247Sports . All rights reserved. ? 8 Utes to an 84-78 victory over No. 3 Red Rocks. Two of those wins came against teams in top 16, a feat only previously achieved in 2000-01, and now accomplished for a third time. We knew we were going to get their best shot, and man, they turned it on in that third quarter and got us playing a little bit on our heels, Petersen said. Women's Basketball. 3 Stanford on . The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Out of the break, Utah continued to build a lead, 20-13 over the Cougars after being bogged down in the first quarter. Both Gabe Madsen and Rollie Worster returned to the court for Utah, but the Runnin' Utes were unable to get the win in Boulder. A road win over Michigan moved the Buckeyes to the final No. Stanford now sits at 27-4 overall on the season and 15-3 in the Pac-12. Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? Slot to Utah Utes Newsletter; Slot to Utah Links; 2023-03-02 05:16:02.728662 MARCH MADNESS: 5 possible first-timers at the Big Dance. The Utes couldn't pull out the win and Washington State walked away with the 66-58 victory over Utah. The Utes scored 26 points off Stanford turnovers. Then the Utes claimed a share of the Pac-12 regular season title for the first . Here's a look at the women's basketball teams with the most appearances as a No. We knew that going in. S.C., IU, Stan., Utah projected top women's seeds, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. TOP 16: Breaking down the final committee rankings. Utah Women's Basketball Retweeted. Its different because last year when we came down here, we were the sixth seed and we had a pretty good chance of making the [NCAA] tournament regardless, but we knew we didnt want to put it in the hands of any luck or fate. How to watch the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 women's basketball tournament today. With just 10 seconds left in the first quarter Gianna Kneepkens hit a three ball to give the Utes a 16-13 lead. First 2 men's NCAA tournament automatic qualifiers, Tenn. Tech earns first auto bid into women's NCAA tournament. Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 25, 2023 The Utes held onto the lead the entire fourth quarter and never let off the gas as Utah made history taking down Stanford 84-78. Utah was a surprise finalist in the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament, winning three games as a No. 2023 Men's Basketball Tournament. Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Marketplace, Sponsorship Opportunities - Utes Sports Properties, Utes Drop 66-58 Heartbreak Loss to Cougs in Pac-12 Tournament, Utah to take on Washington State in Pac-12 Tournament, Kneepkens Announced as Cheryl Miller Award Top 5 Candidate. The Utes went on a 6-0 run to start the second quarter with . Sign up today for the KSL Sports newsletter. 1 seed, while UCLA moves up to a 4-seed. The seventh-seeded Cougars (21 . Donate to the newsroom now. No, and a lot of that is because, well, who knew they hit gold out of the NCAA Transfer Portal with Alissa Pili? 3 Stanford to share 1st Pac-12 title. Utah ranked fourth in the NCAA DI Women's Basketball Committee rankings placing the Utes as a possible No. 3 Utes' co-championship in the Pac-12 regular season with a strong run in the conference tournament.. Alternatively, this feels like the best time to face UConn in recent memory. Utah's 9,611 fans is the highest attendance the Utes have had in both the Pac-12 and. 3 Stanford in the Pac-12 regular season finale. Story Links . Utah Utes forward Alissa Pili (35) drives against California Golden Bears forward Peanut Tuitele (33) during the game at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 23 . There remains a reasonably-sized gap between No. The last three days have been fun, Roberts said. Tickets to all Utah Women's Basketball home games are available online at UtahTickets.com or by calling 801-581-8849. The series continues with its second installment on Jan. 27 & 29 when USC and UCLA visit Salt Lake City, and the Utes join forces with Unified Sports of Murray High School for a mid-week event and recognition at the two home games. All Utah Women's Basketball tickets for sold through Barry's Ticket Service are authentic tickets. Check out the detailed 2022-23 Utah Utes Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Sports. Pac-12 results continue to shake up and shape the top 16. 4 Stanford. They know when to be silly and have fun, enjoy being a college basketball player and they know when to turn it on and be intense and competitive., Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Utah gymnast Jaedyn Rucker used her NIL money to fly Aaron Lowe's mother, Donna, out to celebrate the Red Rocks' Senior Night. Both teams held the lead for about 17 minutes each. The Longhorns finished off a sweep of Oklahoma with both wins coming by 20+ points but failed to cement themselves as the final No. Yes, Utah was unranked to start the season, but it had a chance to be very good. Utah was the big winner last week. What is the Huntsman Center going to draw for three NCAA Tournament games over two days later this month? The Hoosiers dropped just their second game of the season in heartbreaking fashion to a buzzer-beating three from Iowa's Caitlin Clark. With titles and awards behind them, the Utes are completely focused on getting through the Pac-12 Tournament. Its home venue is Smith's Ballpark, located in downtown Salt Lake City. As a No. Pac-12 play for Cal women's basketball ended just as it began with a slew of crushing losses. Kneepkens went 7-13 from . St. Thomas More HS. Now, the biggest women's basketball game in the country on Saturday is being played at the Huntsman Center, where the Utes are a perfect 12-0 . Season-by-season record. Angel Reese hauled in a whopping 26 rebounds in LSU's regular-season finale against a bubble team in Mississippi State. