The Utah Hockey Club have been right in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race since well before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. Since standing pat at the deadline and giving their team …
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The Utah Hockey Club have been right in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race since well before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. Since standing pat at the deadline and giving their team the ultimate vote of confidence, Utah is just two points out of the second wild card spot.
Logan Cooley Ends Point Slump, Gives Utah Lead For Good in Vital 3-2 Win Against Vancouver
With only 15 games left, the season is winding down and while Utah has been relatively lucky with injuries this season. They are now without fan favourite Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien who is out for four weeks with a lower body injury.
The good news is, they activated Nick Bjugstad from the IR and he returned to the lineup Sunday in their big win against the Vancouver Canucks.
Utah HC’s Liam O’Brien Sidelined 4 Weeks With Injury
Without further ado, let’s look at the Utah HC’s weekly injury report:
Injuries:
Robert Bortuzzo, D, (lower body) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to December 10th
Liam O’Brien, F, (lower body) on Injured Reserve retroactive to March 16th
Juuso Valimaki, D, (ACL) out for season
Personal Leave:
Connor Ingram, G, (personal), out indefinitely
Utah takes on the Edmonton Oilers tonight in a game that can put them into a tie for the last wild card spot. They will need all hands on deck and hopefully that comes without anymore injuries down the stretch.
Logan Cooley Ends Point Slump, Gives Utah Lead For Good in Vital 3-2 Win Against Vancouver
Game Preview, 3/16: Utah Hockey Club vs. Vancouver Canucks WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT TV: ESPN | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App …
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Rogers Place – Edmonton, Alberta
TV: ESPN | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (30-26-11) continues its surge towards a postseason berth with a matchup tonight against the Edmonton Oilers (39-24-4). With 71 points, Utah is now just two points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference. Following a 3-1 win over Vancouver on Sunday, Utah is now 6-3-2 since the 4 Nations Face-off break and has earned points in five of its last six games.
ONE-TIMERS
Dylan Guenther is an Edmonton native and played parts of four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL.
Utah is 9-5-2 since the start of February.
Clayton Keller leads the team with 75 points (24G, 51A).
Mikhail Sergachev ranks fourth in the NHL with an average of 25:23 time on ice per game.
Utah lost to Edmonton 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 29 and 4-1 on Dec. 31. Tonight is the third and final meeting of the regular season.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Edmonton sits second in the Pacific Division with 82 points- just four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead. The Oilers hit a rough spell around the 4 Nations Face-off break when they lost five in a row but are 5-3-0 since and have won each of their last two games heading into tonight.
Two of the top four scorers in the NHL make their home in Oil Country. Leon Draisaitl leads the team and ranks second in the NHL with 101 points (49G, 52A), and Connor McDavid is fourth across all NHL skaters with 86 points (25G, 61A).
Don’t forget about defenseman Evan Bouchard who is fourth amongst all NHL defensemen this season with 53 points (13G, 40A).
As you’d expect, the Oilers have a potent power play that ranks fifth in the league at 26.1%. Edmonton is 10th in the league in scoring with 3.19 goals per game, although they have not scored more than three goals in four straight contests.
STANDINGS UPDATE
WC1: Minnesota Wild – 81 points
WC2: Vancouver Canucks – 73 points
—
St. Louis Blues – 73 points
Calgary Flames – 71 points
Utah Hockey Club – 71 points
Anaheim Ducks – 65 points
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #92 LOGAN COOLEY – Logan Cooley provided the game-winner for Utah on Sunday against Vancouver with his 18th goal of the season. Previously, Cooley had suffered his longest point drought of the season going six games without a goal or an assist. The second-year pro has set a new career high with 48 points (18G, 30A) this season and is on pace for 60 points in his sophomore campaign.
EDMONTON: #29 LEON DRAISAITL – Draisaitl is second amongst all NHL skaters with 101 points (49G, 52A), and he leads the league with his 49 goals. The next closest goal-scorer in the NHL is Toronto’s William Nylander with 37 goals. With points in 18 straight games (14G, 13A), the German now has recorded his fourth straight 100-point season and the sixth of his career.
LOOK BACK
Utah grabbed a massive win in a 3-1 result against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Sunday night. The game was one of Utah’s best defensive performances of the season, and Vancouver could only muster up a power-play goal from Quinn Hughes in the second period on 19 total shots for the game.
