Having previous NCAA Tournament experience won’t guarantee success this time around for the Colorado women’s basketball team.
Tasting success during March Madness in previous years may not even give the Buffaloes an advantage. Yet, as the fifth-seeded and 17th-ranked Buffs prepare for the first round of the tournament, they are grateful they have that experience from the past.
CU (22-9) will face 12th-seeded Drake (29-5) in Manhattan, Kan., on Friday (5 p.m. MT, ESPNews), with the hope of advancing to Sunday’s second round.
The Buffs are making their third straight NCAA appearance. They went to the Sweet 16 a year ago with almost the same core group of players. Drake is going for the second year in a row, but the Bulldogs haven’t won in the tournament since 2002.
Certainly the edge in experience goes to the Buffs, but will that make a difference on game day?
“I think to some extent (it’s an advantage), just because you know what it takes to get to a Sweet 16, to an Elite Eight and what you did in the past,” CU senior guard Maddie Nolan said. “But obviously every year is different, every opponent is different. I think that ability to be able to lock in and turn on, ‘All right, you’ve got to win or go home now,’ is so valuable.”
Colorado guard Maddie Nolan drives on against Washington guard Elle Nadine in Pac-12 basketball on Feb. 29, 2024 in Boulder.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
This is Nolan’s first season with the Buffs, but she played in three NCAA tournaments at Michigan. She helped the Wolverines to their first-ever Sweet 16 (2021) and their first-ever Elite Eight (2022). Overall, she is 6-3 in the tournament.
Five Buffs – guards Frida Formann, Tameiya Sadler, Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta and forward Quay Miller – have all been starters or important reserves on the Buffs’ last two tournament teams. Starting center Aaronette Vonleh and reserves Charlotte Whittaker and Brianna McLeod were all key contributors to last year’s Sweet 16 run, as well.
The only main rotational player who hasn’t been to the tournament is guard Sara-Rose Smith, but she’s now been through a season of big games with the Buffs.
Wetta said she doesn’t necessarily believe there’s a key formula to success in March, but believes focus and preparation are essential.
“To be honest, you’re playing against such new teams that it’s whoever comes out and has the most level head and can execute the scout the best of their ability and pays attention to details and wants it more,” she said.
Two years ago for CU, that was Creighton, which out-played the Buffs in the first round – and then made a run to the Elite Eight. Last year, it was the Buffs, who dominated Middle Tennessee before stunning Duke to get to the Sweet 16.
“I think we were all just locked in and we had a really common goal of wanting to win basketball games, regardless of whatever differences might have been going on or personal issues or whatever,” Wetta said of the 2023 Buffs. “Everyone wanted to win basketball games.”
She believes the Buffs have a similar feel going into this year’s tournament.
“I think so,” she said. “I think this week is gonna be very crucial and, like, figuring out where everybody’s headspace is at. But I think for the most part, we’re in a good place.”
That can partially be attributed to experience. The Buffs have not only been in the tournament, but they’ve won games and they’ve done it on the road.
CU’s roster is filled with players who have played in big-time games on big-time stages, so the Buffs likely won’t be in awe when they get to Manhattan this week. Still, Nolan said there will be gratitude for being on the main stage once again.
“Not a lot of teams get to go to the tournament,” Nolan said. “I have a lot of friends now who are just done playing and I was like, ‘That’s so crazy to me.’ So, not being nervous, but also, like, being grateful for the opportunity to play in it.”