CU Ready to Play Spoiler Against Caitlin Clark in Sweet Sixteen Matchup

The University of Colorado women’s basketball team is back in the Sweet Sixteen.

On Saturday, March 30, CU will take on the University of Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark, who is all but a lock to be the number-one pick in the WNBA draft. Although they lost 87-77 to Iowa last year in CU’s first Sweet Sixteen appearance in two decades, the Buffaloes aren’t intimidated by the rematch or a star who could make tomorrow’s game the highest-viewed match of the women’s NCAA Basketball Championship thus far.

“You don’t often get this chance to play the same team you lost to the year before in the Sweet Sixteen,” CU point guard Kindyll Wetta told the media before the Buffaloes flew to Albany, New York, this week. “We are very excited. Honestly, they’re a great team and we still feel that we have a lot to prove.”

That great team is helmed by Clark, who is averaging 31.8 points per game along with 7.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists. She became college basketball’s all-time highest scorer this season and one of the most-talked-about college athletes ever, with ESPN announcing it has put together a 96-page tribute print edition to Clark hitting newsstands today, March 29.

But CU isn’t worried that everyone seems to discount the challenge the Colorado team poses for Clark this weekend. Sportsbooks currently favor the Hawkeyes by anywhere from 7 to 8.5 points.

“We’re just happy to be playing and happy to have our backs against the wall,” fifth-year senior Quay Miller said. “We’re happy to be the underdogs in these types of matchups, because we want to be the team that people count out.”

The team has been tested plenty this year, with five different Pac-12 Conference schools making the Sweet Sixteen. The Buffaloes have beaten fellow Sweet Sixteen teams Louisiana State University, the reigning national champion, as well as Stanford University and the University of Southern California. Those teams are led by giant stars in Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Juju Watkins respectively.

“We’re very fortunate that we played against a lot of really good teams, collectively great teams, individually great talent,” head coach JR Payne said. “We have seen great players and great teams all season long, and it kind of feels the same, going against Iowa.”

They’ll be developing some strategies to target Clark and Iowa’s weaknesses but won’t be sharing them publicly and – unlike the rest of the globe – Clark’s existence won’t change their mentality, Payne said.

“A lot of people outside of our locker room will talk about Caitlin and what that would look like and what that would mean. We will not be talking about that,” Payne added. “We will talk about coverages, the plan, schemes, discipline, execution. …Really, the opponent doesn’t play a role as far as our verbiage and the things that we’re focused on.”

After a hot start to the year, CU struggled toward the end of the season with the tough Pac-12 schedule, ending with a 24-9 record. But those losses taught them how to stick together through adversity, according to players.

“That just builds character along the way and emotional resilience,” Wetta said. “All that was tough when we were going through it. We’re out to the other side right now, and we’re feeling really good.”

Guard play will be a focus of the game. Payne knows Wetta, along with longtime CU star guard Jaylyn Sherrod, are ready for the task.

Sherrod cracked ESPN’s list of the top 25 players in the Sweet Sixteen, ranking at 22; Clark is first. The two are the only members of their teams represented.

Payne said Sherrod is like one of her daughters; the coach trusts Sherrod and Wetta to lead when they’re on the court.

“Having two great point guards in Kindyll and Jaylyn that are comfortable and confident to be able to share what they’re seeing, what they’re feeling, is really, really important,” Payne said. “We want to know what they’re seeing and what they’re feeling, and it’s usually pretty high IQ stuff.”

In addition to her skills running the offense, Wetta is a defensive standout. She earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team in 2022; after CU beat USC in January, Payne said she considers Wetta the “best defender in America.”

Wetta has nabbed steals in both tournament games so far and in November, she had five versus Kentucky. She also stole the ball four times against Stanford, showing she can hold strong against skilled ballhandlers. Wetta said she noticed that West Virginia, Iowa’s last opponent, was able to force turnovers against Clark.

“We like to generate off turnovers. And so just seeing that matchup, I think we can take some of what West Virginia did and apply it to what we’re going to do,” she said.

Although she said that playing a number-one seed doesn’t intimidate her, Wetta isn’t focusing on a matchup with Clark.

“The biggest thing is actually a mental approach, because you’re not going to avoid the problems – but how are you going to respond?” Wetta said. “You can only control your effort and your attitude. Going into any game, no matter what it is – number one team in the country, number fifty in the country, whatever – just control those things and go from there.”

Wetta is a Colorado product, having attended Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch. She said that her high school basketball coach will be in Albany for the game, which starts at 1:30 p.m. Denver time on Saturday.

Until then, the team is preparing like it always does, according to Payne, who believes her team will wow viewers unfamiliar with CU basketball.

“Anyone who’s been to Boulder and has been throughout these facilities and spent time within our programs here knows that CU is a very special place,” she said. “Our brand, our style of play, is fun. It’s exciting. I’m very, very excited for the world – and especially recruits – to be able to see what we have.”