The proof is in the top 25 polls and the NET rankings — whoever wins the Pac-12 women’s basketball regular-season championship will have to go through a gauntlet of other top teams to emerge victorious.
There are five Pac-12 teams in the top 12 of the latest Associated Press top 25 poll, and six in the top 24 spots in the NCAA’s most up-to-date NET rankings.
For Lynne Roberts and her No. 12 Utah squad, who shared the regular-season championship last year with Stanford and are the preseason favorites to win the league, the conference journey starts Saturday.
The Utes (10-2) will face No. 8 Colorado (10-1) in a Saturday afternoon tip (1 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network) in Boulder, Colorado, to start off the final season of Pac-12 play for both programs before the schools join the Big 12 next year.
“Every team in our league is so good and we’re starting with maybe the best. I don’t know, everybody’s good. So we will be super dialed in from the jump,” said Colorado coach JR Payne about facing Utah to start conference play, per the team’s website.
“This is the group we’re rolling with, this is what we have, and it’s good enough. Our goals haven’t changed.” — Utah guard Kennady McQueen
Utah and Colorado split their two regular-season games last season — the home team won each time — in a year where both programs made the Sweet 16.
There are heightened expectations for both teams this season.
The Utes returned every starter and more than 90% of their scoring production, though they’ve since lost star guard Gianna Kneepkens to a season-ending injury and guard Isabel Palmer hasn’t played since mid-November with her own injury issue.
The Buffaloes returned four starters, and they kicked off the year by upsetting then-No. 1 and defending national champion LSU on opening night.
“Our league is so good, we’ve been preaching it,” Roberts said at the time, after the league got off to a strong start to this season.
Since then, Utah and Colorado have combined for just three losses, all to teams that are currently unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll.
The Utes are currently third nationally in scoring (averaging 93.3 points per game) and the best in the country in field goal percentage (53.8%) and assists (24.9 per game).
Reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili paces Utah. The star forward is averaging 23.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 69.7% from the field and 56.5% from 3-point range, which leads the country.
Colorado, meanwhile, counters with a balanced team that averages 84 points per contest.
Senior guard Frida Formann is averaging 15.4 points and 2.5 assists per game, while her 37 made 3-pointers is tied for 13th nationally. Junior center Aaronette Vonleh is adding 15.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
“Going into Pac-12 (play), there’s no time to be hesitant,” Utah junior guard Kennady McQueen said before the team wrapped up its nonconference schedule with wins over Southern Utah and Weber State.
After the Weber State win, Roberts praised McQueen and junior forward Jenna Johnson for their high level of play in light of the injuries the team has dealt with.
“This is the group we’re rolling with, this is what we have, and it’s good enough. Our goals haven’t changed,” McQueen said.
That all translates to high expectations for another thrilling showdown between two intermountain programs that have their sights set on lofty goals, as Saturday’s game kicks off the next phase of the season.