It doesn’t matter what sport it is8212;when Utah and BYU meet, you can always expect emotions to be high and that each team will give its all.
Tonight’s matchup will be no different.
The women’s basketball team (12-6, 5-0) will make the short trip to Provo to take on the Cougar team that many are labeling as the surprise team of the Mountain West Conference this year.
Utah’s past three opponents8212;Air Force, Colorado State and UNLV8212;didn’t put up much of a fight against the Utes. Utah won those games by an average of almost 23 points per game. The Cougars come into tonight’s game with a 3-2 record in the MWC and an overall record of 13-4.
The Cougars didn’t get much respect at the start of the season, but they have already equaled last year’s win total.
Utah head coach Elaine Elliott said that the Cougars’ improvement hasn’t surprised her much.
“BYU was extremely young last year,” Elliott said. “All those kids are a year older and it shows. Those young kids are becoming nice college basketball players.”
Last year, the Cougars were forced to start three true freshmen. This year, however, the Cougars are older and more experienced, with no true freshmen starting.
The BYU player who improved the most from last year is sophomore Mindy Nielson. The 5-foot-10-inch guard leads the team in points at 11.4 per game and has registered the most steals on the team with 34.
Nielson is joined in the backcourt by another sophomore, Jazmine Foreman. Foreman has made huge strides in her game from last year. She has done a commendable job of running the point, as she leads the team in assists per game.
Utah will also need to key in on is senior Shawnee Slade. Slade is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game and is the Cougars’ best threat from deep, shooting 37 percent from the 3-point line.
After two lopsided losses at the hands of the Utes in last year’s meetings, BYU figures to come in seeking to right the ship against its rival. The Cougars lost by an average of 34 points in both matchups against Utah.
Although those two games will no doubt serve as motivation for all the returning players for BYU, Utah senior Morgan Warburton and the rest of the Utes are more than fired up for this week’s contest.
“This is one of the biggest games for me,” Warburton said. “I look forward to this one every year. It’s just a good rivalry, and you always want to play your best game.”
Warburton isn’t the only one looking forward to this game. Senior forward Katie King takes the BYU rivalry just as seriously.
“Being from Layton, I’ve always known about the rivalry,” King said. “It’s always been one of those things where you’re either a Utah person or a BYU person. You can’t be both. It’s going to be a good game though. It’s always fun to have a rivalry with another school.”
Although Utah might have the better record, records never amount to much when the opponent is BYU.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center in Provo.
