Going into the season, the Colorado women’s basketball team knew there would be some bumps in the road with 10 new players.
The challenge has been compounded, however, by trying to navigate some bumps and bruises among those players.
“We’re very just beat up and banged up right now,” head coach JR Payne said after Sunday’s 58-46 win against Wyoming, which improved the Buffs to 7-3.
That’s really been the case all year, going back to preseason practices. CU often had at least a player, if not more, out for practices because they were nursing minor injuries. That has continued into the season to an extent.
“Yeah, it has been very tricky,” Payne said of navigating the injuries. “Trickier than most years, I would say, just because of personnel and trying to get people minutes and wanting everyone to earn what they’re getting.”
On Sunday, senior forward Jade Masogayo sat out the game. Payne said Masogayo could have played if needed, but she’s been dealing with a sore knee all season. Masogayo is finally out of her brace, but the Buffs gave her an opportunity to rest.
“We thought, man, if we could get her three more days of rest before putting miles back on that leg, we thought it’d be a good thing and it turned out OK,” Payne said.
Guard Claire O’Connor, meanwhile, missed her second straight game as she rests sore feet. She averaged 16.3 minutes in the first four games of the year, but then played a total of just 22 minutes over the next four games before sitting out the last two.
Starting point guard Kennedy Sanders has dealt with some soreness, as well. She sat out a full game during the Buffs’ trip to Hawaii and played just four minutes in a blowout win against Portland State on Nov. 16 in an effort to give her rest. There have been other times when CU has tried to limit her minutes when possible.
Having so many new players, as well as dealing with injuries, has made it a challenge for Payne and her staff to figure out the right combinations of players at different times.
“A player like Zy (Walker), for example, can play the one, the two or the three and she’s very capable of playing all three,” Payne said. “So, it’s figuring out who does Zy play well with? And with that group, is she better at the two, is she better at the one? It’s like mental gymnastics on almost every single possession, trying to figure that stuff out.”
In the long run, however, the mental gymnastics might be good for the Buffs, who are now gaining experience playing with different combinations of teammates.
“Yeah, I definitely think that’s gonna help,” said Walker, who was out much of the preseason, but has been healthy and averaging 24.7 minutes per game. “Just getting comfortable with different positions and then just spots that you might not play all the time. .. I think that would be really good for us.”
Needed break
Sunday’s game was CU’s eighth in a span of 22 days, which includes a trip to Hawaii in the middle of that stretch.
Following the win against Wyoming, though, the Buffs got a break. CU doesn’t play again until Sunday when Miami (Ohio) comes to Boulder. The Buffs took Monday and Tuesday off and will have a lighter week because of finals.
“If we had to play (Monday), we’d play,” Walker said, “but we’ll definitely take the rest, for sure, because we’ve had a grind of games. So, we’ll definitely take this rest.”
After the eight games in 22 days, the Buffs will play just four games in the last 24 days of December, including 10 days between the conference opener at Arizona State on Dec. 21 and the next game, against Arizona on Dec. 31.
Notable
Forward Anaelle Dutat is leading the Buffs with 30.4 minutes per game. She’s played at least 24 minutes in each game. She also ranks third in the Big 12 with 8.5 rebounds per game. … CU ranks 15th in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.422) and 15th in 3-point percentage (.255). The Buffs are fourth, however, in free throw percentage (.743). … Defensively, the Buffs are second in the Big 12 in steals (12.0 per game). … As of Tuesday, CU was No. 57 in the NET rankings.