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Gianna Kneepkens started the game on a 5-0 run . Zara's wide-leg jeans went viral on TikTok, and for good measure. Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Marketplace, Sponsorship Opportunities - Utes Sports Properties. GiannaKneepkens paced the Utes with 18 points including seven fourth-quarter points to try to eclipse the Cougars' 14-point deficit. In years past we would have folded when they went on some runs and we just kept answering. . The Gamecocks should be the No. ?https://t.co/tVrvGX84qb pic.twitter.com/KKU6VBuaSq. The Pac-12 women's basketball tournament is underway in Las Vegas. Utah has been ranked in the AP poll for 11 consecutive weeks, breaking the program record of nine weeks in a row set in 2001. The tailored, high-waisted silhouette is elegant, flattering, and looks far more expensive than . NCAA Women's Bracketology: 2023 women's college basketball projections Pac-12 results continue to shake up and shape the top 16. I think when you play somebody a third time they know exactly what you are going to do, Petersen said. I think the reason it means so much to us is that we did it by beating Stanford. The NCAA Tournament coming here feels like a litmus test for womens basketball in Salt Lake City. Alissa Pili leads the way for the Utes, but Gianna Kneepkens deserves a ton of credit for her efficiency as Pili's perimeter complement. Arizona State women's basketball team doesn't have enough healthy players and was forced to forfeit games this week against Utah and Colorado. That timeline is not new given how early the Pac-12 Tournament is played every year, but thats a long time to manage everyone and everything if youre head coach Lynne Roberts. 3 seed in the committee's latest top 16 reveal but they couldn't quite knock off the scorching-hot Maryland to close out the regular season. Charlisse Leger-Walker shows off vision with nice dime vs. Utah Utes. Pili leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.3 points per game and ranks 18th nationally. *UConn (26-5, 18-2 Big East): NET 5, SOS 1. 2023 Bonneville International. Return to Top; Players. Women's college basketball 2023 Champ Week: brackets, schedules, tickets . The upset loss follows a series of program highs. Utah had three Utes score in double figures and were led by. The . SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah will enter the Pac-12 Tournament as a champion. Mar 5 3:00 PM MT. Schools. ?https://t.co/tVrvGX84qb pic.twitter.com/Pszw1LMBWD, With the moves! 1 seed, a spot that opened up following UConn's loss to St. John's. This year, the Utes will face Penn State. Virginia Tech closed the regular season on an eight-game win streak and have already won their most games in a season this century. 1 as 15 ranked teams lose, Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth, Utah tops Stanford to share 1st-ever Pac-12 title, No. The University of Utah women's basketball team picked up some big awards Tuesday with Alissa Pili being named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, and Lynne Roberts named the Coach of the Year. BOULDER,CO: March 4 :Colorado Buffaloes' Julian Hammond III drives against the Utah Utes' Rollie Worster on March 4, 2023. Shorthanded CU Buffs men's basketball tops Utah to close regular season. SALT LAKE CITY - The No. (13-3 overall) beat the Utes 77-67 on Friday to . SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - In what has been an historic season, the Utah women's basketball team has accomplished another first a Pac-12 championship. However, Utah erased any doubt over whether they were deserving of that spot by taking down Stanford for a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title. 8 Utes to an 84-78 victory over No. (AP) After a week of upsets that saw 15 ranked teams lose, South Carolina remained the lone unbeaten school. Since then, she's collected both ACC Player of the Week and ACC Player of the Year honors. The Utes played without starting point guard Issy Palmer, who was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury and was said to be day to day with a minor injury by the Pac-12 Networks broadcasting team. Part three for all the marbles would be compelling. The Hokie senior broke the school scoring record last Thursday against North Carolina and hit a buzzer-beater for the win. 2023 Softball Tournament. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News. The NCAA women's basketball selection committee did its second and final reveal Thursday of the teams in line for the top 16 seeds before selection Sunday. 