The success and rise through the conference standings relative to last season has made 2015-16 a turbulent season for Utah. The unproven Utes, who lost much of last year to injury, blazed through preseason matchups with teams of varying talent. Wins against Creighton, South Dakota, a 41-point shellacking of CSUN and a steal on the road against Utah State all felt like surprising wins in November.
But as the season wore on, the surprises came fewer and farther between. When January rolled around for the Utes with a daunting schedule of Pac-12 opponents, Utah stunned with a home sweep of Washington State and Washington.
“Our first two games in the Pac 12, where we beat Washington State and Washington at home, that was our first sweep since my freshman year,” said senior point guard Dani Rodriguez. “I think those were big turning points — those were big wins that showed we can be a great team.”
From the opening weekend of Pac-12 play, Utah rolled on with a strong first half performance against Stanford and an upset win over then-No. 21-ranked Cal. The Utes then continued their road stand with games against Arizona and Arizona State, the latter being another ranked opponent who finished the season tied for the best record in the Pac-12.
“[That was] a game that stands out to me. We didn’t end up winning, but when we played at Arizona State, that first half, we were in it,” said Utah sharpshooter Paige Crozon. “That’s when I was like, ‘We are a really, really good team.'”
The Utes returned 4-2 in conference play from a four-game road trip during which they played three ranked opponents. A five-game homestand before them, the Utes looked poised to make some hay, earning consideration for the AP NCAA rankings. But it was not to be, as Utah slipped into a four-game losing streak, dropping games to the conference powerhouses Oregon State and UCLA.
And thus the season continued, Utah earning back-to-back wins against Colorado and dropping a road trip to Oregon and Oregon State. Each weekend proved a new test for the rising Utes, who felt they were improving, whatever the outcome.
“Its been a really emotional season, but it’s also been one of the most exciting years I’ve had of basketball,” Crozon said.
Closing the regular season with a second-half storm over Washington State last weekend, the Utes finish the season 16-13, 8-10 in conference play, earning the seventh seed in the Pac-12 tournament bracket. Jumping five spots, Utah made a bigger leap in conference standings than any other team in the Pac-12 from last season to this one.
“We finished last in the Pac 12 last year, I don’t think anyone expected us to come out and have a winning record,” Rodriguez said. “I think we’ve exceeded expectations, but we still have the bar set high — we can still win a lot more games.”
Having adopted a new system, adjusted to a new coach, balanced the chemistry of returning cogs Emily Potter and Katie Kuklok, who missed most of last season due to injury, Utah is certainly feeling good heading into March. However, the Utes aren’t letting their success this season placate their motivation moving forward
“I just want to finish the season knowing that we left everything on the court, that we did everything we could,” Rodriguez said. “So far I think we have done that, and I want to end the season knowing that we continued to do that.”
Utah faces 10th-seeded Cal in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament this Thursday. Utah swept the Golden Bears during the regular season, but the Utes are careful not to let those games become an excuse for taking their foot off the gas pedal. The Golden Bears have a raw talent in freshman forward Kristine Anigwe, who puts up points in bunches and can battle with Potter on the boards. Anigwe was selected as one of this week’s Pac-12 Players of the Week after leading her Golden Bears past Oregon and nearly upsetting conference-best Oregon State last weekend.
When asked if she had a message for the rest of her team, seasoned veteran Rodriguez answered frankly.
“It’s just another game,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a great experience … [but] it’s not something to overthink and put pressure on ourselves, it’s just another game. It’s a great game that we can win, we just have to go out there, play hard and leave everything on the floor.”
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