Power matchup: Lobo women face Big 12 test at Colorado

The UNM women's basketball team ordered five full courses of Big 12 cooking this season.

First taste comes Thursday.

The 1-0 Lobos will visit Colorado to tip off a challenging slate of power conference opponents in 2025-26. It's the season-opener for the Buffaloes, who have a talented-but-overhauled roster after going 21-13 (9-9 Big 12) last season. Colorado will visit the Pit next season to complete the home-and-home series.

Thursday's matchup presents advantages and disadvantages for UNM. Coach Mike Bradbury is glad to have a game — Monday's 77-59 win over Northern Arizona — under his team's collective belt, but it means the Buffaloes have the edge as far as scouting is concerned.

That's significant considering Colorado coach JR Payne is fielding essentially an all-new team this season. CU has just one returning starter in standout 6-foot-3 post Jade Masogayo to go with five incoming transfers and five freshmen.

"They'll know more about us than we know about them," Bradbury conceded. "What we do know is they're really talented and added some very good core players. We've scouted them individually and their eight experienced players are very high-level — and that's not even counting their freshmen. I'm sure they're good, too."

Nonetheless, stiff challenges against power conference foes are exactly what Bradbury signed up for this season. The Lobos say they're looking forward to it.

"We're excited," senior Alyssa Hargrove said. "We're ready to face those tests against power four teams. It's motivational for us."

Junior Destinee Hooks agreed.

"That's one of the things I'm most looking forward to," she said, "competing against top teams this year and seeing how we compare."

The Lobos will also take on Texas Tech, Houston, Arizona and Cincinnati before Mountain West play tips off in December. But for the moment, UNM's focus is on the Buffaloes, who appear to have effectively reloaded through the NCAA's transfer portal.

CU lost six players to graduation and five more left the program after last season. Payne then added five key transfers, four of whom started for quality programs last season. The group includes guards Claire O'Connor, who started for Gonzaga and played at the Pit last season, and guard Zyanna Walker, an All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore at Kansas State.

"Talent-wise I think they're better than last year," Bradbury said, "and that team had a really good year."

Bradbury also likes UNM's talent level and believes his team is up to this year's difficult pre-conference schedule. The Lobos had things their way for most of Monday's win over NAU, avenging a one-point loss to the Lumberjacks in last season's opener.

"I thought we were really good in stretches, especially for our first game," Bradbury said. "Now we just have to work on being more consistent."

Despite its overhauled roster, Bradbury expects Colorado to play its usual up-tempo game under 10th-year coach JR Payne. The Buffs averaged 68.5 points and hit 35% from 3-point range last season, though Payne mused that CU "led the world" in turnovers at 18.6 per game.

"I don't see them turning it over like that this year," Bradbury said, "but we plan to get after them. This game's a big challenge, but talented as they are, I think we're competitive at almost every position. Our players are looking forward to this one and so am I."