Kevin Stenlund tied the game at 1-1 with his 10th goal of the season in the second period. Five minutes into the third, Logan Cooley collected a rebound created by Sean Durzi and Nick Schmaltz to give Utah a 2-1 edge. Clayton Keller scored the empty-netter to punctuate the victory.
LAST MEETING
A 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on New Year’s Eve at Rogers Place gave Utah its fifth straight defeat at the time. After Matias Ekholm started the scoring in the first period, Jack McBain produced a quick response with his 10th goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:34 after Edmonton’s first tally.
Later in the second period, the Oilers struck twice within 20 seconds to take a 3-1 lead on goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stetcher. Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 12 games by scoring the empty-net goal for Edmonton. Goaltender Jaxson Stauber was busy for Utah and stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced.
KEVIN STENLUND
Stenlund became the ninth Utah skater to hit the 10-goal mark on Sunday in Vancouver when he tied the game at 1-1 in the second period. He now has goals in back-to-back games and has three goals in his last six contests. Stenlund is tied with Logan Cooley for the team’s longest goal streak this season at four games (Dec. 7 to Dec. 12).
The 10 goals for the 28-year-old Swede are one shy of tying a career high that he notched last season with the Florida Panthers. Stenlund’s 18 points (10G, 8A) this season are a new personal best.
CLAYTON KELLER
With an empty-netter on Sunday, Clayton Keller scored his 24th goal of the season to tie Dylan Guenther for the team lead. The captain now has points in 11 of his last 13 games, and his 51 assists are already a career high. Keller is on pace for 91 points this season, which would also be a career best. His 75 points this season put him in a tie for the 11th most in the league this season.
Keller has been especially productive since the turn of the calendar to 2025. His 27 assists in 30 games since the start of January are the third most in the league in that span behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (28). His 14 power-play assists are the most in the NHL during that span.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah returns home on Thursday, Mar. 20 to face the Buffalo Sabres at Delta Center. The matchup against Buffalo kicks off a three-game home stretch that features contests against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 22 and the Detroit Red Wings on Mar. 24.
A family from California embraced the slopes of Park City, and built a house in tune with nature. Kirsten Molz always thought of herself as a beach person more than a mountain person. But when her …
A family from California embraced the slopes of Park City, and built a house in tune with nature. Kirsten Molz always thought of herself as a beach person more than a mountain person. But when her …
The hiring of Alex Jensen reconnects Utah to a successful past that the Utes want to tap into while rebuilding their men’s basketball program and, hopefully, becoming more competitive in the Big 12 …
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The hiring of Alex Jensen reconnects Utah to a successful past that the Utes want to tap into while rebuilding their men’s basketball program and, hopefully, becoming more competitive in the Big 12 Conference.
Jensen was introduced as Utah’s coach on Monday, returning to his alma mater after spending a dozen seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA. Jensen spent four seasons with the Utes, playing under Rick Majerus in 1994-95 and from 1997-2000 following a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I’ve had some donors call me and they’re very excited,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said. “They remember Alex and they’re really excited about him. I get it.”
Harlan made luring Jensen back to Utah his main priority during a brief search for Craig Smith’s replacement. Jensen was previously a leading candidate for the job four years ago, before Smith left Utah State to replace Larry Krystkowiak. He became the top candidate this time around when Smith was fired in late February.
Jensen will split time between the Dallas Mavericks, where he’s currently an assistant under Jason Kidd, and Utah until the season concludes for the Mavs.
“I knew it would be difficult, but I felt like I needed to finish the season in Dallas,” Jensen said. “They’ve been great and I don’t think they would mind if I left, but I just feel it’s the right thing to do, to finish it out there which makes hiring a staff and getting going a little more difficult.”
Jensen is a connection to an era when Utah emerged as a regional basketball power. He was a starter for the Utes when they reached the 1998 NCAA Tournament championship game. Jensen totaled 1,279 points and 896 rebounds over four seasons, earning first-team All-MWC honors as a senior while averaging 13.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
This is Jensen’s first coaching job in the college ranks since he served as an assistant coach under Majerus at Saint Louis from 2007-11.
What he learned from Majerus still influences Jensen’s approach to basketball many years after the fact.
“The line I always say with Coach Majerus – and we joke about it – is he kind of ruins the game for you because you learn it’s hard to watch a game without picking it apart,” Jensen said. “There’s a genius to it and I was fortunate enough to play for him and start my coaching career (with him) because you get your base knowledge of basketball.”
