Colorado projected to host NCAA Women's Basketball tournament

The Buffs move back to being a four-seed in latest ESPN Bracketology rankings

Jason Jones/BuffsBeat

JR Payne and the Buffaloes might've lucked out. 

With No. 17 Oklahoma falling to unranked Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament, the Buffs are now projected to as a four-seed in the NCAA tournament. While there are certainly no guarantees of anything come in March Madness, ESPN’s Bracketologist Charlie Creme moved the Buffs up, meaning the first two rounds  would be played at CU Events Center.  

“Oklahoma's decisive loss to the Cyclones cost the Sooners a spot in the top 16…opening the door for Colorado to slide back in,” Creme writes.

Make no mistake about it, Colorado can compete for a national championship. And being able to play host would be tremendous for the Buffs, who've lost six of the final eight games, including the home finale to Washington State, followed by a quick exit in the Pac-12 tournament.

It's been a rollercoaster ride for Payne's team. They started the season by completely outclassing the defending champion LSU Tigers in Las Vegas. Then followed with impressive victories over Top 12 opponents Utah, USC, and Stanford. Everything was going along perfectly, until it wasn’t.

In just over three weeks, the Buffs went from a potential top seed to falling outside the top 16 in the rankings and projected to no longer be hosting the opening rounds.

The last couple of postgame press conferences were emotional for the coaches and players. It seemed like down the stretch, in each of the defeats, the Buffs needed just a little bit of luck to change the outcomes. While that never materialized on the court, the events of the last 48 hours have been most fortuitous for Colorado.

The 18th-ranked Buffaloes have witnessed five teams around them in the rankings all stumble early in their respective conference tournaments.

So, now we wait. Selection Sunday cannot come soon enough. It’s time to flush the last month of the season and focus on the postseason path ahead. Hopefully, that journey will begin in Boulder.