There's no place like home for Utah women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott. Just six of the Utes' 17 games, thus far, have been played on the road.
The discrepancy, however, will even out a bit in Mountain West Conference play. Utah opens a three-game road trip tonight at 7 at Air Force (KALL, 700AM).
"We've had fewer preseason road games, which is nice for me, because after 22 years I am tired of the road," said Elliott. "Now we are in league play and it has all evened up. Everybody has seven at home and seven on the road. That's what it is supposed to be. All even."
And that's exactly how she sees the league race despite a 2-0 start after wins over Colorado State and Wyoming in the Huntsman Center last week.
Utah's next home game, which follows visits to Air Force, New Mexico and BYU, is Feb. 3 against preseason favorite UNLV.
BYU, meanwhile, is also on the road after a five-game homestand. The Cougars visit New Mexico tonight and Air Force on Saturday.
UTAH (13-4, 2-0) at Air Force (5-9, 0-1), 7 p.m.: The Utes have never lost to the Falcons. They've won all 15 prior meetings. A Sweet 16 is expected thanks to the recent play of junior point guard Shona Thorburn. The junior point guard was named MWC Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals in helping Utah extend its winning streak to five games.
BYU (10-5, 1-1) at NEW MEXICO (12-2, 1-0): The Cougars take to the road for the first time in MWC play this season, facing the Lobos at 7 p.m. tonight at the Pit, where UNM is 10-1 so far this year and averages a league-best 9,852 fans a game.
Although 0-2 against New Mexico last year, BYU came close — falling by six at home in Provo and losing by just one at Albuquerque.
The Lobos are one of only two NCAA Division I teams to have a winning record without a player averaging in double-digit scoring. Senior forward Lindsey Arndt tops UNM with 9.3 points per game.
Deseret Morning News sports writer Scott Taylor contributed to this report.