Live Score Updates as the Colorado Buffaloes Battle Illinois In NCAA Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Where else would the Colorado Buffaloes rather dance than Music City?

Coach JR Payne's No. 10-seeded Buffs are facing the No. 7-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Updates will be provided as the game unfolds.

First Quarter

Mar 6, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Desiree Wooten (3) attempts to edge around Baylor Bears forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (5) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Q1 2:09 - Colorado opting for jumpers early in the shot clock, a sign its offense is stalling. Still, guard Desiree Wooten found a quick four points. Illinois is generating clean looks to remain on top, 15-14.

Q1 4:55 - Illinois forward Cearah Parchment has seven points to help Illinois lead 11-10. Both teams are executing well offensively, though the Buffaloes have started to commit turnovers. Forward Jade Masogayo is attacking the basket effectively for six points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Starting Lineups

Mar 6, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Anaëlle Dutat (15) passes the ball against the Baylor Bears during the first half at T-Mobile Center. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Colorado:

Zyanna Walker, guard
Maeve McErlane, guard
Anaëlle Dutat, forward
Tabitha Betson, forward
Jade Masogayo, forward

Illinois:

Destiny Jackson, guard
Jasmine Brown-Hagger, guard
Aaliyah Guyton, guard
Berry Wallace, forward
Cearah Parchment, forward

Colorado Seeking More March Success

Colorado basketball coach JR Payne during the Sweet 16 game against Iowa in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA on Friday, March 24, 2023. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Payne's squad enters Saturday in search of its fifth March Madness win in the last four seasons. Colorado reached the Sweet 16 in 2023 and 2024 before falling to the Iowa Hawkeyes both times.

On both runs, the Buffaloes went on the road and thrived. They battered Middle Tennessee before upsetting Duke, then coasted past Drake before a hard-fought win over Kansas State. Both second-round wins came on higher-seeded opponents' home floors.

For the first time since 1988, the program's first NCAA Tournament berth, the Buffs are dancing without AP top-25 status at any point prior. They have received votes twice this season, currently the fourth-most among unranked teams, but mostly floated around the March Madness bubble.

Colorado stumbled through the fall but built a worthy resume by Selection Sunday. Beating ranked foes in Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech, as well as Baylor en route to the Big 12 semifinals, proved enough to the NCAA selection committee. It awarded the Buffs a No. 10 seed, just over the boundary to the field of 64.

They got hot at the right time, earning eight wins in nine games from late January through February. That included four straight road victories, a rarity not even Colorado's recent tournament teams accomplished.

Colorado Buffaloes Injury Report

Oct 21, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Coloradoís Kennedy Sanders speaks to media during Big 12 Womenís Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. | Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

OUT:
Kennedy Sanders, guard (hip)
Claire O'Connor, guard (foot)

Colorado vs. Illinois History

Mar 7, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Zyanna Walker (1) drives the ball up court against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at T-Mobile Center. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Saturday is the seventh ever meeting between Colorado and Illinois, the first in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffs lead the all-time series 4-2 and are 2-1 this century, having last met in 2013.

Vanderbilt Awaits in Round of 32

Mar 6, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Mikayla Blakes (1) brings the ball up court during the second half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After defeating No. 15-seeded High Point, the Vanderbilt Commodores will face the winner of Colorado and Illinois on Monday. A No. 2 seed ranked No. 6 in the latest AP poll, Vandy poses a star-led challenge for either potential victor.

Show-stopping guard Mikayla Blakes leads the Commodores into their third consecutive NCAA Tournament as the nation's top scorer and National Player of the Year finalist. The sophomore averages 27 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting and can erupt on any given night, tallying 11 performances of 30 or more. In an SEC deluged with talent, Blakes stood above the rest.

Freshman guard Aubrey Galvin provides a major boost, as her 5.9 assists per game rank fifth in the conference, along with 13.1 points.

If they win, one weakness the Buffaloes could exploit is on the glass. Vanderbilt ranks second-to-last in the SEC in total rebounds per game. The Commodores are also around the conference's average on defense, despite 2.9 steals per game from Blakes.

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