Utah WBB Preparing For Final Ranked Opponent Of The Season In UCLA

After a treacherous stretch in which Utah has faced four top-10 opponents in its past seven games, the Utes will face No. 8 UCLA on Friday morning, their final nationally-ranked opponent of the regular season

It's been a long season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic still causing havoc throughout the nation, the amount of sacrifice the Utah women's basketball program has gone through to just see the court against opponents has made this season even longer.

From having to stay locked up in their homes/dorms, to road trips being shockingly uneventful due to all of the time spent in the hotel rooms, the annual wear and tear of a regular season is far greater this year.

Making matters even worse for Utah is that it plays in the brutal gauntlet that is the Pac-12. Four of the Utes past seven games have all come against teams ranked in the top-10, with Utah going 2-5 in those games and 0-4 against the nationally ranked.

That's what makes Friday's game so special is that it is the final time — as of right now — the Utes will face a nationally-ranked opponent when it hosts UCLA. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

“You just kind of get used to playing these teams, these top-10 teams,” Utah head coach Lynne Roberts said. “That’s what I told them. ... You committed to play here and you’re committed to keep swinging.”

Back at home next week. 🏠

We will be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Friday and having our Pink Game on Sunday! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/CvBr1ovjS3

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 7, 2021

If Utah is going to score its biggest win of the season against the Bruins, it's going to need a much better offensive performance from star sophomore guards Brynna Maxwell and Kemery Martin. 

Martin entered the contest against Stanford this past Sunday averaging 17 points per game over the previous six games, shooting 39-of-79 (49.4%) from the floor and an astonishing 13-of-26 (50%) from beyond the arc. Likewise, Maxwell was putting up a team-high 13.4 points per game, making the two of them one of the more dynamic scoring backcourts in the conference

But the defensive strategy the Cardinal employed against the stars worked. Martin and Maxwell finished with a combined 8 points, shooting 4-of-22 from the field and 0-for-9 from three-point territory. 

The Utes will need both of them to be more like their previous selves rather than the ones who showed up against Stanford. They must continually push the ball in transition and find ways to use screens set by teammates to free themselves up. 

Most importantly though, they have to attack the rim. Both players do a lot of damage for the free throw line so not only are those easy points for the Utes, it allows the defense to set up and negate UCLA's fast break attack.

The Bruins are led by the Charisma Osborne, a sophomore guard averaging a team-highs of 19.6 points and 3.6 assists per game. Dynamite from beyond the arc, Osborne is knocking down 40.4% of her shots beyond the arc with a team-high 40 three-pointers made.

Michaela Onyenwere is the perfect compliment to Osborne as she dominates in the paint by averaging 16.9 and 8.6 rebounds per game. Natalie Chou and Emily Bessoir combine to average 20.2 points per game, combining to knock down 37.3% of shots from three-point territory.

Utah was blasted 92-67 by the Bruins the last time they met in mid-January. 

It was the beginning of Martin's improved play as she finished with 18 points while Dru Gylten finished with 13 points and six assists. But it wasn't enough as Chou finished with 28 points while Osborne added 22 points and eight assists, as they combined to shoot 9-for-15 from beyond the arc.

Onyenwere added a near triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

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