Utah draws tough matchup in NCAA women’s tournament

The Utes are the No. 8 seed in Region 2

Utah Utes guard Gianna Kneepkens (5). / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Utah women’s basketball team is going to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year, this time as the No. 8 seed in Region 2 as part of the Birmingham bracket.

The Utes (22-8) will face No. 9 seed Indiana (19-12) in the first round on Friday in Columbia, S.C. It’s a tough draw for the Utes, considering that if they get past the Hoosiers, the potential opponent in the second round would be defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina.

The Gamecocks (30-3) face No. 16 Tennessee Tech (26-5) in the first round. The Gamecocks are seeded No. 2 overall in the women’s tournament, behind No. 1 UCLA.

Utah’s players and coaches were excited when they heard their name called during the selection show, and then focused on bouncing back from an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament.

"We've got a Big 10 team in the Indiana Hoosiers," coach Gavin Petersen said. "They have a similar style of play to us. We both like to get up and down the court and keep the game fast-paced. We're ready to showcase Utah basketball with the hustle and letting 3-pointers fly. Our seniors and their experience are going to help elevate us heading into the tournament."

The Utes were seeded No. 6 in the conference tournament but were stunned 75-64 by No. 14 seeded Texas Tech in the second round. They fell behind by double digits in the second quarter and couldn’t recover despite a big game by Gianna Kneepkens. 

This will be the first meeting between Utah and Indiana.

The Hoosiers finished 11th in the Big 10 and beat Oregon in the conference tournament before losing to USC, which is seeded No. 1 in Region 4 as part of the Spokane bracket.

Utah reached the second round each of the previous three seasons, including making it to the Sweet 16 in 2023.

This will be the Utes' 21st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first under Petersen.

It’s the second time they’ve reached March Madness in four straight seasons. The first did it from 1995-1998.