After rallying Friday, CU Buffs women’s basketball ready for Washing…

A quick glance at the Pac-12 women’s basketball standings might suggest that Colorado can pencil in a win on Sunday.

The Buffaloes know better.

In the always-difficult Pac-12, there are certainly some teams that are better than others, but there are no gimmes.

Fresh off a come-from-behind victory against Washington State on Friday, the 25th-ranked Buffaloes host Washington on Sunday. And, they don’t care that the Huskies are sitting in ninth place.

“I think we’re on high alert about everybody, to be honest,” point guard Jaylyn Sherrod said after Friday’s win. “I mean, the Pac-12 is so unpredictable and it could be anybody’s night. I think we learned that a couple of weeks ago. I think Stanford learned last week, so it’s always like, you’ve just gotta be ready for a dogfight.”

Sherrod and the Buffs were handed that lesson with a humbling 71-54 loss to USC at home on Jan. 29. Stanford, ranked No. 6 in the country and sitting in first place in the Pac-12, was stunned by Washington, 72-67, just a week ago.

On Friday, Washington was routed by No. 7 Utah, 92-69, but that was a rare result for the Huskies, who took a three-game winning streak into Salt Lake City.

That streak was preceded by a three-game losing skid against three of the best teams in the conference, with all three games coming down to the wire – including an overtime loss to USC. The Huskies had a fourth-quarter lead at No. 17 Arizona two weeks ago before losing.

“You can’t underestimate anybody, no matter what their standings are, no matter who is on their team,” Sherrod said. “This is the Pac-12 and it’s the conference of champions for a reason. You’ve just got to be ready.”

Although CU didn’t play particularly well through the first three quarters on Friday, the Buffs have shown a knack for being locked in most games and they’ll need to continue that heading down the stretch of the season.

There is plenty at stake for CU in this one, too.

The Buffs are in third place in the Pac-12 at 10-3 in conference games, sitting one game behind Stanford and Utah (both 11-2). They have a two-game lead on a trio of teams – Arizona, UCLA and USC – tied for fourth at 8-5.

While the Buffs are in contention for the Pac-12 regular season title, they would need some help to actually win it. But, they just need to take care of their own business to remain in the top three. The top four teams in the final regular season standings will get a first-round bye for the Pac-12 tournament – something CU hasn’t had since 2013.

“Honestly, we don’t say anything about (the standings),” CU head coach JR Payne said this week. “I honestly don’t think I need to say anything to them because we all just know every game is a must-win. If somebody else slips that allows us to move up, great, but we control our own destiny and we don’t look at or rely on anyone else to help us do what we can do ourselves.”

No. 25 CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. Washington Huskies

TIPOFF: Sunday, Noon MT, at CU Events Center in Boulder.

TV/RADIO: TV — Pac-12 Network. Radio — KHOW 630 AM

RECORDS: Colorado 19-5, 10-3 Pac-12; Washington 13-10, 5-8

COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 7th season (113-89; 214-202 career); Washington — Tina Langley, 2nd season (20-26; 146-87 career).

KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Jr. (11.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 40.6% 3-point, 94.1% FT); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (14.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 40.5% 3-point); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (11.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.1 apg, 2.5 spg, 41.5% 3-point); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, So. (12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 58.9% FG); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, So. (5.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg). Washington — F Dalayah Daniels, 6-4, So. (11.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 bpg, 51.6% FG); G Jayda Noble, 5-11, So. (5.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg); F Lauren Schwartz, 5-11, Jr. (8.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 83.3% FT); G Hannah Stines, 5-11, Fr. (7.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 89.7% FT); F Haley Van Dyke, 6-1, Sr. (9.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg)

NOTES: CU is on a three-game winning streak, including Friday’s 71-68 victory against Washington State. … The Buffs are 10-1 at home this season and the Huskies are 2-4 on the road. … CU won the first meeting, 64-56, in Seattle on Dec. 30. The Buffs led by as many as 19 before UW rallied late. … Washington leads the all-time series with CU, 16-15. The Buffs, however, have won five of the last six, including a current three-game winning streak. CU is 6-6 at home against the Huskies. … CU is 8-7 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday, including 4-5 since joining the Pac-12. The Buffs are 1-5 in their last six Super Bowl Sunday games. … Both teams rank among the top four in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, with CU third (58.1) and UW fourth (60.0). … CU leads the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage (.366) and is second in 3-point defense (.299). UW is last in both categories, hitting at a .258 clip and giving up a .348 percentage. … NET rankings as of Saturday: Colorado No. 21, Washington No. 71.