1 seed, while UCLA moves up to a 4-seed. Utah is the nation's No. But Stanford holds onto a No. 7 Washington State and No. Utah plays its home games at the Ute Soccer Field, which has a capacity of 2,500. Utes leading scorer Alissa Pili scored just 11 points on 3 of 14 shooting and 0 of 4 from three-point land. The Utes will take on Washington State Thursday night at 7:00 pm MT after enjoying a BYE the day before as the . Skip to main content Skip to navigation. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer) With KJ Simpson out of the lineup entirely and Tristan da Silva relegated to a reserve role after suffering . Alissa Pili showed right away that her injured ankle was just fine. The quarter concluded with a massive 119-62 victory for the Utes, offering fans a promising result ahead of the start of the regular season. 1 seed and is probably the one team outside of South Carolina that no one wants to face right now. Utah fans should be rooting for as little conference tournament chaos as possible, and yeah, a win in Boulder on Saturday would certainly help the cause, too. It's a recipe for a team that could win it all or fall prone to an upset. 247Sports Home; . 1 seed in NCAA tournament history. Team Roster; Dru Gylten; Maka Jackson; . Rapid City, S.D. Check out the detailed 2022-23 Utah Utes Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Head coach Kyle Whittingham discussed some of his biggest coaching influences, and best leaders to come through Utah. 27. McQueen led Utah with four assists, six steals for a career high and pulled down five boards. WSU was superb from beyond the arc shooting 47% including a dagger 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to make it a two-possession game with 10 seconds left. From an on-the-floor perspective, yeah, this is sustainable, at least in the short term. 9/9 Utah Utes (16-2, 6-2 Pac-12) return home to the Jon M. Huntsman this week for a pair of Pac-12 games, with #RV/RV USC on Friday (7 p.m. MT) and then #8/8 UCLA on Sunday (Noon MT). Ohio State (23-6, 12-6 Big Ten): NET 16, SOS 29. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. Maka . Thats what happens when you lose six of eight, and are staring at a trip to Colorado on Saturday, potentially without two starters and a third banged up. Now they rank in the top 10 teams in the Western Conference. That was part of it., Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Editors note This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. The Cardinal had 22 assists on 29 made field goals. Full Site Menu. 3 Utes' co-championship *South Carolina (29-0, 16-0 SEC): NET 1, SOS 22. For the second time in as many days, a No. Villanova (26-5, 17-3 Big East): NET 10, SOS 66. All Rights Reserved. Utah earlier this season Utah downed No. Maybe they shot the ball better because of that. 1. The fact Utah will very likely host two games cannot be overstated as a competitive edge. 7 seed, Washington State sent second-seeded Utah home early defeating the Utes 66-58. Utah earlier this season Utah downed No. Utah women's hoops head coach Lynne Roberts was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year on Tuesday morning . Utah ended the game shooting 38 percent from the field, 25 percent from beyond the arc, and 81 percent from the free throw line. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports. Now as first . Schools . Missing Issy Palmer was a huge blow for us today, but that is not an excuse, Petersen said. Kellie Harper explains how aggressive offense and better spacing in the second half helped the Lady Vols complete the comeback over the Tigers in the SEC semifinals. 2022 Cross Country Championship. . Pili Rees for @alissa_pili @_kelseyrees #GoUtes UConn and Tennessee lead the pack. This is the second time in school history Utah has ever beat Stanford. Utah continued to power on, with freshman Teya Sidberry contributing a jump shot and putting the final nail in the coffin to send the Utes' score soaring over the 100 mark. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The highest-ranked road win in program history is over No. Utah started the second half by forcing a Stanford turnover as. LAS VEGAS - The University of Utah women's basketball's trip to the Pac-12 tournament was cut short as the Utes fell 66-58 to Washington State University. When the teams above them are both projected NCAA Tournament No. Utah will enter the Pac-12 Tournament as a champion. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Utah had a big defensive game coming away with 10 steals and forcing 21 turnovers. Pili has appeared in 27 of 28 games for the Utes and started in 26. Your transaction is safe and secure. 1 seed and defending national champion Stanford. 6 seed Utah Utes upset Oregon women's basketball 80-73 Friday night, advancing to the Pac-12 championship game. Alissa Pili makes a nice move for the layup, Pili leads No. Pac-12 results continue to shake up and shape the top 16. Gianna Kneepkens scored a season-high 28 points to lead the No. 2 seed with an ACC Tournament title. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Utah women's basketball's Alissa Pili named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Lynne Roberts Coach of the Year. Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/2/2023 10:26 PM. For the second time in as many days, a No. Utah now jumps to 25-3 overall on the season and 15-3 in the Pac-12. 