Utah WBB Forced To Cancel First Two Non-Conference Games

The Utah women's basketball program announced that it has canceled games against Southern Utah and Utah Valley due a positive COVID-19 case and the subsequent contact tracing and quarantine

In what's becoming a theme for the Utah athletics program, the women's basketball program announced that it was pausing all related basketball activities due to COVID-19 protocols.

We will be back stronger together. https://t.co/HgCgFMSpqi

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) November 24, 2020

According an email sent out by the athletic department, the Utes put a "pause (on) all basketball activities for the time being due to a COVID-19 positive case and resulting isolation of additional student-athletes under contact tracing protocols."

Utah's season opener against Southern Utah on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and its subsequent game against Utah Valley on Saturday, Nov. 28 have both been canceled. 

The Utes will not turn their attention to opening up the 2020-21 season with a conference game at No. 18 Oregon State on Friday, Dec. 4, followed by a game against No. 10 Oregon two days later.

Courtesy of Utah Athletics

For Utah head coach Lynne Roberts and her team, they're looking to take that next step into contender. After finishing in eighth place last season with one of the youngest rosters in the league, the Utes were once again chosen to finish eighth in the 2020-21 Pac-12 preseason media poll.

The Utes are sort of in no-man's land considering USC (who is predicted to finish 7th) has 130 votes and Cal (who is predicted to finish 9th) has 76 points. Utah sits in eighth with 94 points.

Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll

1. Stanford Cardinal (19 first place votes) – 248 points
2. Arizona Wildcats (1 first place vote) – 225 points
3. Oregon Ducks – 201 points
4. UCLA Bruins – 200 points
5. Oregon State Beavers (1 first place vote) – 174 points
6. Arizona State Sun Devils – 135 points
7. USC Trojans – 130 points
8. Utah Utes – 94 points
9. California Golden Bears – 76 points
10. Colorado Buffaloes – 75 points
11. Washington Huskies – 53 points
12. Washington State Cougars – 27 points

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