Jensen’s NBA experience became a key selling point for Utah after the Utes endured a turbulent first season in the Big 12 Conference. He spent a dozen seasons as an NBA assistant coach. Jensen was with the Utah Jazz for a decade, spending much of that time as Quin Snyder’s lead assistant, before joining the Mavericks and Kidd in 2023.
Utah is following a similar path to rival BYU, which hired Kevin Young away from the Phoenix Suns a year ago. Jensen, like Young, has a reputation for excelling at player development. He played a central role in helping Rudy Gobert progress from backup center to an NBA All-Star and elite defender during his time with the Jazz.
Jensen will draw on what he learned as an NBA assistant to guide how he approaches building a collegiate program.
“The college game, I think, is becoming more and more professional, but I think most players are the same.” Jensen said. “They want to know if you care and if you know what you’re talking about. I’ve been able to go through that (NBA experience) and I think it will help me here.”
One of Jensen’s primary goals will be helping Utah consistently reach the NCAA Tournament again. Utah hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since the 2015-16 season and made a single NIT appearance in Smith’s four seasons in charge.
On Monday, the Runnin’ Utes found out they will play in the College Basketball Crown, a new 16-team postseason tournament played in Las Vegas that features many teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big …
Utah Utes guard Gabe Madsen (55) dribbles the ball down the court during a first-round game of the Big 12 Championship between the Utah Utes and the UCF Knights at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Utah Utes were knocked out of the championship by the UCF Knights, with a final score of 87-72. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
The 2024-25 Utah men’s basketball season lives on.
On Monday, the Runnin’ Utes found out they will play in the College Basketball Crown, a new 16-team postseason tournament played in Las Vegas that features many teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East.
Utah (16-16) will take on Butler in a first-round matchup on March 31 (1 p.m. MDT, FS1) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Four other Big 12 schools — Arizona State, Colorado, Cincinnati and UCF — will also participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Utah basketball’s 2024-25 season
The Utes’ first season in the Big 12 was rife with challenges, including a coaching change when Craig Smith was fired Feb. 24. The team has gone 1-4 since then under interim coach Josh Eilert.
There were highs, too. Before Smith’s firing, Utah beat BYU, a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament, and blue blood Kansas, which earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAAs.
Utah has already named Smith’s successor — former Ute great Alex Jensen was named the program’s 17th head coach.
Following the Utes’ loss to UCF in the Big 12 tournament’s first round, Eilert and fifth-year senior Gabe Madsen expressed interest in continuing the team’s season if an invite came from a national postseason tournament.
“I’m excited about it. I know players have to make decisions, but I think it would be special to have another opportunity to battle with these guys,” Eilert said.
What is the College Basketball Crown?
The College Basketball Crown, or CBC, is a new national postseason basketball tournament meant to give teams that don’t make the NCAA Tournament field a chance to continue playing.
It is designed to be in direct competition with the long-established NIT, which revealed its 32-team bracket Sunday.
Three conferences — the Big 12, Big Ten and Big East — partnered with the CBC and Fox, which holds the broadcast rights to the tournament.
That partnership ensured that at least two teams from each of those three conferences would make the College Basketball Crown field.
In the inaugural edition of the tournament, there are five Big 12 teams, two Big Ten teams and four Big East teams playing in the CBC.
The CBC will be played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in between the Elite Eight and Final Four rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
All games will be televised on either Fox or FS1.
Big 12’s ties to the tournament
The College Basketball Crown came up several times last week at the Big 12 tournament when discussing postseason options for teams in the back half of the conference who weren’t considered to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was bullish on the concept of the new tournament and the conference’s tie with Fox.
“We’re excited to be part of the Crown. We think it’s going to be a first-class opportunity for our student-athletes to showcase their talents, our teams,” he said during a pre-tournament press conference.
“Fox is a wonderful partner of ours. As you probably know, they’ve been doing football with us for quite some time. And next year, they distribute basketball games for the first time in the year. So we’re excited to be in the Fox family and I think their tournament is going to be off the charts. I will be there in Vegas to kick things off.”
It’s unsurprising, then, that the Big 12 has the highest number of teams in the CBC field.
All together, 13 of the 16 Big 12 teams will be playing in postseason tournaments.
