Colorado Set for Second Round WBIT Action: Five Things to Know

BOULDER – Colorado women's basketball continues postseason play in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) on Sunday. The No. 1 seeded Buffaloes take on No. 4 seeded Gonzaga at 1 p.m. at the CU Events Center.

Tickets are available at CUBuffs.com/WBBTickets.

Sunday will be the fourth meeting between Colorado and Gonzaga. The Buffs have won all three previous meetings, dating back to the 1989-90 season. The last time the teams matched up was in the 2008 WNIT. Current CU assistant coach Bianca Smith helped CU advance with 12 points and six assists in the Buffs' 82-68 win.

Colorado (21-12) advanced to the second round with a 73-41 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday. The Buffs held SLU to an opponent low 26.7 FG%. CU shot 56.8% from the field despite season lows in field goals made (25) and field goals attempted (44). It was CU's second consecutive game over 50.0% shooting.

Gonzaga (23-10) won the West Coast Conference regular season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament. The Zags fell to No. 4 seed and tournament champion Oregon State in the semifinals. Gonzaga advanced to the second round with its 67-51 win over UTSA on Thursday in Spokane.

Five Things to Know

WBIT – The WBIT is in its second year of existence. The creation of the WBIT ensures that the NCAA provides equitable postseason opportunities for women's basketball, similar to that of men's basketball, which was a recommendation from the 2021 Gender Equity Report. Illinois won the inaugural 32-team tournament in 2024.
Familiarity – The Colorado coaching staff are no strangers to Gonzaga. Head coach JR Payne and associate head coach Toriano Towns spent time on the Gonzaga bench from 2000-01 to 2004-05, while assistant coach Taelor Karr was the 2013 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-WCC with Gonzaga.
10-5-5 – Senior point guard Kindyll Wetta recorded her second career game of 10-5-5 against SLU on Thursday. She finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Her first 10-5-5 game was a 12 points, six rebound and five assist game against Stanford (Jan. 14, 2024).
Postseason – Colorado improved to 9-5 in postseason tournament play (WNIT, NCAA, WBIT) since 2016-17. CU has won at least one tournament game in the last three seasons.
Home Floor – As the No. 1 seed, Colorado gets to host the early-round games. The Buffs are 15-2 this season at the CU Events Center. The tournament will shift to Hinkle Field House at Butler University for the semifinals and championship rounds.

Quotable

"I love Gonzaga; it's the first place I coached. I was there for five years. For those of us who spent time there, we say we're 'Zags for life,' but not on Sunday. Will not be a Zag on Sunday. Their coach is a very good friend of mine. We've known all of them for 25 years, probably, so definitely, a program that we cheer for a lot. I don't know that we've played them here. Two very good teams. Very different style than the team we played tonight. They're really big. They've got a couple of very dominant players: one multi-time All-American, multi-time Player of the Year in the conference, and one of the best freshmen point guards in the country. It's going to be a really good game."

Thad Anderson and former Buff Kami Carmann Snyder will be on the call on ESPN+.

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

Up Next: Sunday's winner will take on the advancing team out of Missouri State and Minnesota on Mar. 27.