Confidence can be a game changer for an athlete and that’s certainly been the case for Tameiya Sadler.

Last year, she didn’t have it. This year, she does, and it’s helping her to have more of an impact on the No. 7-ranked Colorado women’s basketball team.

“It’s just all about confidence,” the 5-foot-8 senior guard said. “I’m just more confident. I’m gonna go in, I’m gonna hit shots and if I don’t, I’m gonna figure out how else to impact the game.”

After coming off the bench last year, Sadler made it a goal to earn a spot in the starting lineup this year and she’s done that. Her averages for minutes (19.9 per game), points (5.9), assists (2.9) and steals (2.3) are all the best she’s posted in her three seasons at CU and her shooting percentage (.435) is on pace for the best of her career.

“She had a great preseason,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “She was playing really, really well throughout the month of October before we were playing games. … Really looking like a veteran: confident, knowing where she’s supposed to be, what we’re looking for, that kind of stuff. She brings that to the team.”

The Buffs would still like to see more consistency from Sadler, who had 25 points in a two-game stretch last week and only five in the two games since. But, the former Washington transfer is well ahead of where she was last season, especially mentally.

“My first year here (the 2021-22 season), I was more so like dipping my toe in the water, trying to figure out my place within the offense and how to score and how to get myself involved in most things,” said Sadler, who played her freshman season at Washington. “(A focus has been) being aggressive in all aspects. I mean, (associate head coach Toriano Towns) has always said I’m one of the best guards with my defensive abilities so just taking advantage of that and really capitalizing on everything that we worked on.”

Sadler’s first season at CU ended with a back injury that forced her to the bench when the Buffs played in the NCAA Tournament. And, it limited her offseason, which, in turn, impacted last season.

“It’s hard going into the season and not being able to work on certain things,” she said. “(Last year), I didn’t want to take shots that I knew I wouldn’t be able to make because I didn’t work on these shots.”

Determined to play a bigger role this year, Sadler put in a lot of work over the summer.

“I was in the gym probably about every day this summer,” she said. “I was waking up at 6 a.m. to work out with my trainer. But I had to really take advantage of my offseason this year because I haven’t had one in two years (because of injuries). Going into it I was just thinking about everything (Payne) told me in the end of the year meeting, like, ‘You’ve got to be conditioned, you got to be able to score from all three spots,’ and just thinking about that and working on it every day. I feel like it’s been able to translate from there to on the court.”

The Buffs will need Sadler and others to play well Saturday when they visit Air Force in what hasn’t been an easy matchup the past two years.

“I always say whenever we play them you want your military to be tough and fearless and physical and never quit and that’s exactly what they are,” Payne said of the Falcons. “We have good, young people in our Air Force and they are that, so definitely the last two times we played them have been really tough. And we will expect it to be no different this year.”

Sadler agrees, as she said, “They always play us tough, so it’s gonna be fun.”

As she has done all season, Sadler will go in confident – not only in her own game, but in trusting those around her.

“If it’s not my night, it’s not my night,” Sadler said, “but I just know I’m going to have a group of girls behind me that someone’s going to have their night.”

No. 7 CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. Air Force Falcons

TIPOFF: Saturday, 1 p.m., at Clune Arena at the Air Force Academy

TV/RADIO: Online – Live stream at CUBuffs.com/630 AM

RECORDS: Colorado 7-1; Air Force 4-3

COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 8th season (126-94; 227-207 career). Air Force — Chris Gobrecht, 9th season (73-175; 615-648 career).

KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Sr. (14.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.4 spg, .474 FG%, .434 3PT%, 1.000 FT%); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (9.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg); G Tameiya Sadler, 5-8, Sr. (5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.2 spg); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (14.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.3 spg, .500 FG%); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, Jr. (16.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, .691 FG%); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, Jr. (7.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, .538 FG%). Air Force — G Taylor Britt, 5-7, Sr. (4.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3.0 spg); G Keelie O’Hollaren, 5-10, Fr. (11.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .446 FG%, .385 3PT%); G Jayda McNabb, 5-10, Fr. (6.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 spg); G Milahnie Perry, 5-7, So. (14.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg); G Madison Smith, 5-8, Jr. (14.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.6 spg, .909 FT%).

NOTES: CU hits the road for the final time in 2023, as the Buffs will wrap up the calendar year with three straight home games after this one. … The Buffs are 4-1 away from Boulder this year, including a win in their only true road game (at SMU). … In Payne’s tenure, the Buffs are 70-8 in regular season, non-conference games, including 25-6 away from Boulder. … CU is 8-0 all-time against the Falcons, including 3-0 at the Air Force Academy. The Buffs won each of the first six meetings by at least 21 points, but the last two have been close. CU won 58-53 at the Academy on Nov. 14, 2021, and won 71-63 in Boulder on Nov. 19, 2022. CU held just a two-point lead going into the final minute a year ago, outscoring the Falcons 6-0 in the last 49 seconds. … In a preseason poll of coaches and media, AFA was picked to finish seventh in the Mountain West. … The Falcons went 1-2 during the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu last week, losing their last two, to Washington and Idaho State. … AFA is 3-0 at home this season and 23-9 at Clune Arena since the start of the 2021-22 season. … Gobrecht, 68, is in her 45th season as a college head coach. Prior to coming to AFA in 2015, she had head coaching stops at Yale, USC, Florida State, Washington, Cal State-Fullerton and Pasadena Community College.