The Washington State women’s basketball team hosts the Colorado Buffaloes and the Utah Utes this weekend.

WSU (10-12, 3-7) is coming off a week in which the team went 1-1. The Cougars dismantled the Golden Bears winning by 26 and lost at the hands of the Cardinal by 22.

Senior forward Borislava Hristova said the key moving forward will be on the defensive side of the ball.

“Since Monday we have been working on our defense a lot more,” Hristova said. “It’s been very intense and that’s the key for winning this week’s games.”

The Pac-12 has four teams with a 3-7 conference record with Colorado (14-7, 3-7) and Utah (10-11, 3-7) included amongst that group.

“Oh yeah, we for sure need to win these games,” senior guard Chanelle Molina said. “These two games are very important with the four way tie.”

The seeding for the Pac-12 tournament is still up in the air. It is crucial for the Cougars to avoid the powerhouses of the league in the first round.

The first game of the weekend comes against Colorado today, which has lost two straight to Oregon and Oregon State.

The Buffaloes are guided by junior forward Mya Hollingshed who leads the team in points and rebounds per game. Hollingshed averages 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while playing 29.6 minutes per night.

Sophomore guard Emma Clarke is the marksman behind the arc for the Buffaloes. She shoots 34.5 percent from deep at high volume of 5.7 3-pointers attempted per game.

The second game of the weekend is Sunday against Utah, which is 3-5 on the road. Freshman guard Brynna Maxwell has been the leader for the Utes in terms of scoring.

She averages 12.5 points per game and shoots 43.1 percent from deep and leads the team in total minutes played.

Freshman forward Lola Pendande leads the team in both offensive and defensive rebounding. She secures 5.5 total rebounds per game and 1.8 offensive rebounds per game.

The game against Colorado is tonight at 7 p.m. and the game against Utah is Sunday at noon. Both games will be broadcast on the Pac-12 networks.