Utah women’s basketball Coach Lynne Roberts couldn’t put her finger on any specific moment or turning point to this season.
Her Utes have two freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup, but are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
Utah (20-11), a No. 7 seed, will take on No. 10 seed Arkansas at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, as part of the Spokane Region in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be the Utes’ 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. They are 9-18 all-time in the tournament.