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In her second year, Lynne Roberts has become more comfortable wearing her loyalties on her sleeve — or, more aptly, on her mailbox.
The Utah women's basketball coach painted her mailbox red this year, raising eyebrows and provoking conversations with her BYU-devoted neighbors. Roberts, whose first experience of the Utah-BYU series came last season, said she didn't have a good grasp on what a real rivalry was.
"The community involvement in this matchup isn't like anything I've experienced," she said. "You're either on one side of the fence or the other. The fans are committed. It makes it fun."
Utah (8-0) is hoping for a loud, passionate crowd on Saturday at the Huntsman Center for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against BYU (5-3). The Utes couldn't be making access any easier: Admission is free for anyone wearing red.
Said Roberts, with a wink: "Of course, we're catering to our Utah fans with that."
The Utes are hoping to re-inject some life into the series not only with attendance, but with a win — BYU has taken the last two meetings between the teams, including Roberts' introduction last year. Under Jeff Judkins, the Cougars have gone to the NCAA Tournament four of the last five seasons.
But as many in-staters know, the Utah-BYU rivalry is hardly straightforward and has a long history of line-crossing: Judkins was a star player and assistant coach at Utah before going down south and establishing his career there. Wendy Anae, now a junior forward at Utah, spent a lot of her childhood going to Judkins' basketball camps.
She once thought she might become a Cougar like her mother, Valerie Cravens, who sits at No. 15 on BYU's career points list.
"It means a lot — it's always been kind of a house divided," Anae said. "They're going to be coming out from all sides, Provo and Salt Lake."
Utah has enjoyed an undefeated start to the season, its best since 2012 when the Cougars dealt the Utes their first loss at the Huntsman Center. They've established themselves early as one of the toughest defensive and rebounding teams in the country, ranking No. 5 in field goal percentage defense (30.9 percent) and No. 11 in rebounds per game (46.5 rpg). Led by 6-foot-6 junior center Emily Potter, Utah also blocks seven shots per contest, which is 11th-best in the country.
While the Cougars don't boast as impressive numbers or an undefeated record, they've been battle-tested against powerhouses such as Oklahoma and Oregon State. While they are replacing a program legend in Lexi Eaton Rydalch, they still come in with four double-digit scorers.
As Utah learned last week in a closer-than-desired rivalry game against Utah State, they can't underestimate an opponent with whom they have a passionate history.
"They're going to play really tough against us," junior guard Malia Nawahine said. "Last year, I didn't play as well as I wanted to. We have to be consistent throughout the whole game."
As much as a red mailbox is something for Roberts to crow over, it's nothing compared to a win.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Women's basketball BYU at Utah
P At the Huntsman Center
Tipoff • 5:30 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Network
Radio • 700 AM
Records • BYU 5-3; Utah 8-0
Series history • Utah leads 63-39
Last meeting • BYU 73, Utah 59 (Dec. 12, 2015)
Noteworthy • Admission is free for anyone wearing red. Utah is also hosting a "Crimson Carnival" promotion with games, crafts, face-painting, balloons and a photo booth for early-arriving fans. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.