The Utah women’s basketball team just went through a gauntlet of top Big 12 teams, facing No. 10 Kansas State, No. 9 TCU and No. 25 Baylor — along with Houston — over the past two weeks.
The games against the Horned Frogs and Bears were on the road this past week.
Utah went 1-3 in that stretch, losing to each of their now-ranked opponents.
It’s a stretch that leaves the Utes, now 13-5 and 4-3 in Big 12 action, needing to reset a bit after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
A more favorable schedule over the next few weeks should help.
The schedule ahead for Utah
The Utes will play four of their next six games at the Huntsman Center, and one of those road games will also be at BYU.
It starts with a home game against Kansas on Wednesday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+), followed by a trip to Provo on Saturday (2:30 p.m. MST, ESPNU).
That means the Utes — who’ve gone to Arizona, Iowa and Texas (for road games three days apart) over their first seven Big 12 games — will stay in Utah largely over the next three and a half weeks.
Their only game outside the state during that time will be at Texas Tech on Feb. 5.
It’s a welcome time to return home at a moment in the season where Utah has the chance to refocus during its first year in the Big 12.
“We’re going to enjoy the next two weeks. Today was a lot about ourselves, and you have to take advantage of that when that opportunity presents itself, because of the rhythm of our schedule,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen told reporters after Monday’s practice.
Following the games against Kansas and BYU this week, the Utes will play just once next week — at home against Arizona on Friday, Jan. 31.
“After we get through this week, next week provides us a few practices where we can really kind of refocus on ourselves, tweak some things here and there as we get ready for that next month,” Petersen said. “February is a tough month to win, and we have a lot of road games. We’ve got to have that mentality, and we’ve got to be able to execute our stuff at a high level.”
Over Utah’s next seven games — including the aforementioned six-game stretch with four home games, plus a visit to Arizona State on Feb. 15 — the Utes will play teams that all sit below them in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings, though Arizona and Colorado are just a game back.
As such, the Utes — who were ranked in the Associated Press top 25 rankings the past two weeks before falling out Monday — are likely to be the favorite in every game over the next four weeks.
The Houston game on Jan. 11, when Utah led by three in the third quarter before pulling away for a 69-42 win, is a perfect reminder that while the Utes are likely to be favored over their next several games, it’s important to stay focused.
Otherwise, another Big 12 team could sneak up and knock off a favorite.
Houston is a good example. After that loss at Utah, the Cougars went and upset then-ranked Oklahoma State three days later.
Utah guard Gianna Kneepkens, who scored a season-high 28 points and led a second-half charge in the Utes’ 71-63 loss at TCU last Friday, is looking forward to returning home. Utah is 9-1 at the Huntsman Center this season.
“I think, of course, everyone loves playing at home a little bit more than away, so kind of just to get our feet back under us, have a crowd cheering for us is exciting,” she said. “We lost a couple games, but we’re still pretty early in the season. I think we have 11 games left in the Big 12. A lot can happen.
“So just growing on the things we need to grow on, getting coached up, staying accountable for mistakes we make, and just enjoying having people cheering for us is the most exciting thing.”
What’s been ailing Utah?
Slow starts and turnovers have been among Utah’s issues over the past couple of weeks.
The Utes gave up 21 turnovers against Baylor, that the Bears turned into 25 points — that was a critical stat in a nine-point game.
Three days later, Utah trailed by 21 at halftime against TCU. In the first quarter, the Utes made just 2 of 10 field goals.
“I don’t think you can point to one thing. I think it’s kind of combination of a few things,” Kneepkens said, of Utah’s troubles in the recent slump. “But I think what we need to do a better job of as a team is just not overthinking, like just play.”
Playing Utah basketball for 40 minutes — i.e., finding consistent, solid play for longer stretches in games — is atop the to-do list for the Utes.
“I think what we need to build off of is we know we can do it. It’s just doing it over 40 minutes, because we kind of dig ourselves some of these holes that it’s hard to get out of it takes a lot of energy when you’re down 10 to 20 points,” Kneepkens said. “You go on a run, but you’re still down. So just being able to play hard and not make mistakes and play Utah basketball for all 40 minutes, we learned in those games. ... I think that’s what we know we need to be better at.”
The next chance to rebuild that consistency happens Wednesday when the Jayhawks come to town. Kansas (12-6, 2-5 Big 12) has lost three of its last four, including its most recent matchup against Arizona.
BYU isn’t doing any better. The Cougars (10-7, 1-5 Big 12) have just one league victory and have lost two in a row.
BYU will play at Iowa State Wednesday before hosting the Utes Saturday.
Kennady McQueen injury update
Senior guard Kennady McQueen has missed Utah’s last four games, after suffering a high-ankle sprain late in the Utes’ win at Iowa State on Jan. 5.
In her absence, that has meant an increase in playing time for players like Maty Wilke, who stepped into her starting role, and true freshman Brooke Walker.
Even Kneepkens is playing more minutes to help offset the scoring and veteran leadership loss with McQueen out of the lineup.
On Monday, Petersen said that McQueen is making progress in her recovery. While a timeline for her return isn’t clear yet, the coach indicated she may be able to participate in contact drills by the end of this week.
“She’s working closer and closer to returning to the court and being cleared, hopefully by maybe the end of the week for some contact five on five,” Petersen said. “But at the end of the day, we’re not going to push her in terms of, there’s so much season left, you know. And I know she wants to play this weekend (against BYU), being a kid from Utah, but sometimes you’ve got to protect your player or the players from themselves.
“She’s just been working really hard to getting back and just proud of the way she’s attacked it. So when she’s ready, she’s ready, but it’s getting closer.”
The adjustment to playing without McQueen, one of their veteran leaders, is a work in progress.
“We’re hurting offensively because we are lacking her offensive production, but we’re also sometimes struggling on the defensive end because we don’t have her stability in terms of what she brings to our defensive end,” Petersen said. “I mean, it is what it is. I would like to see our freshmen play a little more confidently and just allowing the offense to create shots for themselves and be fearless. And I think they will. It’s just it takes some time.”
Kneepkens is confident these learning experiences will pay off for the Utes.
“Kennady’s a big part of the guards and our team, so we miss having her out there, but we’ve just had to adjust, and no one could step in and just do what Kennady does, because she’s special and has her own gifts,” Kneepkens said. “(We’re all) just trying to give a little extra to fill that void, but we’re excited to have her back.
“And I think Maty stepping up into the starting role, and Brooke and Gracie (Foster) getting a little more time, they’ve done well with their opportunities. We’re just continuing to see them grow, while looking forward to getting Kennady back.”