Jaylyn Sherrod quickly flashed a confident smile when asked a question about the success of the Colorado women’s basketball team in road games.
Why are the Buffaloes so good on the road?
“Bad Boy Pistons, man,” she said, referring to the tough, physical Detroit Pistons teams in the late 1980s. “You just gotta love going into somebody else’s house and getting a chance to just ruin the vibe. I feed off of that and I think the team feeds off of that, too.”
On Saturday, the 5th-ranked Buffaloes (3-0) will play their first true road game of the season when they visit undefeated SMU (3-0) in Dallas.
From the time she got to Boulder, Sherrod, now a fifth-year senior, has always played with a chip on her shoulder. CU being ranked No. 5 in the country won’t change that, and going on the road certainly fuels that fire within her – and the rest of the Buffs.
“I think it’s just more so, like, you’re in a hostile territory,” she said. “You’ve got everybody against you, so why not go there and just kind of muck it up a little bit? I think it’s more so that.”
It’s not just an attitude, however.
In recent years, CU has elevated its program and one of the key steps in that progression has been the ability to win away from Boulder with its brand of defensive basketball.
During the 2015-16 season, the year before head coach JR Payne arrived, the Buffs went 0-14 away from Boulder. Those days seem long ago now.
Last year, the Buffs went 25-9 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, they actually collected more wins outside of Boulder (13) than they did at the CU Events Center (12). It was the first time since the 1993-94 season that a CU team won more games outside of Boulder.
Overall, the Buffs were 13-7 away from Boulder last year, including 10-5 in true road games.
“I think it’s just our focus on ourselves and making sure that we do our job, no matter where we are, who we’re playing, what the stakes are,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “We’re just going to do our job and I think that travels anywhere in the world.”
While it was a neutral court, CU opened its season with a convincing 92-78 win against defending national champion and preseason No. 1 LSU in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.
With the same core group of players leading the way, the Buffs won twice at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium during the NCAA Tournament in March – including an overtime victory against Duke.
In January of 2022, the Buffs, lost three straight on the road, with two of those in overtime. Since then, they are 14-6 in their last 20 true road games and 6-4 on neutral courts, proving that they can, indeed, win anywhere.
“We just always kind of are a good team that sticks to what we do,” Sherrod said.
She added that when the Buffs get away from their basic principles, “We don’t play our best brand of basketball. So, we just always stick to what makes us good and stick to what we do. I think a lot of teams struggle on the road, because of the environment, but we feed off of that. I think that just plays into our favor, to be honest with you, to be in a hostile place.”
And, yet, part of CU’s success away from Boulder has been the ability to enjoy those trips and their time together as much as possible. And, they hope to do the same this weekend in Dallas.
“They’re fun to be around,” Payne said of her players. “We all get along really well. It’s a great environment. We have fun, we practice hard, but then we actually enjoy the time that we have together in the hotel or wherever we are. So it’ll be a good time.”
No. 5 CU Buffs women’s basketball at SMU Mustangs
TIPOFF: Saturday, 7 p.m. MT, Moody Coliseum, Dallas
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/630 AM
RECORDS: Colorado 3-0, 0-0 Pac-12; SMU 3-0, 0-0 American
COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 8th season (122-93; 223-206 career). SMU — Toyelle Wilson, 3rd year (34-27; 89-70 career).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Sr. (17.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.7 spg, .529 FG%, .458 3PT%, 1.000 FT%); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (8.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg); G Maddie Nolan, 5-11, Sr. (7.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .538 3PT%); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (13.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.7 apg, 3.3 spg, .462 FG%); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, Jr. (18.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, .742 FG%); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, Jr. (6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg). SMU — F Amirah Abdur-Rahim, 6-3, Sr. (12.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .500 FG%); G Reagan Bradley, 5-8, Sr. (8.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg); F Chantae Embry, 6-1, Jr. (10.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, .500 3PT%, .833 FT%); G Tamia Jones, 5-8, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.3 apg, .500 FG%); G Tiara Young, 5-9, Sr. (20.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, .634 FG%).
NOTES: Colorado is seeking a 4-0 start for the fifth time in Payne’s eight seasons in Boulder. … In Payne’s tenure, the Buffs are 67-6 in regular season, non-conference games, including 21-4 on the road. … CU is 3-0 all-time against SMU, including a 78-55 victory in Boulder two years ago. This will be the first meeting between the teams outside of Boulder. … This is the Buffs’ first true road game of the season. … CU is averaging 24.3 assists per game and has had at least 20 in all three games. … As a team, the Buffs are shooting 51.5% from the floor. … SMU has played all three games at home so far this season. … SMU has reached the WNIT in each of the past two seasons. … The Mustangs were picked to finish third in the American Conference this season. … Abdur-Rahim is the younger sister of former NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim.