Buffs Continue at No. 11 TCU: Five Things to Know

FORT WORTH – Colorado opens 2025 with a New Year's Day showdown on Wednesday against No. 11 TCU at Schollmaier Arena (5:30 p.m. MT/ESPN+).

Wednesday will mark the first meeting between CU and TCU since the first round of the 2014 WNIT. The Buffaloes are 4-0 all-time against the Horned Frogs, including a 101-56 win in CU's only stop in Forth Worth in December 1993.

Colorado (10-2, 1-0) closed 2024 with a 65-60 come-from-behind win over then No. 14 West Virginia. The Buffs trailed by 16 points with 3:05 to play in the third quarter. Frida Formann scored a game-high 22 points in the win, helping her to be named one of the U.S. Basketball Writer's Association's National Player of the Week.

TCU (13-1, 1-0) enters jumped back into non-conference play on Sunday, beating Brown 79-47. TCU has won 13 straight home games, entering Wednesday. Newcomer Hailey Van Lith leads TCU with 18.9 points per game this season.

Five Things to Know

National Honor – Frida Formannn was one of five USWBA National Players of the Week for Dec. 24. She accounted for 15 of CU's 25 first-half points. Formann has hit 22 3-pointers since returning to the lineup and has had four games with at least three makes from beyond the arc.
Vs Ranked – CU's win over WVU was its 71st ranked win in program history. The Buffs are 1-1 this season. CU went 5-9 last season vs ranked opponents, marking the most ranked wins since its six in 2001-02. Colorado has 17 ranked wins under head coach JR Payne (AP & WBCA).
Net Gains – CU's game at TCU is the second of three consecutive games against teams in the top 20 of the NET rankings. The Buffs beat WVU (9 NET). TCU is 8, and Baylor is currently 18.
On Fire % - The Buffs have hit .500 from the floor in its last five games. It's the first time CU has shot .500 or higher in five consecutive games since doing so in six straight games from Dec. 6-22, 1985. CU shot a season-high .571 (36-63) against Tennessee Tech. CU is 39-3 all-time under JR Payne when shooting .500 or better.
Finish! – The Buffs shot 81.8% from the floor (9-11) in the fourth quarter against West Virginia. It was CU's best quarter-field goal percentage since shooting 84.6% (11-13) at SMU last season.

Quotable
"I felt it a lot from lots of different people. With a young team, you might get into a timeout when you're down 16, and their eyes are really big, there was none of that. It was just strategy. What do we need to do? What's working, what's not working, and over-communicating. Every time we left a huddle, Frida was communicating with the group as we were leaving, everybody was just really locked in." – Coach Payne on having a new team ready for the moment against West Virginia.

Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have pregame coverage starting 30 minutes before tip-off on the Colorado Radio Network.

Up Next: Jan. 4, at Baylor (ESPN+/1 p.m. MT).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Frida Formann

Colorado University Athletics