Colorado's March Madness Schedule and Path To Final Four

They're dancing again.

Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball will compete in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed. After narrowly missing the tourney last season, an impressive end to the season put coach JR Payne's Buffs in their fourth March Madness in five years.

Colorado In NCAA Tournament As No. 10 Seed

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

Colorado will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to face the No. 7-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini in the Round of 64 on Saturday. Tip-off from Memorial Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with a national broadcast on ESPN2. With a win, the Buffs would face the winner of No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 15 High Point.

The NCAA Selection Committee ranked the Buffaloes 39th out of 68 teams in the tournament, fourth-to-last among Power Five programs. Colorado hovered around the bubble for most of this season, but after eight wins in nine games and a run to the Big 12 semifinals, it sealed its fate.

The Buffs finished 22-11, 11-7 in Big 12 play. They racked up four ranked wins, including three in a row for the first time in over 20 years against TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor. But after falling to Utah and BYU to end the regular season, their tournament fate relied on a successful trip to Kansas City in the Big 12 Championship.

It took a collaborative effort, as electric guard play from Desiree Wooten and Zyanna Walker paired with assertive frontcourt defense from Anäelle Dutat, Jade Masogayo and Logyn Greer guided Colorado to hard-fought victories over Kansas and Baylor.

Payne's Buffaloes have reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of their last two NCAA Tournament berths, back-to-back runs in 2023 and 2024. They beat a higher-seeded host in each appearance, Duke and Kansas State, respectively.

Path To Final Four

Mar 7, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Tabitha Betson (17) looks for an open teammate against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half at T-Mobile Center. | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

But for the Buffaloes to make the second weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, they'll have to get through arguably the nation's best player. To reach their first-ever Final Four, they must get through the nation's best team.

With a win over Illinois, which will be no easy task, Colorado will likely face Vanderbilt. Powered by National Player of the Year finalist guard Mikalya Blakes, the Commodores finished the season ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press. They were the SEC's regular-season runner-ups and notched marquee wins over LSU, Michigan, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Region 1 in Fort Worth.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Clft4IozwA
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 16, 2026

Blakes leads the country in scoring at 27 points per game, on a phenomenal run as a sophomore. The 5-8 shot creator has 12 performances of 30+ points and has been held under 20 just five times.

The UConn Huskies are the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and in Colorado's quadrant, led by forward Sarah Strong and guard Azzi Fudd. Coach Geno Auriemma's perennial power is 34-0 this season and hasn't lost in over 13 months.

Ohio State is the quadrant's No. 3 seed, while North Carolina sits at No. 4. The Big 12 has a representative as well, with Iowa State registering as a No. 8 seed. Colorado beat the Cyclones in January.

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