Rivalry week is just different. And fans of the Holy War have been spoiled as of late, with BYU and Utah facing off against each other in men’s basketball, as well as the Las Vegas Bowl game between the Blue and Red, all within three weeks of each other.
But this weekend, the Utah women’s basketball team will travel down south to take the Cougars on in another chapter of the in-state rivalry.
Utah is 3-7 against the Cougars in their last ten meetings and 2-3 in the games played in Provo. When asked how she prepares for what will likely be her final game against BYU — unless the teams should meet in tournament play — Utah point guard, Dani Rodriguez responded frankly.
“It’s always a great matchup. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t approach it differently, because I do. When you’re rivals, there’s a lot on the line,” Rodriguez said. “Its the final showdown, it’s going to be a good matchup.”
While Saturday’s matchup against BYU in the Deseret First Duel will likely be Rodriguez’s last, it is the first time head coach Lynne Roberts will be coaching in the rivalry. While it will be her first rivalry game coaching, it is a matchup she is familiar with.
“At Pacific, they were in our conference, so I’m familiar with them. I’ve certainly never been in the rivalry game,” Roberts said.
There will be a lot on the line for Rodriguez in matching up against the BYU backcourt of Lexi Rydalch and Kylie Maeda. As seniors, this will be the Cougar duo’s final battle in the Holy War as well. Rydalch leads all Cougars in scoring this season, averaging almost 23 points per game on an efficient 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. Maeda leads her team in assists, dishing out nearly four per game.
While Utah will likely stick to its zone defense against the Cougars, the Utes have options in dealing with Rydalch should she get hot. Both Utah guards Malia Nawahine and Rodriguez have proven to be pesky defenders this season.
Utah may also choose to swap forward Katie Kuklok into the game for Nawahine, sliding Tanaeya Boclair to the two-spot, who would then hold a significant size advantage over Rydalch.
However Roberts chooses to play BYU, expect the defense to be tight along the perimeter and the defensive glass wiped clean: two areas of focus throughout the preseason for Utah in defending the three-point line and securing defensive rebounds.
“That’s something I hammer home to the team every day,” said Roberts of her emphasis on team rebounding. “If you want to win games and win championships, you have to be a rebounding team.”
In addition to rebounding, Roberts has stressed the importance of defending the three-point line as well. Coming into Wednesday’s matchup against Creighton, a team leading its conference in both three-point attempts and makes, Roberts stressed the importance of defending the deep-ball, particularly in a zone defense which can often concede threes to the offense.
“That was the No. 1 key to winning [against Creighton], was to defend the three-point line,” Roberts said. “The players set a goal that [the Bluejays] would make 6 or less. I think that’s huge. That’s what we said, particularly going into the fourth quarter: ‘Twos aren’t going to beat us — threes will.'”
BYU currently sits at 6-3 on the season through what has been a road-heavy first nine games. The Cougars are undefeated in the Marriott Center in the two games they have played there this season.
Utah will tip off against the Cougars at 2 p.m. MST this Saturday in Provo.
@westinjay