3 things we learned about Utah women’s basketball during nonconference play
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The Utah women’s basketball team came into the 2023-24 season with all sorts of high expectations — understandable considering the amount of talent returning to Salt Lake City and the team’s march to the Sweet 16 last year.
Through the nonconference portion of the schedule, those expectations remain largely intact.
One other thing is certain, though: a highly competitive Pac-12 will test this Utah program that’s dealt with minimal trials during nonconference play.
What have the Utes shown during the preseason? Here’s a look at three things we’ve learned about this team, and what’s next for a program looking to improve upon its Sweet 16 finish last year.
Alissa Pili has upped her game
Utah senior forward Alissa Pili is coming off a season where she was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year — before this season, a fellow conference post player, Colorado’s Quay Miller, said of Pili, “No one is getting in her way of being successful.”
That has proven true through the season’s first seven weeks, as Pili has improved upon her season from a year ago.
Pili is averaging a career-best 23.8 points per game while improving her shooting percentage from the floor and 3-point range, jumping 10% from the field to 69.7% and 14% from 3-point range to 56.5%.
The 6-foot-2 Pili currently leads the country in 3-point field goal percentage and is fourth in field goal percentage.
She is also averaging 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
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Pili’s monumental effort against No. 1 South Carolina earlier this month especially stands out. That day, in a nine-point loss to the country’s top team, Pili scored a career-high 37 points, shooting 15 of 23 from the field, 3 of 6 from deep and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, all while adding three steals, two rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot.
She practically willing the Utes into contention against the Gamecocks just eight days after Utah lost star guard Gianna Kneepkens to a season-ending foot injury.
Utah coach Lynne Roberts said she’s seen more “leadership, composure” from Pili since Kneepkens’ injury.
“That was quite a stage for her to do that. Everyone was watching,” Roberts said four days after Pili’s performance against South Carolina. “... I’ve heard from almost WNBA GM since that game.”
Pili’s early-season efforts have gained her even more national attention. ESPN recently ranked Pili the No. 4 player in all of women’s basketball this season.
“Pili put the country on notice with her career-high 37-point outburst in 29 minutes against top-ranked South Carolina earlier this month, after which Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley called her ‘impossible to stop,’” ESPN’s Alexa Philippou wrote. “... Her combination of strength, expert footwork down low and ability to step out to the 3-point arc (where she’s hitting 57.1% of her shots) makes her unlike any other player in the nation.”
Utah can contend with anyone
At various points during nonconference play, Utah has led the nation in scoring, and as of now the Utes are third in the country, averaging 93.3 points per game.
Utah also leads the nation in field goal percentage at 53.8% as a team.
Part of that can be attributed to the fact half of the Utes’ preseason schedule included teams either ranked 250 or worse in the NET rankings, or teams that play in a lower division.
Here’s a look at the NET rankings as of Dec. 22 of each team Utah played during the nonconference portion of its schedule, with designation whether it was a home game (H), road game (R) or neutral-site contest (N):
No. 1: South Carolina (N).
No. 12: Baylor (R).
No. 60: Saint Joseph’s (R).
No. 95: BYU (H).
No. 174: Eastern Kentucky (N).
No. 197: Southern Utah (R).
No. 274: Weber State (H).
No. 316: Merrimack (H).
No. 336: Mississippi Valley State (H).
No. 344: South Carolina State (H).
N/A: Alaska Anchorage — Division II (N).
N/A: Carroll College — NAIA (H).
That doesn’t give credit to Roberts’ system, though, that thrives on finding the best available shots.
Utah’s two losses — against unbeatens South Carolina and Baylor — showed that the Utes have good reason to be considered among the nation’s elite.
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Utah found itself within a couple possessions of the now-No. 10 Bears during the fourth quarter of their mid-November matchup, but 18 turnovers (which led to 27 Baylor points) and foul trouble for key players Pili and Kneepkens proved too much to overcome.
The Utes, just over a week after losing Kneepkens for the season, made a statement even in a loss to top-ranked South Carolina on Dec. 10. Pili’s career-high 37 points kept Utah within striking distance, and Dasia Young’s layup with 2:53 to play made it 69-67.
The Utes missed their final five shots from the field, though, as South Carolina pulled away in the final minutes. Like the Baylor game, turnovers were costly for Utah in the loss to the Gamecocks.