That includes seven in the NCAA Tournament — BYU, Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech, Kansas, Baylor and Iowa State — as well as Oklahoma State in the NIT.
Only West Virginia, TCU and Kansas State won’t be participating in one of these tournaments. The most notable is West Virginia, the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament field.
The Mountaineers’ snub from the NCAAs sparked an outcry from the college basketball world.
In a statement, West Virginia coach Darian DeVries said, “Obviously, we are extremely shocked, saddened and disappointed with not being selected for the NCAA Tournament. We strongly believe that we have a resume that is worthy of an NCAA Tournament team. I am incredibly proud of this team and what they accomplished. They poured their hearts into this season and put all their collective efforts into making the NCAA Tournament, and I believe they did that.”
What to know about Utah’s draw in the College Basketball Crown
Like Utah, Butler is heading into the CBC on a losing streak. The Bulldogs (14-19) lost five of their last six games and went 1-1 at the Big East tournament.
The Utes also compiled a 1-5 record in their last six games, including the last five with Eilert as interim coach.
Butler is led by senior forward Jahmyl Telfort, who averages 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
If Utah wins its first-round matchup, the Utes would face the winner of the Atlantic 10’s George Washington (21-12) and the Mountain West’s Boise State (24-10) in the second round.
If the Utes advance to the semifinals, they could potentially face former Utah guard Rollie Worster, who transferred to Nebraska last offseason.
If Utah made it to the championship game, it could be an all-Big 12 final, with Cincinnati, UCF and Colorado all on the other side of the bracket.
At the very least, the College Basketball Crown will give this tight-knit group of Utes, which includes six seniors, one last run together.
Will there be any player opt-outs?
The College Basketball Crown runs from March 31 to April 6, and teams could deal with players opting out of playing in the tournament, especially considering that the NCAA’s basketball transfer portal window opens March 24.
One Utah player, Jake Wahlin, already announced he has entered the transfer portal, though he also committed to playing for the Utes in the postseason and isn’t ruling out a return to Utah.
“I’m excited to continue my conversations with Coach Jensen and to learn more about his vision for the program,” Wahlin said in his announcement.
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As they gear up to play the Utah Jazz (15-53) on Monday, March 17 at Delta Center, with tip-off at 9 p.m. ET, the Chicago Bulls (28-39) have three players currently listed on the injury report. The Jazz’s injury report has six players on it.
The Bulls dropped their previous game to the Rockets, 117-114, on Saturday. Coby White was their top scorer with 23 points. The Jazz dropped their most recent game to the Timberwolves, 128-102, on Sunday. Collin Sexton was their leading scorer with 22 points.
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Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this …
Mar 16, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) handles the puck against Utah Hockey Club in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 3-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
The Canucks were heavily outplayed from an analytics perspective during their defeat to the Utah Hockey Club. Utah held a 20-15 even-strength scoring chances advantage and won the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 11-5. Maybe the most disappointing part from the analytics is that Vancouver only generated one high-danger chance on the power play despite having over six minutes with the man advantage.
As for the heatmap, it displays how problematic the Canucks offence was. Vancouver struggled to create chances from in tight and was only able to generate one high-danger shot the entire game. While fatigue may have been an issue in this game, as the Canucks played back-to-back, the lack of traffic and tips in front of Karel Vejmelka was concerning.
Vancouver Canucks vs Utah Hockey Club, March 16, 2025, Natural Stat Trick
When it comes to standouts, one easy selection was Quinn Hughes, who scored Vancouver’s only goal of the game. During his 23:58 of even-strength ice time, the Canucks held an 8-5 shots advantage and won the scoring chances battle 9-4. Ultimately, it was another successful night for the captain, who now has points in three straight games.
To wrap things up, the trio of Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter and Conor Garland had yet another impressive outing. During their 10:43 of ice time, Vancouver had an xGF% of 64.28 and won the scoring chances battle 6-3. If this line continues to win their matchup, it will be a massive boost for the Canucks as they look to secure a postseason spot.
Make sure you bookmark THN’s Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Utah’s longtime coach Lynne Roberts resigned early this season
Roberts stepped down four games into her 10th season at Utah to become the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks head coach. The Utes finished with 20-plus wins and made the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years. She was named the 2022-23 Pac-12 Coach of the Year the second-seeded Utes reached the Sweet 16 and finished 27-5.
She was 165-116 (.587) at Utah.
