The final time Colorado performed Caitlin Clark and Iowa within the Candy 16, the Buffaloes couldn’t appear to catch a break with the referees.
Three starters for Colorado fouled out of the sport. The Buffaloes additionally had half as many free throws (12) because the Hawkeyes (24) earlier than shedding to them within the NCAA girls’s basketball event final yr, 87-77. Clark, in the meantime, scored 31 factors as foul calls turned a problem.
“It is actually exhausting to play like that, you already know, if you’re not precisely positive what’s − you already know, what’s going to be a foul or what,” Colorado coach JR Payne stated after that recreation in 2023.
If that every one sounds acquainted, it is as a result of the Iowa Hawkeyes are using excessive once more as the favored crew that’s generally perceived because the recipient of favorable remedy from the refs. And now they play Colorado once more within the Candy 16 on Saturday in Albany, New York, this time with the Buffaloes reprising their function as villains, boosted together with a bit little bit of the Prime Impact from the varsity’s well-known soccer coach, Deion Sanders.
“Being the villain, being the underdog, having our backs towards the wall are all issues that lead (to) success for the Buffaloes,” Colorado ahead Quay Miller stated at a information convention Tuesday in Boulder.
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What does Deion Sanders must do with Caitlin Clark?
He lately gave some recommendation to the Iowa celebrity on the eve of her closing run within the faculty postseason. He was showing on “The Tonight Present” in New York, the place the present’s host, Jimmy Fallon, prompted him to “coach” a life-size cutout {photograph} of Clark.
“That is gonna be your final dance,” Sanders stated to the picture of Clark. “And guess what? I want you to complete robust.”
Two weeks later, he may wish to take it again. Sanders’ daughter, Shelomi, is a member of the Colorado girls’s basketball crew as a non-scholarship participant. She is the youngest of Sanders’ 5 kids and transferred from Jackson State after Sanders took the Colorado job in December 2022.
Shelomi Sanders and the highlight
This yr as a redshirt freshman, she shouldn’t be a part of the enjoying rotation and has appeared in solely 5 video games for a complete of 11 minutes and three factors, which got here on a 3-pointer towards Air Drive in December.
She nonetheless has greater than 465,000 followers on Instagram and obtained paid partnerships with Marriot Bonvoy lodges and Meta Quest. She brings an added highlight to the crew, particularly from her father, who has sung the praises of Coach Payne, now in her eighth season in Boulder. On Tuesday, Payne talked about “Coach Prime” in a information convention when requested about sustaining success for her program.
“The beauty of Prime, moreover the entire greatness that Prime brings with him, is that now the complete world is seeing what an unbelievable place the College of Colorado is,” Payne stated. “So yeah, we love what we’ve right here. We love what we’re going to proceed to have the ability to construct with our management.”
Payne’s crew additionally had an up-and-down season like Sanders’ soccer crew, which began the 2023 season with a splash, going 3-0 earlier than shedding eight of its closing 9. By comparability, the Colorado girls’s basketball crew (24-9) began with six straight wins, together with a season-opening win towards No. 1 LSU, earlier than shedding six of its closing eight video games of the common season.
Coach Prime may not be on the basketball recreation Saturday, nevertheless. His crew is off on spring break, main him to the Dominican Republic with sons Deion Jr. and Shedeur, Colorado’s quarterback.
Why is Colorado the villain?
A lot of America is tuning in to see Clark, probably the most prolific scorer in faculty basketball historical past. However No. 5-seed Colorado is aiming to finish the school profession of this transcendent sports activities hero, similar to it performed the function of villain in a hostile highway atmosphere at Kansas State final weekend earlier than advancing to its second straight Candy 16.
Equally, opposing followers and observers have puzzled if the refs are affected by this hero-villain narrative, too, particularly after the No. 1-seed Hawkeyes beat West Virginia Monday in a second-round recreation marked by a giant disparity in free throws and fouls. The refs referred to as 27 private fouls on West Virginia, in comparison with 11 for Iowa. Iowa obtained 30 free throws because of this, in comparison with solely 5 for the Mountaineers. Clark shot 12 of these and made 11, ending with 32 factors.
Miller talked concerning the significance of being disciplined Saturday towards Clark whereas additionally defending her aggressively. However she didn’t handle the officiating. The crew was extra open about it after shedding to Iowa final yr in Seattle.
“It is exhausting as a participant not likely understanding like the place you could be aggressive, the place you may’t, since you’re eager about selecting up a foul that you do not essentially want to choose up,” Colorado star level guard Jaylyn Sherrod stated after that recreation.
This season, Iowa has shot 703 free throws, in comparison with 519 for opponents – a niche that additionally could be attributed to opponents’ aggressive makes an attempt to cease Clark and Iowa (31-4).
‘We wish to upset folks’
4 veteran CU gamers have began each recreation this season and are averaging at the least 9 factors per recreation − graduate pupil guard Sherrod, junior Arizona switch Aaronette Vonleh, Danish senior guard Frida Formann and Miller, a graduate pupil ahead.
Final yr, Sherrod, Vonleh and Formann fouled out towards Iowa. This time the Buffs will want them in the event that they hope to derail the Clark prepare and all of the fanfare that comes with it. On Saturday, that features nationwide tv publicity on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.
A win would put Colorado within the Elite Eight for the primary time since 2002. The Buffs additionally obtained that far in 1993 and 1995 beneath coach Ceal Barry.
Colorado is “completely happy to be the underdogs in most of these matchups as a result of we wish to upset folks,” Miller stated. “We wish to be the crew that individuals counts out. So I feel simply having that chance and the place that we’re in is thrilling for everyone.”
Observe reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Electronic mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com