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They don't need to hear that they can do it. They know that. But they might need a triple shot of espresso.
The Utes enter this week's Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 12 seed, having most recently lost to second-to-last Arizona by 23.
They've proven, though, that they can beat the fifth-seeded Huskies - they did so in February and this time last year, under almost the exact same circumstances, at the conference tournament in Seattle.
It's a matter of energy.
During what head coach Anthony Levrets calls "maybe the best game we've played all year" against No. 9 Arizona State in Tempe — holding a 12-point lead six minutes into the second half — Utah "ran out of gas," he said.
The Sun Devils eked out a 46-42 victory, and then the relatively woeful Wildcats routed the Utes, 64-41.
Levrets said he didn't arrive home until 2:30 a.m. Monday. The team then left Tuesday night for a 10 a.m. practice slot at KeyArena on Wednesday.
And there's little time for sleep in Seattle.
The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played on consecutive days at KeyArena, with the final Sunday. Fourth-seeded Cal awaits the winner of Thursday's nightcap in another 9:30 p.m. MT tip.
Washington boasts the Pac-12's highest-scoring offense, at 75.6 points per game, and the Pac-12's best scorer, in guard Kelsey Plum (23 ppg).
Not to mention the conference's sixth-leading scorer, in Jazmine Davis (15.3 ppg, 4.3 assists), and the conference's 11th-leading scorer, in Talia Walton (13.3 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks).
"They are very good," Levrets said. "They are, offensively, as good as anybody in the country."
But for whatever reason, Levrets said, the Utes tend to give UW all they can handle.
Yes, Washington beat Utah in Seattle in January, but Utah was without junior point guard Dani Rodriguez, who sprained her ankle in Pullman.
Back home last month, the Utes held the Huskies to just 61, their fourth-lowest total of the season.
The key, Levrets said, is not to foul Washington's ballhandlers: They're good enough without free points, he said. Plum has hit a conference-high 90 percent of her free throws, and Davis hits 78 percent.
Levrets hopes Utah gets an added boost from a highly motivated Taryn Wicijowski, playing to extend her college career after returning from injury to average 13.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and a block per game.
It was "really, really disappointing" that Wicijowski wasn't named by coaches to the all-conference team, Levrets said (she was an honorable mention), and "hopefully, she has a little bit of an edge to her."
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
No. 12-seed Utah vs. No. 5-seed Washington
At KeyArena, Seattle
Tip-off - Thursday, 9:30 p.m. MT
TV - Pac-12 Networks
Radio - 107.1 FM
Records - Utah, 9-20, 3-15 Pac-12; Washington, 22-8, 11-7
Series history - Washington leads, 9-8
Last meeting - Feb. 13 at Utah, Utah 69, Washington 61
About the Utes - Utah has the Pac-12's third-best scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game, but ranks dead last in offense, at 54.6. The Utes have a handful of expected rotation players who have suffered season-ending injuries, but they've had a knack for keeping it close until late in the second half against more fully stocked teams.
About the Huskies - Washington not only has three of the conference's top-11 scorers (see story), but also three of its top rebounders in Aminah Williams (9.3 per game), Chatel Oshahor (6.6 rpg) and Talia Walton (5.9 rpg). Yet the Huskies are outrebounded by opponents by an average of 1.2 per game, while the Utes average plus-1.6.