What BYU being a conference opponent again means for Utah – Deseret News

Like several other Utah Utes sports teams before it already experienced it, the Utah women’s basketball program will get its first taste of facing rival BYU as a Big 12 foe on Saturday.

This one comes at the Marriott Center as the Utes travel to Provo for an afternoon tilt (2:30 p.m. MST, ESPNU).

The rivalry is familiar to players like Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson, as well as head coach Gavin Petersen.

This will be the fourth time both Kneepkens and Johnson have played BYU – the pair has a 2-1 record against the Cougars.

Petersen, who spent the previous nine years in Utah as an assistant, is heading into his first matchup as the Utes’ head coach.

However, this will be the first year that all three have the experience of facing BYU twice a year, like other Big 12 schools. The Utes will host the Cougars on March 1 in the regular season finale.

Kneepkens, who said she’s looking forward to facing BYU twice now that the schools are in the same conference again, lit up when talking about her team’s next opponent after the Utes beat Kansas on Wednesday.

“I think rivalry games are the best just because a lot of people come out for them, the environment is great, they’re always good games,” she said.

Kneepkens pointed to the atmosphere at Utah’s 73-72 win over BYU when the men’s teams played at the Huntsman Center on Saturday as evidence of how enjoyable the rivalry can be.

“Like we saw with our men’s game this weekend, just in a great environment, it’s going to be a lot of fun to play high-level basketball against the team that’s 40 minutes away, so I’m looking forward to it,” Kneepkens said.

Johnson expects to get BYU’s best shot, even though the Cougars enter on a three-game losing streak and are 1-6 in Big 12 play.

“I think in big rivalry games and things like that, you get that team’s best shot and we’re going to bring the same,” Johnson said. “I think that’s just what I’m looking forward to is competing hard and knowing we’re going to get BYU’s best.”

There’s a craftsman mentality to Utah’s approach that resonates with coaches and players alike.

“We’ll prepare the same. We’ll get after it and be prepared and take the bus down there and go to work,” Petersen said.

Utah is coming off a 79-61 win over Kansas, with both Kneepkens and Johnson chasing a triple-double that fell just short.

Kneepkens ended up scoring a career-high 30 points while adding 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Johnson posted 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Utes built a 16-point lead after one quarter and played even with the Jayhawks after that.

The Cougars, meanwhile, are struggling under third-year coach Amber Whiting. Since Big 12 play began, their only win has come against Houston, and BYU will be decided underdogs with Utah coming to town.

The Utes have won the last two games in the series, beating BYU 76-59 in Provo two years ago and 87-68 last season in Salt Lake City, though that win had a sour note for Utah when Kneepkens broke his foot late in the game and was lost for the season.

Petersen recalled his thoughts on the rivalry when he first arrived with former Utah head coach Lynne Roberts in Utah a decade ago.

“When we got here, I still remember the first year, I just loved it so much and then I thought, why? Why are you so intense? And it’s just all the fans and everybody,” he said.

“I was able to, you know, with my older age, step back and be like, it’s one game. It’s one game.”

Now that it’s a conference matchup, there’s a bit more significance, even if the approach doesn’t change.

“Well, now it’s not just one game — it actually matters in the conference standings, so I have to remind myself that yes, it’s a rivalry, but at the end of the day, it’s still a game. And always is our mission to go 1-0, regardless of who it is,” said Petersen.