Colorado women's basketball has drawn bigger crowds during the 2023-24 season than any other in recent memory, and as BuffZone's Pat Rooney points out, JR Payne's Buffs are re-writing record books.
"Aside from UCLA, other two top-10 games also were among the most-attended games in program history," Rooney prefaced before saying, "The 9,111 on hand for the win against Stanford was the 10th-largest crowd in program history and the fifth-largest for a regular season game. Sunday’s win against USC drew 8,474, the 12th-largest overall and the seventh-largest for a regular season game. All three of them were the top women’s attendance marks in the past 29 years. There are no more top-10 showdowns remaining in the final four home games for the CU women, but if a Pac-12 title hangs in the balance, there might still be new additions to those all-time attendance lists."
It's not a surprise to see the women's basketball team thriving amidst an era of renewed interest of CU nationally, though few could've expected a product this polished. Some believe this is a Buffs squad with the capability of dancing their way to the NCAA Championship this March and April.
Colorado women's basketball deemed 'significant contender'
Colorado's women's team was deemed by BuffsBeat's Jason Jones as a potentially "significant contender" come tourney time.
"These Buffs have won games from the PG position (Sherrod, Wetta), from shooters (Frida “3da” Formann, Sara-Rose Smith), as well as front court dominance (Aaronetta Vonleh, Quay Miller, and Brianna McLeod)," Jones prefaced before saying, "There is veteran leadership everywhere on this team. From Sherrod to Miller to Formann, there is leadership both vocal and by example all over the court. Even the transfers Vonleh and Smith have seamlessly fit in with the culture of the program and their contributions are noteworthy.
"With the wins stacking up, it means higher attendance at the CUEC. The January 19th matchup against UCLA was not only the first sellout in a long time, it was the largest crowd to watch a women’s Colorado Buffaloes game ever. The Buffs are legit right now. Get to know this team because in a month they could be a significant contender as we get ready for NCAA Tournament time."
Payne may just have one on her hands, though four straight ranked matchups from February 11-26 could truly test the tensility of Jones' statement.