experience starting, Sherrod is a senior and Miller is the reigning Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year.
The rotation
Kindyll Wetta and Tameiya Sadler were the first off the bench for the Buffaloes in the first quarter with Charlotte Whittaker and Jada Wynn following closely behind them. Miller was the lone starter in the lineup for a while as head coach JR Payne staggered her in with the bench.
Look for Wetta and Sadler to be the primary guards off the bench with Whittaker and Wynn getting the front-court bench minutes. Freshman Brianna McLeod did play quite a bit and may get a handful of minutes as a backup post presence.
Buffs have good size
Colorado has three starters listed at 6-foot-3 with a cast of other players who have good height. This was apparent early and often against an undersized Adams State squad. Colorado nearly doubled Adams State in rebounding, 52-24. Vonleh did a lot of work early in the post and was rewarded by her teammates for that hard work with a bunch of easy looks off of clean passes.
Miller and Jones were monsters on the offensive glass, pulling down 13 offensive rebounds between the two of them. That pair will do well to continue to challenge the offensive glass and create second-chance looks.
I like this defense
Kindyll Wetta was on the All-Pac-12 defensive team her freshman year and looks to be the same defensive ace she was last season. Wetta tormented the opposing guards all night and will be a strength for the Buffs off the bench.
Colorado forced the action early and often, pressing the Grizzles off of makes in the first quarter. I like this as it forces opposing guards to work even harder to bring the ball up the court. The Buffs also got their hands on a lot of passes, causing 18 turnovers on the night, including 15 steals.
All about the post offense
Colorado did a ton of damage in the paint tonight, either through getting easy looks off of the drive-and-kick game or by working the ball from the high post. Having a few players on the court with height at the same time leads to a lot of easy looks, as one post would start the offense from the high post and look for their partner in crime down low.
That said, I would like to see the team reset the offense when looks aren’t there. Colorado did have some turnovers on this action when a pass was forced. Hopefully, this can be ironed out before the regular season starts.