“There’s tradition there,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said. “They are a winning program and they’ve been very, very successful. Their coach left to become the head coach of the LA Sparks, she didn’t leave to just get out of the game because they were bad. She left for a pro opportunity. Haven’t watched them a whole lot, but they’ve had success. There is tradition there of winning.”
Her longtime assistant Gavin Peterson, who Roberts hired when she was the head coach at Pacific, took over for Roberts. He was at the helm when Utah knocked off then No. 3 Notre Dame on Nov. 30 in the Cayman Islands Classic for the highest ranked away from home in program history.
Utah is one of the most dangerous 3-point shooting teams in the country
Utah is one of the nation’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams. The Utes shot 37.4% from 3-point range (ranked No. 10 in the country and made 10 triples (No. 6) on 26.8 attempts per game (No. 13).
Gianna Kneepkens earned first team All-Conference honors for the third time in her career while leading her team in scoring (19.2). She shot 45% from 3-point range.
Her 244 career 3-pointers rank third in school history and this team is 14-1 in games when she hits three or more.
Guards Kennady McQueen and Maty Wilke are shooting better than 40% while averaging multiple 3-pointers. Kneepkens and McQueen are the natino’s only players with 50/40/90 shooting splits while averaging at least 10 points with more than 150 minutes played.
Utah and Indiana have never played each other
This will be the first matchup between the teams, but the fifth former Pac 12 team IU has faced this season. The Utes were among the former Pac 12 teams — Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State — that joined the Big 12 this season.
The Hoosiers could lean on their Big 10 connections to build out a scouting report. The Utes had Northwestern and Washington on its non-conference schedule.
“We’re a league that tries to help each other,” Moren said. “We’ll do our due diligence, and trying to help Washington, they are in the field as well. Joe (McKeown) is a friend, I think he will be more than willing to give us some insight on Utah.”
Northwestern beat Utah 71-69 on Nov. 14, but the Utes pulled off a 67-57 win over Washington after trailing by 10 going into the fourth quarter.
NCAA Women’s NCAA Tournament schedule
First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29 (Birmingham, Spokane)
Elite Eight: March 30-31 (Birmingham, Spokane)
Final Four: April 4 (Tampa)
National championship: April 6 (Tampa)
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
Utah’s fourth straight trip to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament comes with a tough draw. The Utes earned a No. 8 seed and will play 9 seed Indiana of the Big Ten in the first round Friday (11:30 …
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team reacts to earning an 8 seed in Regional 2 for the NCAA Tournament during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah’s fourth straight trip to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament comes with a tough draw.
The Utes earned a No. 8 seed and will play 9 seed Indiana of the Big Ten in the first round Friday (11:30 a.m. MDT, ESPN2) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, as part of the Birmingham 2 Region.
If Utah (22-8) gets past the Hoosiers — the Utes have won their NCAA tournament first-round game each of the past three seasons — they would likely face subregional host and No. 1 seed South Carolina in the second round.
The focus, though, is solely on Indiana.
“I’ve seen (Indiana) from afar, not so much in terms of the detail type of things, but (their) style of play is very similar to us. We like to get up and down,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen said in giving an introductory look to an opponent he’ll become more knowledgeable about in the coming days.
Utah Utes women’s basketball head coach Gavin Peterson reacts to the team earning an 8 seed in Regional 2 for the NCAA Tournament during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Cory McQueen, father of Utah Utes player Kennady McQueen, holds grandson Brooks Santos, 1, as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Lillian Nowlin, 2, looks up at her mother as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Nowlin’s father, Patrick Nowlin, works in the athletic department at the University of Utah. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Utes cheerleaders line up as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Kimari Kaufusi, 8, high-fives “Swoop,” the Utah Utes mascot, as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team watches a hype video as they wait to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Utes women’s basketball player Matyson Wilke waits to learn her team’s NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team reacts to earning an 8 seed in Regional 2 for the NCAA Tournament during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team reacts to earning an 8 seed in Regional 2 for the NCAA Tournament during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Utes women’s basketball player Kennady McQueen holds Brooks Santos, 1, as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Hayes White, 6, gets an autograph from “Swoop,” the Utah Utes mascot, as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Former Utah Utes player and current on-floor assistant coach Dasia Young, right, signs a towel for Paul White, a fan and season ticket holder for 30 years, as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Paul White, a Utah Utes women’s basketball fan and season ticket holder for 30 years, holds a towel and sharpie for autographs as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Utes women’s basketball fan and season ticket holder for 30 years Paul White holds a towel and sharpie for autographs while talking to players as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“Swoop,” the Utah Utes mascot, talks with an attendee as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“Swoop,” the Utah Utes mascot, talks with an attendee as the Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team waits to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team watches a hype video as they wait to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team watches a hype video as they wait to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team and coaches wait to learn their NCAA Tournament destination during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The Utah Utes women’s basketball team reacts to earning an 8 seed in Regional 2 for the NCAA Tournament during a Sunday Selection watch party in the Ken Garff University Club at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
This will be the first meeting between the Utes and Hoosiers, the latter of whom finished tied for eighth in the Big Ten Conference. Indiana is 19-12 on the season and 10-8 in Big Ten play and went 1-1 during the conference tournament.
