The way the U women’s basketball team stormed through its schedule unscathed might remind some of the ease with which the New England Patriots went through the NFL regular season this year. The Utes don’t want to choke like the Pats and lose the games that matter, though.
Winning the Mountain West Conference tournament, much like the Super Bowl, is not easy. Teams such as Wyoming, TCU and New Mexico would love to get a little revenge for what the Utes did to them during the regular season.
“The reality of this is that winning this thing will be a big challenge,” Utah head coach Elaine Elliott said. “You’re playing the same teams again. Really, all the motivation is theirs.”
Indeed. Earlier this season, the Utes stole a one-point win over Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., that caused the Cowgirls, who were ranked No. 15 at the time, to fall in the rankings. Wyoming didn’t get back up to No. 15.
New Mexico is another team with a vendetta against the Utes. The Lobos all but won both games against Utah before the Utes came barreling back after trailing by double digits in the final minutes of the second half.
Aside from the revenge factor, the Utes don’t have as much on the line as the other teams-at least as far as an NCAA tournament berth is concerned. The Utes have already guaranteed themselves a spot in the Big Dance. Wyoming has also probably secured itself a bid, but all of the other teams are still vying for a coveted invitation.
What remains uncertain is Utah’s placement in the NCAA tournament.
“(Winning the MWC tournament) would help our seeding,” Elliott said. “The more people that we beat at the higher levels would help our seed. Those things are important.”
Aside from practical matters such as rankings and seedings, Elliott would love to cap this season off by winning the tournament simply for the fun of it.
“It’s obviously an exciting thing to do,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot of intensity to that tournament. It’s an experience I would love (my players) to have.”
Elliott is quick to point out that it’s never easy for the No. 1 seed to win the tournament.
“The first seed has only won this thing, I think, three times out of eight years,” the 25-year veteran said. “Obviously, the better percentages are for the upset. That shows you what a challenge it is.”
The Utes begin their postseason journey today against conference cellar-dweller UNLV.
Utah shouldn’t have much trouble ousting the Rebels from the tournament. If UNLV manages to beat No. 1 Utah, it would be a bigger upset than the New York Giants’ win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. It would be more like the Miami Dolphins knocking off the Patriots.
Round two is when the drama will most likely begin to unfold when the Utes play either New Mexico or BYU. The Lobos have retaliation in mind, and there’s always bad blood flowing when the Utes and Cougars take the floor. Utah humiliated the mismatched Cougars by more than 30 points in both showdowns this season, yet they remain at least a semi-threat simply because of the rivalry.
If the Utes make it to the championship game, they’ll likely meet up with either TCU or Wyoming. Beating such quality teams as the Horned Frogs and Cowgirls three consecutive times in a season is tough, but Elliott is confident in her team.
“They’ve been interested in challenges before, so hopefully this is just the next one,” she said.
Lennie MahlerPower forward Katie King leed the Utes with 28 blocks on the season. King came to the Utes as a transfer from Salt Lake Community College.