Pac-12 preview: Colorado

This is the seventh in an annual 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 teams for the upcoming season.

Colorado will have a whole different look this year, from the court to the bench.

The Buffs welcome four new players, which replace the five lost, and coach Linda Lappe has two new assistant coaches in former Texas standout Jamie Carey and Julian Assibey.

The player losses are significant, considering that Colorado tied for ninth in the Pac-12 last season. Gone are starters Jen Reese (12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Lexy Kresl (12.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Jasmine Sborov (6.5 ppg, 5 rpg) and reserve Alina Hartman. Top scorer Arielle Roberson, who sat out last year with a torn ACL, opted not to return for her senior year.

The transition has set the stage for a rebuilding year in Lappe’s sixth season with the Buffs, who were ranked in 2012-2013, and for a few weeks of the following year. Lappe sees it as an opportunity to get back to her roots.

"I'm really looking forward to this upcoming season because we have an exciting mix of veterans and new blood,” Lappe said. “We want to get back to doing things ‘the Colorado way,’ which is being a solid defensive team who understands the work, focus, and discipline needed to be a top-notch program. We are on the rise, and I can't wait to see how this young team responds to the challenges that await us in a tough Pac-12 conference.”

Returning starters are top-scorer Jamee Swan (13.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg), a senior forward, and junior guard/forward Haley Smith (9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg). Also back is three-point specialist Lauren Huggins, forward Zoe Beard-Fails, guard Brecca Thomas, center Zoe Correal and center Bri Watts.

The Colorado freshman are a diverse group.

Forward Monica Burich, from Minnesota, averaged 18.7 points and 9 rebounds per game as a high school senior. Makenzie Ellis, an Oklahoma forward, had a stellar junior season but missed last year due to a knee injury. Texas guard Kennedy Leonard lead her team to an undefeated record last year while Alexis Robinson, a guard from Kentucky, was an all-region player of the year in her state.

The Buffs will be tested in preconference play by Kentucky, whom they face Nov. 22, Long Beach State and Missouri. Their first Pac-12 game is Jan. 2, when they host the University of Washington.