The Hoosiers are battle-tested: they beat four ranked teams during the regular season, including a win over Big 12 school Baylor, and are No. 35 in the NET rankings.
The Big Ten sent a record 12 teams to this year’s NCAA tournament, which led all conferences and was trailed by the SEC (10), ACC (eight) and Big 12 (seven).
The Utes, meanwhile, also have faced a share of NCAA-level talent in their league. In addition to Utah, the Big 12 is represented in the NCAA field by TCU (a 2 seed), as well as Baylor (4), Kansas State (5), West Virginia (6), Oklahoma State (7) and Iowa State (11, in a play-in game).
If there’s one disconcerting thing about that list, it’s this — Utah, ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings, only won one game against the other Big 12 teams that made the NCAA tournament.
That was a road win at Iowa State back in January.
During the nonconference portion of the schedule, the Utes had their most impressive showing of the season, when they beat Notre Dame, which earned a No. 3 seed, in the Cayman Island Classic.
It’s the first time Utah has earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAAs since 2008, when the program was under the leadership of legendary coach Elaine Elliott.
Only once in the four previous times where the Utes have been the 8 seed did they advance out of the first round.
That, of course, has nothing to do with this year’s squad. One of the best advantages Utah will have in its corner is a wealth of players with postseason experience.
For Utah seniors Kennady McQueen, Jenna Johnson and Ines Vieira, this is their fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament. It is, too, for the Utes’ leading scorer, junior Gianna Kneepkens, though she missed the postseason last year due to a broken foot suffered in December that season.
“We’ve just made it the standard to make it to the tournament now, and reflecting on how much of an opportunity it is and to be thankful,” McQueen said. “We’re ready to go.”
Utah has won its first-round game every time with this group, and two years ago, the Utes made the Sweet Sixteen.
“I think that experience is going to bode well for us this time of year. We’re going to rely on them to have to play some significant minutes and kind of elevate the rest of the team to be able to play at that level,” Petersen said.
The first-year head coach, who took over for Lynne Roberts four games into this season, said the Utes will get back on the practice court Monday, with an off day Tuesday, before traveling to the east coast and honing in on their game-planning Wednesday and Thursday.
“I really feel confident with (the veterans) in Utah uniforms to be able to rely on their experience,” he said.
Their leadership and expertise in the postseason will be valuable for some of the younger players on this team such as Reese Ross and Brooke Walker, as well as senior Maye Toure, a transfer from Rhode Island who will be making her first NCAA tournament appearance.
“I think it just gives the group a little level of confidence,” Kneepkens said. “I think when you have people to look up to that’s been in this position of playing in the NCAA tournament where feels like there’s a little extra pressure, because if you lose you’re done, I think it just makes you feel steady and calm out there.”
Indiana, though, is also heavily experienced in the NCAA tournament.
This is the Hoosiers’ sixth straight NCAA appearance. The only time they didn’t play in the NCAAs over the past seven seasons was the 2020 COVID-shortened year, when the NCAA tournament was canceled.
Indiana finished that season with a No. 20 ranking and a 24-8 record.
Each of the past four seasons, Indiana was a 4 seed or higher, and two years ago, the Hoosiers were a 1 seed. That year, Indiana was upset by No. 9 seed Miami in the second round.
Last season, the Hoosiers reached the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to eventual national champion South Carolina by four.
Indiana is paced by junior guard Yarden Garzon, a three-year starter who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors this season. On the year, she’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
She also leads the Big Ten by shooting 41.5% from 3-point range this season.
