Arizona Wildcats (10-4) hosts Utah Utes (10-2) l Noon, Tuesday l McKale Center l ESPN+ l 1400-AM
He said it
UA assistant Salvo Coppa on Utah: “They are a great offensive team and have also improved on defense. Just to give you an example, this year, they press the ball more. They force 20 turnovers per game. Very similar stats defensively that we have. They allow 60 points per game — a little bit more than us. They force 20 turnovers per game. The big difference is that they are one of the best team points per game, assists per game. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is 20 assists to 16 turnovers. This shows you what a good offensive team they are.
“What we need to do to be able to win is take away points from their offense. We have to do a great job in transition defense. Even after a made basket a lot of time, they inbound the ball very fast and they score in transition. We have to have excellent defense on their pick and role and dribble-handoff action. We have to be able to defend long actions because they don't force shots, they don't take quick shots and without fouling. That's the key defensively. Offensively, what we have to do better, and I think we are better, we have to limit turnovers and we have to play not only on one side of the court. And with this, we want to move the ball. We want to go in and out and change the side of the ball and take uncontested shots. We have to be able to score some points in transition. And to do that, we have to force turnovers.”
Salvo Coppa, assistant coach, yells out to the Arizona players in the second half during a game against Weber State at McKale Center in Tucson on Dec. 16, 2024. Arizona won 87-66.
On the sidelines
The 3: Here are three questions with Utah guard Gianna Kneepkens, who is back after missing nearly the entire 2023-24 season with a broken foot. She had two surgeries over that stretch.
Q: You’re coming back from a broken foot and it looks like you didn’t miss any time. Does it feel that way?
A: “It feels great to be back. I missed it a lot, but my training staff, my athletic trainer and my strength coach helped me a ton, just because I could stay as fresh as I could while being hurt. I know that's kind of an odd thing to say, but that time, I could have just been sitting on my butt, not doing anything. But they helped me make the transition back super smooth. Not playing basketball for, I think, it was nine months you just get out of the rhythm of basketball. Still trying to figure that out, but every day I feel a little more comfortable. It's just great to be back and be able to play with my teammates again.”
Q: Physical therapy has its ups and downs, what do you think has been the hardest thing for you to regain?
A: “I think the hardest thing for me in this whole process has been just giving myself some grace, just because it, like I mentioned before, nine months without playing basketball, there are some little things that you don't get to do every day like you used to. Just giving myself grace and, like, (remembering) this is a journey. It's not just like a one day thing. And what happens in one day doesn't just define everything.”
Q: Do you think you see the game differently after watching all those games from the bench?
A: “I feel like when you're out, the perspective you gain is like almost being a coach, because that's the only perspective you can see it from. I really can understand my teammates and coaches a lot better and can pick up on their things a little bit easier now. I saw tendencies and the way people were, and I can only see it from an outside perspective, not a live perspective, playing. (It’s) a very different perspective that you really can't gain unless you have an injury where you're sitting out for a long period of time and you can only watch.”
Grambling State guard Kahia Warmsley (12) gets all arm trying to block Arizona forward Isis Beh (33) in the first quarter of their game in Tucson on Nov. 23, 2024.
Dog bite: If you're a regular at women's basketball games, you may have seen Coppa and Adia Barnes’ daughter, Capri. The 4-year-old was bit by a dog after it lunged at her on Christmas Day. It was a serious injury as Capri was bit around the mouth. She had surgery and stiches and is at home resting and recovering.
Barnes said it was “Devastating, for a couple of reasons. First, it was a big thing of asking people not to bring their dogs. They still brought them. It's my family. The other thing is, I'm right next to her. How did I allow that to happen when I'm right there? I should be paying attention more. … I was turned just talking to someone behind me. … We (Coppa and Barnes) felt really bad. It was our little girl. … I just never thought like that would ever happen to a dog we knew. I’m in shock that it actually happened.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than two million children are bitten by dogs every year in the United States, and most of the incidents were done by animals who are known (89.9%) to the family.
Looking back: Utah has beaten Arizona 21 times in 33 tries. However, over the last seven years — during UA coach Adia Barnes’ tenure — the Wildcats have won eight of the last 12 matchups. Arizona has only lost once since February of 2019 — or the last eight times.
That loss came as time ticked off in Salt Lake City — a very friendly clock management in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. With tenths of a second left on the clock and Arizona up by one point, Utah inbounded the ball to Alissa Pili who made quite a few moves before trying to score and being fouled by Esmery Martinez. Pili made both free throws to give the Utes an 80-79 win.
A month later in Tucson, the Wildcats avenged the loss, taking down No. 4 Utah, 82-72. Shaina Pellington scored 35 points — 23 in the first half on 10 field goal attempts. She didn’t miss a field goal until the second half.
All Star: Former Wildcat Jade Loville, who is playing for Athinaikos AS Vurona in Greece’s AI league, is an All-Star. She is averaging 19.4 points (56% shooting from the field, 47% from long range, 95% from the line), 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and assists per game.
By the numbers
1: Going into the holidays, the Big 12 led the country in home winning percentage at .911% or 113-11.
22.7: Utah is scoring an average of 22.6 points more than its opponents. The Utes average 83 points, while their opponents to date are averaging 60.4.
46,504: In eight Wildcat home games 46,504 fans have been in attendance. UA is 7-1 at home.
3: Utah upset then-No. 3 Notre Dame, 78-67, in the final game of the Cayman Island Classic. It was the first time the Utes have beaten a Top 5 team. Last season, they beat then-No. 6 USC, 74-68, in L.A.