Despite this, Utah has shown that — just like last season — it has the offensive skill to stick with anyone.
Another part of that equation is using a suffocating defensive effort to facilitate the offense, something that was on display in Utah’s preseason finale against Weber State, when the Utes broke open a close game early with a 17-0 run. Utah won 89-36 after leading by 31 at halftime.
“It’s hard to get out and score if we let the other team score. I thought we came out in the first quarter and played really good defense which set the tone for the game,” junior guard Kennady McQueen said after beating the Wildcats. “When we were getting stops and running we were playing loose and with the flow of the game.”
The Utes have depth that is getting tested
Utah entered the season with five returning starters and 90.3% of its scoring production coming back.
Injuries have changed that outlook.
Not only is Kneepkens out for the year, but guard Isabel Palmer has played just three games while dealing with her own injury.
During those first three games of the season, Palmer averaged 14.0 points — nearly double her average from last season — while shooting 57.1% from the field. She was also averaging 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
On Dec. 14, Roberts said they are hoping to get Palmer back by the start of the new calendar year.
“We could really use her, obviously. It’s one of those things that she’s just not ready yet, but she will be,” the coach said.
Inês Vieira has been a force on both ends of the court sliding into the point guard role with Palmer ailing — she is sixth nationally in assists per game (7.4) while also averaging 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per contest.
“She continues to set the tone for us,” Roberts said Thursday.
The team’s other two returning starters, forward Jenna Johnson and guard McQueen, have also stepped up.
In Thursday’s win over Weber State, McQueen scored 17 points — including five first-half 3-pointers — while adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Johnson put up a double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 rebounds, and she is the team’s leading rebounder this year, averaging 7.1 per game.
“It’s a luxury to have players that are just night in and night out consistently reliable,” Roberts said after beating Weber State, in reference to McQueen and Johnson.
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The question is, how will the rest of the roster handle Pac-12 play?
Young replaced Kneepkens in the starting lineup, and the veteran has answered the call, scoring in double-figures the past three games while averaging four rebounds and an assist during that stretch.
Transfers Matyson Wilke and Samantha Crispe, as well as sophomore Lani White and true freshman Reese Ross, have all shown flashes during the nonconference slate, but consistency will be needed during conference play.
Wilke, who started 29 games last season at Wisconsin, is playing out of position as the team’s backup point guard and theoretically would benefit from Palmer’s return.
“We need to get Issy back so that Maty can play more comfortably at the 2 or the 3, which is more her true position,,” Roberts said following the Utes’ final preseason game.
“She’s not shooting it to her potential yet, but sometimes that takes time. But defensively, she’s super reliable and knows what she’s doing out there.”
What’s next?
The grind gets even tougher for Utah, the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12, now that conference play is here.
Two-thirds of the league’s teams are currently in the top 30 of the NET rankings, with 10 of the 12 in top 50.
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Six of the Pac-12 teams that Utah, itself ranked No. 3 in the NET rankings, will face both home and away in league play are currently in the NET’s top 30, while the Utes will host No. 2 Stanford on Jan. 12 in their only regular-season meeting.
Here’s a look at the Pac-12 Conference NET rankings as of Dec. 22, as well as when the Utes will play each team:
No. 2: Stanford (Home, Jan. 12).
No. 3: Utah.
No. 6: UCLA (Road, Feb. 22; Home, Jan. 22).
No. 11: USC (Road, Feb. 25; Home, Jan. 19).
No. 20: Washington State (Home, Feb. 29; Road, Feb. 4).
No. 22: Colorado (Home, Feb. 16; Road, Dec. 30).
No. 25: Oregon State (Home, Feb. 9; Road, Jan. 28).
No. 29: Washington (Home, March 2; Road, Feb. 2).
No. 41: Arizona (Road, Jan. 7).
No. 46: California (Home, Jan. 14).
No. 92: Oregon (Home, Feb. 11; Road, Jan. 26).
No. 135: Arizona State (Road, Jan. 5).
Even with the loss of Kneepkens and Palmer still sidelined, the Utes will factor heavily into what’s expected to be a thrilling conference race.
“Kudos to Lynne and her staff. They play what I call beautiful basketball. They are fun to watch,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said of Utah during Pac-12 media day back in October.
That all begins for Utah with a challenging road trip to No. 8 Colorado on Dec. 30, facing a Buffaloes team that kicked off its season with an upset win over defending national champion LSU.
