The end of the regular season is upon us, as Utah gets ready to face Washington State on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Beasley Colliseum. This matchup follows a disappointing loss to Washington on Thursday night, in which the Huskies layed it on against the Utes in the third quarter, sending what had theretofore been a close game out of reach of the Utes.
The Utes will look to prove their resiliency with a strong performance against Washington State for the final game of the regular season, just as they opened the season against the Cougars — with a win.
In these two team’s last matchup against each other, Utah held on to a two-point lead to seal the victory following a third quarter offensive barrage by the Cougars, in which they scored 27 points. Head coach Lynne Roberts, however, feels her squad is a different team today than it was in that matchup.
“We’re a work in progress for sure, but I do think we’ve improved since then,” Roberts said. “We’ve improved defensively quite a bit.”
One key to Saturday’s game for Utah will be containing freshman guard Borislava Hristovam, a six-foot guard from Bulgaria. She leads all Washington State scorers with 16 points per game but can put up points in a hurry against weak defenses.
Earlier this year, Hristova dropped 23 on the Utes, despite a meager effort from behind the arc, shooting just 1-of-5. The Utes — shooting 29 percent from beyond the arc on the season — will look to hang back on the Bulgarian guard, going under on screens and daring her to beat them from the outside. Utah will also look for strong play from its leading scorer, Emily Potter, who totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds in her last matchup with Washington State.
Despite the double-double effort, Potter is expecting a tough defensive front from the Cougars.
“They did a good job [guarding me],” Potter said. “I struggled to post-up against them, and that’s what I expect.”
All in all, Saturday’s matchup is a favorable one for Utah, despite being on the road. The Cougars sit as the ninth seed in the Pac-12 at 5-12 (conference). Washington State has struggled to rebound the ball well this year, an area of pride for the Utes, who have won nearly every game this season in which they’ve controlled the battle of the boards.
Should the Utes come away with a victory Saturday, they would clinch the seventh seed in the Pac-12 tournament. Should they lose and USC should win, however, the Utes could slip to the eighth seed, which could mean a potential first-round matchup against either USC or Washington State.
A Utah win would send the Utes to most likely face Cal, whom they have swept in the regular season and undoubtedly would feel confident playing in the first round. Catch the game this Saturday on Pac 12 Network as the Utes tip it off for their final regular season game at 12 p.m. MST.
@westinyjay