Upset over Cal
The Runnin’ Utes earned a big victory over No. 21-ranked Cal on Sunday in what was their first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 24 Wyoming in 2008.
The win knocked Cal out of the most recent AP rankings and earned Utah two votes in the weekly rankings. According to the most recent RPI rankings (rating percentage index), a cumulative statistic that ranks teams based on their wins and losses and their schedule strength, Utah ranks 38th, up from 54th last week. In short, the upset over Cal is Utah’s biggest win of the 2015-2016 season thus far and one that few outside Utah expected.
Utah head coach Lynne Roberts was very pleased with the team’s win against the Golden Bears.
“Cal is a very good team,” Roberts said. “They’re extremely talented, so its a really good win for our team.”
While Roberts is certainly pleased with this win, her approach is less focused on the outcome so much as performance. She cited continuous improvement as her overall goal for the team this year.
“The biggest thing for me is I just want us to keep improving, and we improved from Friday at Stanford, and that’s the most important thing,” said Roberts.
Player Spotlight
Coming off the bench behind starting point guard Dani Rodriguez, Erika Bean displayed strong play. Bean earned 17 minutes on the floor in the Utah comeback against Cal, dishing out a career-high eight assists as well as grabbing five rebounds (also a career-high).
“I thought Erika was a real big difference maker — she seemed to make all the right reads and decisions,” Roberts said. “Eight assists for a freshman in this environment on the road is impressive, and I think it shows some good things to come.”
As Rodriguez plays her final season for the Utes, Roberts is likely grooming Bean to fill the starting point guard position next season.
Pac 12 Standings
Currently Utah is neck-and-neck with Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA in a four-team tie at 3-1 for second place in the Pac-12. Arizona State leads the Pac-12 with a conference best record of 4-0.
Utah travels from Berkely, Calif. to the Grand Canyon state where it will face the Arizona Wildcats this Friday at 7 p.m. MST and the Sun Devils on Sunday at 12 p.m. MST.
@WestinJay