Grad student guards Sydney Parrish (11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds) and Chloe Moore-McNeil (9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists) also earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and bring a long history of NCAA experience to the table.
Karoline Striplin, a senior forward who transferred to Indiana this year after three seasons at Tennessee, played in the NCAAs every year she was with the Volunteers and twice reached the Sweet Sixteen.
She’s averaging 10.1 points and 3.7 rebounds this season.
“The Big Ten (is) notably known for their defense, so we’re going to have to figure out ways how to score the ball,” Petersen said of what the Utes will face against the Hoosiers.
The prize, for Friday’s winner, is facing South Carolina, barring No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech pulling off the unthinkable upset in Friday’s other first-round matchup in Columbia.
The Gamecocks are defending national champions and have won two of the past three national titles.
Utah is coming into the NCAA tournament looking to get back to playing its best ball. After going on a seven-game win streak in the middle of the Big 12 slate, the Utes are 2-3 in their last five contests, including a loss to Texas Tech in their lone Big 12 tournament game.
“I think we need to relax. I think we need to fall back on who we are and what we do,” Petersen said. “We’ve been doing it for a long time, so don’t put added pressure on ourselves where it’s a must win or even playing not to lose.”
It’s fair to say that Utah is heading into the mecca of women’s basketball right now, a word that Petersen used to describe Utah’s first-weekend destination.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us,” Kneepkens said. “I mean, like Gavin said, we have to focus on the first game to even consider being in South Carolina, playing South Carolina, so just getting prepared and locked in to win that first game.”
This is the fifth straight year that South Carolina has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs and the right to host the first two rounds of the tournament.
Over the past four seasons in the eight games South Carolina has hosted an NCAA subregional as a No. 1 seed, the Gamecocks have won each game by an average of 34.8 points.
Last year, South Carolina and Utah played in the Hoophall Women’s Basketball Showcase in Uncasville, Connecticut, with the Gamecocks beating the Utes 78-69.
That was a different team for both sides, though, with Alissa Pili leading the Utes and Kamilla Cardoso headlining a deep Gamecocks squad.
What will happen for Utah this time around in the NCAAs?
No matter what, the Utes are determined to showcase the consistency and success the program has experienced in its current run.
“With our crew and the way we’ve been practicing, we’re looking forward to getting back to Utah basketball, being fearless and letting the 3-pointers fly when they’re open,” Petersen said.
“We’re really looking forward to getting back to the court.”
If the Utah Hockey Club is going to make the playoffs, they have to beat the teams in front of them in the standings. Sunday night, they did just that. Logan Cooley scored the go-ahead goal 5:08 into …
VANCOUVER, B.C. (ABC4 Sports) – If the Utah Hockey Club is going to make the playoffs, they have to beat the teams in front of them in the standings.
Sunday night, they did just that.
Logan Cooley scored the go-ahead goal 5:08 into the third period for the Utah Hockey Club in a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Sunday.
Nick Schmaltz’s point shot into traffic deflected off the skate of Canucks forward Teddy Blueger into the bottom of the right circle, where Cooley scored past a sprawling Kevin Lankinen.
Kevin Stenlund and Clayton Keller also scored, Schmaltz had two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves for Utah (30-26-11), which had lost three of four (1-1-2).
Utah is now just two points behind St. Louis for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Quinn Hughes scored, and Lankinen made 20 saves for the Canucks (31-25-11), who had won two straight, including 6-2 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Dylan Guenther appeared to put Utah ahead 1-0 at 1:26 of the first period on a rebound in tight, but the goal was waved off for goalie interference on Michael Carcone.
Instead, Hughes opened the scoring for Vancouver on a power play at 2:37 of the second period. He scored with a shot from the left point that deflected off the hand of Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and through the five-hole of Vejmelka.
Stenlund tied it 1-1 at 12:04 following a good forechecking shift by Utah’s fourth line. Nick Bjugstad, who was in the lineup becuase of an injury to Liam O’Brien, wrapped the puck around the net to Stenlund, who was left all alone in the right circle for a quick shot into the open net.
Utah killed off three power plays for Vancouver in the third period, including a double minor to Keller for high-sticking at 10:43. Keller then scored into an empty net from center ice with 31 seconds left for the 3-1 final.
Utah continues its road trip Tuesday at Edmonton.
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