Fresh off the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011, the University of Utah women’s basketball was voted fifth in both Pac-12 preseason polls by the leagues’ coaches and 28 media members.
In the coaches poll, where 2022 national semifinalist Stanford was the unanimous pick to win the Pac-12 with 11 first-place votes, the Utes received the lone remaining first-place vote. Schools were not allowed to vote for themselves No. 1 in the coaches poll.
The Cardinal was also the unanimous pick in the media poll, garnering all 28 first-place votes.
Utah being slotted at No. 5 in both polls marks its highest preseason ranking since joining the Pac-12 ahead of the 2011-12 academic year. This also marks the first time the Utes have received a first-place vote in the preseason poll.
The two preseason polls were nearly identical, with the exception of Oregon and Arizona voted as Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in the coaches poll, then being flip-flopped in the media poll. No. 4 UCLA rounded out the top-5 in both polls.
Headlined by a trio of preseason All-Pac-12 selections in Gianna Kneepkens, Jenna Johnson and Kennady McQueen, Utah, a Pac-12 Tournament finalist a year ago before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will open its regular season Nov. 7 vs. Idaho at the Huntsman Center at 5:30 p.m.
The Utes will first host a pair of exhibitions, Thursday morning vs. Division II Northwest Nazarene at 11 a.m., and Tuesday night vs. Division II Westminster at 7 p.m.
Josh Newman began covering the University of Utah for The Tribune in 2019. A Long Island, N.Y. native, he covered Rutgers University and Monmouth University for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey for 15 years. Basketball remains his first love, a cold IPA coming in a close second.