I really didn’t grasp this rivalry until I got here. And it’s a fun one. It’s legit. – Utah women's basketball coach Lynne Roberts
SALT LAKE CITY — Lynne Roberts knew about the rivalry between BYU and Utah before taking over the Utes women’s basketball program in the spring of 2015.
But she didn’t understand it until the Utes traveled to the Marriott Center last December.
“I really didn’t grasp this rivalry until I got here,” she said as the two teams prepare to meet for their annual game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. – this time at Huntsman Arena. “And it’s a fun one. It’s legit.”
In fact, she said she’s never experienced the kind of rivalry Utah and BYU share.
“I have experienced rivalry games, of course, (and)…those are always a little more intense,” she said at her weekly press conference Wednesday. “But I think just the community involvement (is different). People are on one side of the fence or the other. There’s really no standing atop the fence and, you know, kind of wavering. …The fans are very committed, and so it makes it fun.”
She said last year she took her cues from her players, who were obviously more excited about the game than any other non-region contest.
“I kind of treated it as any other game,” Roberts said. “And they didn’t. And, you know, they got the better of us last year down at their place.” Technically, it’s just another game.
Mentally, it’s so much more than a game.
It is, as she found out, something of a cultural experience. And while that caught her off-guard last year, she’s looking forward to it this year.
“It’s just different,” she said. “It’s fun though.”
She even purposely painted her mailbox red “in a BYU neighborhood” to let them know “I’m here.”
Laughing, she said, she and her neighbors exchanged good-natured “smack-talk” and said the rivalry, while unusually intense is “all in good fun.”
The game will offer a lot for what promises to be a larger than usual crowd. The game starts at 5:30, and if fans wear red, they get into the game for free. For those who’d rather wear another color, say blue, there is a family coupon (good for up to six people) online that will offer a family a group rate.
There will also be about half dozen activities, including a visit from Santa Claus.
Still, for the 8-0 Utes, their focus is on continuing to evolve as a team.
“Before (Tuesday’s win), we hadn’t shot the ball tremendously well from the outside,” Roberts said. “Last night we were 2-for 21 from three. That’s not outstanding, but it’s a realistic statistic. …If we can do that, then it opens everything up.”
While Utah has shown itself to be extremely capable on defense, the Utes said their offense is still a work in progress, in part because they’ve added so much depth to the roster this season.
She said part of the issue is whether they’re taking the best shots they can.
“That’s the only formula,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to be able to knock it down, and it has to be a good shot. …So we had to fix a little bit, just be conscious of, ‘Are we taking great shots?’ If not, don’t take it. Let’s work together. You give up a good shot to create a great shot for a teammate, and that will help our shooting percentage.”
Roberts said the team will prepare the same way they always do for BYU, but they'll also embrace all that is unique about this game.
“I think their attention to detail, their focus and their intensity is a little ramped up,” she said. “But that’s not coming from me. That’s just coming from being at Utah (during rivalry week).”