Previewing Syracuse women’s basketball tournament matchup vs. Utah
After recording its biggest win under Felisha Legette-Jack against Wagner Sunday, Syracuse travels to Connecticut to play Utah in the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase. Eli Schwartz | Staff Photographer
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It’s going to be difficult for Syracuse to outdo its last performance.
On Sunday against Wagner, the Orange recorded their best defensive performance since 2014 and biggest win in head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s tenure. SU won handily in a 78-29 thrashing, never trailing after the Seahawks scored the game’s first bucket. Wagner — much like Syracuse’s first three opponents — never posed much of a threat.
That won’t be the case on Friday. For the first time all year, the Orange will leave the JMA Wireless Dome to travel to Uncasville, Connecticut, to face Utah at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Utes represent SU’s only Power Five adversary — as well as its lone opponent with a winning record — thus far. Because of this, consider the Utes a litmus test, a matchup that will reveal the legitimacy of the Orange’s hot start.
Here’s everything to know about Utah (3-1, Big 12) before its Friday matchup against Syracuse (4-0, Atlantic Coast) at the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase:
All-time series
This is the two programs’ first matchup.
The Utes report
Utah is currently in its second year under head coach Gavin Petersen, though Petersen had been in and around the program for several years prior to his ascension. He joined the Utes in the 2015-16 season, and he spent six years as an associate head coach before being promoted to head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season.
After taking over for Lynne Roberts — who departed to become the Los Angeles Sparks’ head coach — last season, Petersen led the Utes to a 19-8 record, making an NCAA Tournament appearance. That success has continued into 2025-26, as Utah opened its season with three double-digit wins before dropping its fourth game to Washington.
Despite having just two scorers averaging above 10 points per game, Lani White and Maty Wilke, the Utes feature a very balanced scoring attack. Five of their players average over 8.0 points per game and nine of their players put up at least 5.0 points per game.
The Utes have a completely fresh starting lineup, though. Their starters from 2024-25 were all seniors, so Petersen reloaded by adding White from Virginia Tech and relying on more inexperienced players.
How Syracuse beats Utah
In its lone contest against a Power Five opponent, Washington, Utah scored just 61 points, a stark contrast from its average of 81 points per game through its first three contests.
Syracuse, which has held opponents to an average of 49.0 points per game to open this season, has the defensive chops to limit the Utes. On Friday, it just has to keep locking down the perimeter, force turnovers and protect the paint against a more formidable opponent.
Yet, in SU’s dominant defensive display against Wagner, a more important trend revealed itself. For the first time this season, the Orange made more than three 3-pointers in a game, shooting a much-improved 8-of-22 beyond the arc. Against a Utah squad that has shot a proficient 41.2% from 3, Syracuse will need to continue its improvements in that department to win.
Stat to know: 59.8
Defensively, it’s clear SU holds a significant advantage over the Utes.
Through four games, Utah allows an average of 59.8 points per game, which ranks 128th of 363 Division I teams, per HerHoopStats. The Utes have recorded just 25 steals so far to their opponents’ 38.
Syracuse, conversely, ranks 17th of 363 D-I teams with 49.0 points allowed per game. The Orange have forced 98 turnovers, and they’ve snagged 54 steals — allowing just 27 to opposing defenses. If SU can continue to win the turnover battle against Utah, its path to victory could become much clearer.
Player to watch: Lani White, Guard, No. 0
White has had a rather interesting collegiate career. She started at Utah, spending two seasons in Salt Lake City riding the bench before transferring to Virginia Tech for the 2024-25 season. In Blacksburg, she emerged as a starter, averaging 9.6 points per game, and came back to the Utes this offseason after just one year in Blacksburg.
She’s in a significantly different role this time around. In her return to Utah, White has become its star, leading the team with 28.0 minutes per game, 13.8 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game. She’s also proficient at getting to the charity stripe, averaging 4.5 free throw attempts per game. Legette-Jack’s one qualm with Syracuse’s defense thus far is that it’s committed too many fouls, so the Orange will have to prevent White from exploiting that fatal flaw.
