WBB: Opening Night Preview
It's back to basketball tomorrow night and with that a return to WAC play, for the final time, opens up with a full slate of games
New Years Week.
Normally, it’s a time to relax and enjoy college football bowl games.
Not this year as WAC play opens today and continues Thursday and Saturday to begin the triple round robin that makes up the 2025-2026 schedule.
Here’s a preview of the opening day slate.
UT Arlington at Tarleton State:
7pm CT on ESPN+ and the Tarleton Sports Network (Radio)
https://tarletonsports.com/sports/2009/8/23/GEN_0823094657.aspx
Tarleton State was about five or ten minutes away from having nine wins this non-conference season with one of the highest totals of newcomers nationwide. Gia Adams makes her return to conference play, coincidentally or not, against the team she played for in her Newcomer of the Year campaign in 2023-2024.
Meanwhile, UT Arlington has the conference’s best win with the buzzer-beating victory over Texas A&M.
This matchup features two of the conference’s top freshman posts in Elodie Lutbert (Tarleton State) and Kira Reynolds (UT Arlington).
Turnover margin, more often than not, decides the outcome of most games and this matchup will be no different. The Texans and Lady Mavs rank sixth and seventh respectively in turnover margin, with both sides being in the negatives in that category.
Utah Tech at Southern Utah:
6:30 P.M. MT on ESPN+
Southern Utah swept the season series a year ago, winning two games in a 14 day span in mid-February.
However, both sides are a lot different than the teams that played in those games a season ago.
Southern Utah graduated four starters and 130 combined starts, yet behind a much improved offense that leads the conference in scoring, the TBirds are tied with ACU for the most wins in non-conference.
Sierra Chambers is one of mid-major women’s basketball’s most improved guards, averaging just over 15 points per game on 42.8% shooting with nearly four assists per game. Ava Uhrich is hitting her stride this season, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds in her last three games. Newcomers Devyn Kiernan and Brooklyn Fely have also been big at various points in non-conference play.
Utah Tech gets Maddie Warren back after missing all of last year recovering from another ACL injury and Brie Crittendon finished non-conference on a positive note, averaging 13.3 points per game over her last four games. Kaylee Borden is second in the WAC for scoring and will be in Newcomer of the Year contention, averaging 16 points per game.
Both sides want to get up and down and play with tempo but this could be a very defensive minded matchup, as the Trailblazers and TBirds are second and third in field goal percentage defense…holding opponents to 37 and 38 percent respectively.
Utah Valley at California Baptist University:
6 P.M. Pacific on ESPN+
For a second straight year CBU ends non-conference play on a lengthy losing streak, although three of those six games were decided by ten points or less. The Lancers also fell by 31 against Nebraska (ranked No. 20 in the most recent Associated Press poll), after giving the Cornhuskers a game for three quarters.
They’ll welcome a Utah Valley side that is No. 1 in the country for both turnovers forced and steals per game, but coming off a tough loss to Idaho State before the break.
The Wolverines are 0-8 in Riverside, with an average losing margin of 23.6 points per contest. A year ago in the Fowler Events Center, Khloe Lemon hit 11 3-pointers (setting the program’s record) and finished with 39 points (tying a Division 1 era record) in a 27 point win.
Freshman guard Lauren Olsen leads the Lancers in scoring at 13.4 points per game and Emma Johansson is off to an all-WAC type of start in her second season in Riverside.
Preseason all-WAC selection Amanda Barcello is leading the Wolverines in scoring at 14 points per game, despite missing three games due to injury. Meanwhile, Tessa Chaney is having the best season of her career so far…averaging 11.5 points per game on just over 46% field goal shooting. Cambree Blackham has stepped into the starting point guard role vacated by older sister Ally Criddle quite nicely, averaging 7.5 points and 4.5 assists a game.
Watch how the Lancer guards handle Utah Valley’s myriad pressures and traps. How that battle goes is likely how the game will go…
Idle from conference play today is Abilene Christian, although the pre-season favorites are playing Nelson at 1 P.M. CT in their final non-Division 1 contest of the year.