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SALT LAKE CITY — The goal for the season was to get to the Sweet 16; but now that Utah is there, why not win a few games while they're at it.
The circumstances and pressure has certainly changed now that Utah has arrived in Greenville, South Carolina, ready to take on a two-loss LSU team in Utah's third ever Sweet 16 appearance. But for the Utes, it's important to stick to what's made the team successful all season.
Utah head coach Lynne Roberts said there's no reason to suddenly change the playbook because her team is now playing in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament; it's an opportunity to hone in on what's worked this season while still being adaptable to what the opponent throws at Utah during the game.
For example, while the 3-point shot has been a big focus to Utah's game, the program had to be flexible in the first two games of the tournament when the opponent limited Utah from deep. Utah adapted more to the post play of Alissa Pili and Jenna Johnson, and went to work.
It wasn't a sudden shift to something new on offense, but a larger dose to what Utah has done all season. Utah will continue to focus on its team-first mentality in hopes that it can be enough to contend with a difficult LSU team.
"Our team is not built on one-on-one play, and it hasn't been," Roberts said. "We're a sum-of-the-parts kind of offense. We're top 5 in the country in assists for a reason. If we get into a one-on-one game, we're going to lose badly. We've got to move the ball, move players, make them defend. But they're more athletic than we are; that's not a race we want to get into. We've got to try to be a little smarter with it."
Being smarter is simply being the team that can adapt the best to the game's circumstances. Against Princeton, where Utah shot 1-of-15 from 3-point range, the Utes adapted and won the rock fight. Against LSU, Roberts said she expects it to be more of a "track meet," with two high-powered offenses in a scoring battle.
Utah is ranked third in the country in points scored per game (83.5 points) and fourth in field goal percentage (48.7%), while LSU is ranked fifth (83.2 points) and 10th (46.7%), respectively. There will be no shortage of points scored on Friday afternoon.
"We like to play with tempo; it makes us go," Roberts said. "They play with tempo. You turn it over, they get a defensive rebound, they're gone. Yeah, it is fun. It's a fun style to watch. I think scoring is fun to watch. I don't want to watch them do too much of it, but I have a feeling both teams are going to push the pedal on that and play to our strengths. They've got to beat us, we've got to try to beat them. It'll be a battle of attrition in that regard."
From rock fight to track meet, Utah has no more easy games.
To add to Utah's difficulty, LSU has one of the nation's best rebounders in the post in Angel Reese. While certainly not alone, Reese has helped lead the Tigers to an average of 46.9 rebounds per game (and 17.3 offensive rebounds), which in turn gives her team more opportunities on offense. In comparison, Utah averages only 37.1 rebounds and 10.6 offensive rebounds per game.
"She's the type of player where you can't just say, 'All right, you've got her, get it done,'" Roberts said. "It's got to be a collective team effort. But they're not a one-trick pony, either. They've got other people. That's why they're here, and that's why they're good."
LSU also features a top 25 defense that limits teams to 35.5% shooting from the field and 26.8% from 3-point range. Utah has been nowhere near that effective for the season, but has found success when it needed to, such as against Arizona or Stanford.
Maybe Utah's matchup is more appropriately a rock fight track meet.
"I don't anticipate (Friday) to be a slugfest like (Princeton), slow and shot clock grind and all that kind of thing, but maybe it is. I don't know," Roberts said. "But we'll be ready, whatever it is, and I think our players are most confident when we can get out and go. But we'll adjust to whatever it is they're doing."
Regardless, Utah will either be successful or fail by maintaining its identity, and that's by sharing the ball, moving it around, and giving whomever has the best chance to score the opportunity when it presents itself. And if the team can find some ways to exploit LSU along the way, all the more beneficial for Utah's chances of keeping its postseason hopes alive.
"I think just sticking to our identity," Utah's Johnson said about their team's plan. "We know that when we move the ball, we get good shots. I think we're hard to guard inside and out, and we take what the defense gives. So just being confident and being us will pay off."