8 ranked Utah women's basketball team took down No. 1 as 15 ranked teams lose, Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth, Utah tops Stanford to share 1st-ever Pac-12 title, No. 9 in the AP poll. Thank you for supporting local journalism. The University of Utah women's tennis team is opening Pac-12 conference play this weekend against the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal. Colorado (22-7, 13-5 Pac-12): NET 21, SOS 21. Danny Vranes, Sabrina Ionescu, James Worthy, Skylar Diggins, Tayshaun Prince. Pac-12 results continue to shake up and shape the top 16. So all the things that we had kinda going towards her, they had an answer for. Utah have won nine out of their last 15 games against Colorado. This week's NCAA NET rankings place the Utes at No. During the Selection Committee's second (and final) top 16 reveal, the Utes were a surprise choice to receive the final No. I want them to enjoy and be confident in the successes theyve had, but at this point, now, weve got to start getting ready. Dru Gylten #10 5-11 G Jr. Utah was the big winner last week. The Utah Utes baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of University of Utah in Salt Lake City Utah, United States.The program's first season was in 1892, and it has been a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference since the start of the 2012 season. I think one big question coming out of this season is what attendance starts to look like coming off this season. 1 seed lost. Conference tournament season began on Tuesday with opening-round matchups in the Sun Belt and Horizon League, while the Ohio Valley will hand out the first golden ticket to March Madness on Saturday. With wins over Tennessee and Georgia, South Carolina finished off their first undefeated regular season in program history. S. Carolina stays No. Last season, Utah bested Washington State in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. BOULDER Colorado's Julian Hammond III stepped in for an ailing KJ Simpson to score 15 points and Nique Clifford recorded his first career double-double Saturday to lead the Buffaloes to a 69-60 win over Utah in the regular season finale at the CU Events Center. These are just things that happen when you average 16.0 RPG. Coach JR Payne has led an impressive turnaround over the past several seasons. Only six other teams in the nation have as many, which gives North Carolina a solid shot at hosting the first weekend of March Madness even if they pick up a 10th loss in their conference tourney. 14/10 Arizona 80-79. Utah Utes 2023 PAC-12 Women's Basketball Regular Season Champions Shirt, hoodie, sweater, long sleeve and tank top meredpremium.com 2023 Gymnastics Championships. Former Utah CB Clark Phillips talked about what he'll bring to a team at the next level during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. They could meet again in the Pac-12 championship game, but the conference has five other teams in the top half of my projected bracket. 3 seed in a loss against Baylor. The No. 8 Utah to rout of California. Utah going home early from the Pac-12 Tournament now gives it at least 15, and possibly 16 days until the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The biggest story at the University of Utah right now is womens basketball, so heres a thought offered to me earlier this week by a faithful reader: Has this season been a stroke of lightning or is this a sustainable level for Lynne Roberts program? ?https://t.co/tVrvGX84qb pic.twitter.com/g0T6urrxVl, Pili doing Pili things @alissa_pili #GoUtes The Cardinal had a trio of close calls leading up to Saturday's clash with Utah and finally fell, 84-78. LAS VEGAS - It's been a banner week for the Utah women's basketball team, but they realize the job isn't done yet. The UCLA game will be on Pac-12 Networks, with Krista Blunk and Anthony Levrets calling the action. Were not just happy to be here. The 2021-22 Utah Utes women's basketball team represented the University of Utah during the 2021-22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Most notably, Utah junior forward Alissa Pili is the conference's Player of the Year and eighth-year coach Lynne Roberts is the Coach of the Year. The Pac-12 sent seven teams in 2017, a conference high. 7, second-best among Pac-12 teams behind Stanford (4). In the second quarter the Utes responded and outscored the Cardinal 25-17 by executing 10 points from the free throw line. The sixth-seed Utes got the upset win 80-73 as Kneepkens led them with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists to advance to their first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game. Loni White added two off the board to put the Utes up 22-15 at the eight-minute mark. WSU Michelob Ultra Arena 7MST Pac-12 Networkhttps://t.co/fb45lkVGdJhttps://t.co/20bxWc40tZ pic.twitter.com/8KQhocfy7e, Utah Womens Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 2, 2023. ? Lets close this up with a thought in response to the initial thought that prompted me to write this. 3 Utah 66-58 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 women's basketball tournament. It's the best time of year, folks - March. 1 seed lost. She has also led Utah to the highest AP rankings in school history as the Utes currently sit at No. 1 seed. Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 3, 2023. Utah's run in Las Vegas, and hopes for a top-seed in the NCAA women's basketball tournament, came to an end Thursday night. That strikes me as just a colossal advantage for the teams hosting, right? It remains to be seen whether they will drop from the 1-seed line to the 2-seed line after Thursdays excruciating loss. Foul trouble also plagued the Utes, as Dasia Young and Jenna Johnson spent most of the first half on the bench with three and two fouls, respectively. ? Stanford shot 48 percent from the field, 43 percent from the three and 65 percent from the free throw line. They can match the '02-03 win total with a run to the Big East title game or tie the school record (29 wins in 1981-82) by winning it all. One game is not going to define us, associate head coach Gavin Petersen told ESPN 700 radio. After taking grabbing a share of the regular season title and taking home conference player of the year (Alissa Pili) and coach . Utah is now 4-2 over ranked opponents this season. There is an intensity, and we want to back up what we did this past weekend.. 2023 Women's Basketball Tournament. The Utah Utes women's basketball team represents University of Utah in women's basketball. Everything you need to know to plan your 2023 Rose Bowl trip in Pasadena, California. She has also led Utah to the highest AP rankings in school history as the Utes currently sit at No. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. 15 Oregon State, 85-79, on Dec. 8, 2020 in Corvallis, Ore. Utah's 16-2 start to the season, and 6-2 start in Pac-12 Conference play, are its best in both through 18 games since 2018-19. At times (like in their loss against Maryland), Iowa can feel too dependent on Caitlin Clark. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Utah's historic win shakes up this week's Power 10 rankings. University of Utah women's basketball coach Lynne Roberts talked earlier this week about the opportunity to validate the No. Roberts says she isnt too worried about her team keeping their focus with some of the excitement happening around them, noting they know how to enjoy the rewards of their hard work while still doing what they need to in order to sustain that success. Utes leading scorer Alissa Pili scored just 11 points on 3 of 14 shooting and 0 of 4 from three-point land. Also Angel Reese (28 rebounds vs. Texas A&M on Jan. 5). LAS VEGAS Its been a banner week for the Utah womens basketball team, but they realize the job isnt done yet. Bella Murekatete scored 19 points and Washington State upset No. Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 16-15 overall and 8-12 in Pac-12 play while Utah fell to 17-14, 10-10. 1 seed lost. Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 2/25/2023 5:21 PM, Beautiful pass >> Beautiful finish @alissa_pili #GoUtes 6 (Long Beach State, 2/10/84; 72-70 in Salt Lake City; and Stanford, 1/27/19; 75-68 in SLC). And it finished off with a No. Portal defections are always possible, but bringing back everyone from a 25-plus win team means Utah is going to open 2023-24 likely ranked inside the top 10. Keep in mind, the NCAA is going to set the pricing, and there is technically no guarantee Utah is playing on the second day. Washington State stunned No. 3-ranked Utes became a national title contender, Alissa Pili is Pac-12 Womens Basketball Player of the Year, while Lynne Roberts is the leagues Coach of the Year, High school boys basketball: Corner Canyon caps dream season with another big win, coveted 6A state championship, High school girls basketball: 6A/5A/4A/3A/2A/1A state tournament pairings, Runnin Utes go cold at Colorado, fall 69-60 to rival Buffs, BYU beats San Francisco with defense, 3-point shooting, Lauren Gustins record performance, High school girls basketball: Bountiful topples Springville, 41-39, to claim first state title in 5A, 3 keys to Utahs 69-60 loss to Colorado in Pac-12 regular-season finale. The Pac-12 women's basketball tournament is underway in Las Vegas. Here is a quick look at each of those teams. Well, Maryland comes to mind. Feb 11, 2023 - Utah 73 vs. Colorado 62; Mar 05, 2022 - Colorado 84 vs. Utah 71 Indeed, the Cougars outscored the Utes 27-11 in the third quarter, turning a 30-26 halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. The star point guard left Sunday's win at Louisville with a knee injury and her status is unclear. Utah's most total weeks ranked in the same season is 13 in 2005-06. 3 Utah women's basketball earns highest AP ranking ever in school history. But Stanford holds onto a No. TICKETS/SHOP. The Blue Devils lost to rival North Carolina on Sunday and in the process lost out on a share of the ACC regular-season crown. 3 Stanford. The No. *Stanford (27-4, 15-3 Pac-12): NET 3, SOS 7. The Utes will first play the Golden Bears on Friday, March 3 at 1:30 p.m. and then the Cardinal the following Sunday at 11 a.m. Utah traveled to Minneapolis, MN to take on the Memphis Tigers. But there's no need to feel bad for them -- Indiana had already clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship (their first in 40 years) before tipoff. GiannaKneepkens paced the Utes with 18 points including seven fourth-quarter points to try to eclipse the Cougars' 14-point deficit. Britain and France have a combined population not much over 1/3rd of the US, and Rugby Union is very much second fiddle to Football (soccer) in both Thursday, No.