Devils in Detail
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ASU Basketball: Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Top 4 Rankings

By Sam Ficarro

Mar 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Both Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears warm up before the finals of the Pac-12 Women
Mar 8, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Both Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears warm up before the finals of the Pac-12 Women /
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Mar 7, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Brecca Thomas (13) goes up against California Golden Bears forward Courtney Range (24) during the semifinals of the Pac-12 Women
Mar 7, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Brecca Thomas (13) goes up against California Golden Bears forward Courtney Range (24) during the semifinals of the Pac-12 Women /

2. Colorado Buffaloes

Along with Utah, the Colorado Buffaloes have been a major surprise story in the Pac-12. After finishing 7-22 last season and 2-16 in Pac-12 play, and an exit in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, Colorado fired head coach Linda Lappe after six seasons at the helm.

Coming in to replace Lappe is head coach JR Payne. Payne takes over after she was the head coach at Santa Clara, and has led the Buffaloes to a remarkable turnaround. Colorado has already surpassed their win total from last season as they enter Pac-12 play with 10-1 record and ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll.

They lost their last game to Wyoming at home, but it’s been a surprisingly successful non-conference season for Colorado, headlined by a marquee win over then-No. 15 Kentucky on November 19.

The Buffaloes are led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Leading the way is sophomore guard Kennedy Leonard, who is averaging 19.1 points per game and 5.8 assists per game. Leonard has scored double-digit points in 10 of 11 games played, including a double-double versus Kentucky with 14 points and 12 assists.

Alongside Leonard in the backcourt is sophomore guard Alexis Robinson. Robinson is averaging 12.5 PPG, 4.1 rebounds per game and 3.9 APG to help complement Leonard.

The main contributor off the bench for Colorado is sophomore guard Ariana Freeman, who is scoring 11.9 PPG on 48.6 percent shooting to go along with 4.5 RPG.

Similar to Arizona State, Colorado relies on a team effort with not one player assigned to dominate the game. It could be a different player each night.

That’s what makes Colorado a difficult opponent to plan against. It will be interesting to see how they fair in Pac-12 play facing stiffer competition night-in and night-out.

The Buffaloes will look to build off their successful non-conference campaign this weekend at USC and No. 10 UCLA.