Utah, No. 25 Washington have reversed roles. Can the Utes pass their first major test against Huskies?

Last year when Utah and Washington met in Seattle in a nonconference women’s basketball matchup, the Utes were the team paced by veterans and the Huskies had a young, upstart group.

The Utes were able to hand the Huskies a 67-57 loss, led by a group that included Gianna Kneepkens and seniors such as Maye Toure, Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen and Ines Viera.

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Those roles have been reversed for their matchup this season, and all those Ute greats are no longer on the team.

Utah will host No. 25 Washington on Saturday (2 p.m. MST, ESPN+) at the Huntsman Center in the first real test of the season for both programs.

It gives the Utes a chance to build their resume and test a group that has a handful of upperclassmen mixed in with a strong contingent of freshmen.

“They’re the veteran crew. They’re the top 25 program. We have a lot of new (players), so it’s a great chance for us early in the year to get a home game against a great program and test ourselves,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen said of Washington.

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“We’re going to play hard for 40 minutes and let the results speak for themselves.”

Utah has beaten Sioux Falls, Utah State and Utah Valley by an average margin of victory of 28.6 points to start the 2025-26 campaign. Washington, meanwhile, has easily handled Seattle and Montana, winning its two games by an average of 39 points.

That makes Saturday’s matchup an intriguing one for both programs.

Talia Goodman, a national women’s college basketball expert for On3, included Utah-Washington on a list of her top 10 games of the weekend.

“Former Pac-12 foes can’t get away from each other. This is a fun one, as it’s both teams first real test of the year,” Goodman said. “Utah’s freshmen have a ton of potential, while Washington’s core remains one of the best in the country. Elle Ladine has yet to play this season, so I’ll be intrigued to see if she’s able to suit up.”

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The Utes have been led by senior guards Maty Wilke and Lani White, who combined for 31 points, seven rebounds and five steals in Utah’s win over UVU on Tuesday.

The Utes’ intriguing group of freshmen is also getting plenty of play as well. That’s included valuable minutes for point guard LA Sneed, a former five-star recruit, Avery Hjelmstad and Evelina Otto, who’ve all flashed their potential early in the year.

For Washington, the conversation starts with guards Sayvia Sellers and Ladine, who both earned preseason All-Big Ten team honors.

Washington coach Tina Langley said Ladine, who’s missed the team’s first two games with an undisclosed injury, is “day-to-day,” according to Huskies Roundtable, making it unclear if she’ll be available in Saturday’s matchup.

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Sellers, meanwhile, is averaging 20 points per game while shooting 65.4% from the field. She’s also averaging 5.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds per contest.

“They’re so versatile. They can score inside, they can score outside. They play with great pace, and they also execute at a high level. They don’t turn over the ball. They’re not going to make mistakes. You’ve got to be disciplined,” Petersen said.

While Utah has done a good job with executing Utah basketball on offense — i.e. excelling at sharing the ball and taking good shots — the Utes have struggled with turnovers. They have averaged 19.7 per game through three contests, and Washington could exploit that kind of high number.

“You’ve got to play harder than them,” Petersen said. “They have so much synergy together out on the floor. We’ve got to do something where we can disrupt it, but being disciplined (while) doing so, or else they’ll make you pay.”

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The matchup comes as a good primer for Utah, which will play at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase next week. Games against Syracuse and defending national champion UConn await the Utes at the showcase, which is held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The experience of playing Washington can also help the youthful Utes learn some valuable lessons that will help come conference time.

“This is going to be a great taste of what Big 12 play is going to be like. It gives us a preview to be like, ‘OK, what do we really have? What is our team really about?’ I’m excited to see how we come out,” Petersen said.

“We’re obviously preparing how we come out, how we play for 40 minutes and put four quarters together. I’m excited to see how we go about doing that against a really good program, but those are the type of teams we’re going to face in January and February, so why not do it now?”