SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah women’s basketball team is off to a historic start this season and according to head coach Lynne Roberts, it comes down to a blend of a few different factors.

The biggest factors, as she stated in her press conference on Tuesday, are talent and team chemistry.

After all, it wouldn’t be possible for an untalented team to knock off No. 6-ranked Stanford, as the Utes did last week.

As for how the Utes have gotten off to a record 18-1 start and a No. 14 ranking in the polls, it comes down to playing well and as a team, said Roberts.

“First off, I should say that we have talent. You have to have talent, we’ve got talented upperclassmen, we’ve got good young people, freshmen that we knew were talented but it’s always a question mark as to how ready they’re going to be and they’ve proven that they’re ready to roll and play at the highest level. So obviously talent goes without speaking,” said Roberts.

Team Chemistry Is Great For Utah

The other factor, team chemistry is a bit trickier for a coach to manage, according to Roberts, but the Utes have done a stellar job of coming together as a team.

“I think we’ve had culture buy-in completely, which is fun. The one thing as a coach, the one thing you can’t really control, you try to foster it, you try to develop it, you try to work on it. You can’t really control at all team chemistry,” said Roberts.

“This team has really bought into each other and a lot of that is fluff, but it really is true,” said Roberts.

Huff Leads By Example

A big driver for that is the fact that the Utes don’t really have a dominating personality on the team. Roberts credited center Megan Huff for her selfless attitude that allows her teammates to shine.

“What I love about her is that she doesn’t want the attention on her,” said Roberts. “So when your best player is about her teammates and winning, then you have chance to be special.”

The Utes will continue their most difficult stretch of the season on the road against Oregon on Friday and Oregon State on Sunday.