It’s back to the hardwood for the women’s basketball team.
After getting a week to rest and practice, the Utes are ready to feed off their victory over Marquette on Nov. 30. Utah will take on Westminster College tonight at the Huntsman Center.
Utah has had a tough schedule. Bouts against nationally ranked foes such as No. 12 Louisville and No. 17 Virginia, along with tough squads South Dakota State and Gonzaga have made for a bumpy ride so far.
Utah stands at 2-4, with many of the losses coming down to the wire.
The schedule should ease up a bit tonight. The Westminster Griffins, members of the NAIA, shouldn’t pose much of a threat for the Utes. Westminster has only played one NCAA Division 1 team, Weber State, and it lost that game 84-73. If Westminster can’t come within single-digits against the University of Cumberlands, what chance does it have against Utah?
Probably not much.
Tonight’s game should be an opportunity for Utah to focus on improving what have been problems for the team thus far. Utah’s Achilles’ heel has been turnovers. It is last in conference in turnover margin at minus-8.2 per game. Expect the team to make turnovers a priority not just tonight, but for the rest of the non-conference season.
“We’ve really been focused on taking care of the ball,” said senior Morgan Warburton. “We’re trying to keep things at our tempo, our level, and making sure people are always in the right places.”
The Griffins really like to get up and down the floor, as evidenced by their 87.2 points per game average. Five players are averaging double figures for Westminster, with senior guard Elisa Leader leading the team at 16.2.
Westminster also isn’t afraid to pull up from deep, having attempted 302 3s already on the year, and shooting at a 43 percent rate.
With defense, it’s more of the same, with the Griffins liking to push the tempo. They are averaging 14.6 steals a game, and are forcing opponents to commit 24.3 turnovers a game. If Utah has trouble against the less-talented Griffins controlling tempo and holding onto the ball, that certainly won’t bode well for the rest of the season.
The other unknown for this game will be the Utes’ mental approach. We have seen them bring their A game when the stakes are at their highest. While they fell just short against Louisville and Virginia, it had nothing to do with not showing up. But what will the team’s attitude be when the name on the opposing team’s jersey isn’t exactly a household name? Utah came out a bit sloppy when it played Jackson State earlier in the year. Head coach Elaine Elliott hopes that won’t be the case again tonight.
“What we’re trying to teach is the passion to play every game,” Elliott said. “We should be real enthusiastic just to come home again. I hope we really get after it and that we improve afterwards due to the caliber of the competition.”
Westminster’s fast-paced style might give the Utes some fits, especially as the Griffins attempt to speed up the Utes and force turnovers. If Utah can control the tempo and take care of the ball with relative ease against the high-flying Griffins, that will help out for the rest of the season, and show that the Achilles’ heel is slowly, yet surely disappearing.
Erik DaenitzMorgan Warburton along with teammates have taken this past week to work on their tempo and placement during practices. Utah takes on Westminster College at the Huntsman Center tonight.