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Asked what it will be like when Utah's fourth-ranked gymnastics team hosts No. 8 UCLA on Friday, coach Greg Marsden laughed.

"These are the fun ones," he said.

Boy, are they ever.

Utah's already healthy rivalry with the Bruins has flourished as predicted when the Utes joined the Pac-12. It is arguably the best rivalry in college gymnastics this side of the Rockies, with the teams going 4-4 in their clashes the past two seasons.

Friday's meeting, which begins at 5:45 p.m. so it can be aired live by the Pac-12 Network, is highly anticipated not only for the results, but also as a judging point for both programs for the future.

Last season, the teams met four times; they split their two regular-season matchups, and Utah finished ahead of the Bruins at both the NCAA regionals and NCAA championships.

But the Bruins have a stronger team this year, which should make for a close meet, said Pac-12 analyst Amanda Borden.

"Both teams have a lot of confidence and are really competitive," she said. "The thing I love about Utah is going there and being in that crowd, it's electric."

That home-crowd advantage, of likely more than 14,000 fans, will give the Utes an edge, but not enough to where the Utes can get cocky.

"It has been an incredible rivalry with them, going back and forth," senior Tory Wilson said. "We know they are strong, but we are strong, too. Last year, I think we proved a great point of how far we have come. That was a huge boost of confidence, but we know we have to work hard to win this meet, too."

The Utes have not lost at home since the 2012 season, a mark of 12 meets. That year, Utah fell to Nebraska in the regular season, then placed second behind the Bruins as host of the first Pac-12 championships.

That loss was one of the more painful ones the Utes have suffered of late, considering everything was set up for them to win the league title.

Taking the championship last year in Berkeley has made the Utes feel more legitimate, more like they truly belong, with the elite in collegiate gymnastics.

Now they feel like they have plenty to defend, too, senior Corrie Lothrop said.

"We don't want to watch UCLA come in and win," she said. "That hasn't happened in a while. We know we'll see them at the end of the season, too, but we don't want to wait until then."

The Bruins beat Oregon State 196.0-195.45 in their season opener, then took a 195.975-195.3 win over Arizona on Monday.

Samantha Peszek, a 2008 Olympian and 2011 NCAA balance beam champion, leads the Bruins and is ranked second in the all-around behind Utah's Georgia Dabritz.

Dabritz plans to leave Saturday morning for Massachusetts to visit her coach, Laura Tebo, who has cancer. Marsden gave her the choice of leaving earlier, but Dabritz wanted to stay.

"It might be a little bit of an escape for her so she isn't thinking about it all the time," he said.

The head-to-head matchup between Peszek and Dabritz should be as good as the team competition, Borden predicted.

"So far this year, from what I've seen, they are just about perfect," Borden said. "It will be interesting to see what the judges do when they are going head to head. They are definitely two of the best I've ever watched."

Twitter: @lyawodraska —

Notable Utah home winning streaks

170

Feb. 20, 1979- Jan. 10, 2003

Ended with a 197.225-196.750 loss to UCLA

20

March 23, 2007- Jan. 28, 2011 Ended with a 196.825-196.5 loss to Stanford

17

March 7, 2003- March 6, 2006 Ended with a 197.1-197.025 loss to Georgia

12

Jan. 19, 2013-present

The Utes have not lost at home since March 16, 2012, to Florida —

UCLA at Utah

P At the Huntsman Center

Start • 5:45 p.m.

TV • Pac-12 Network

Online • utahutes.com

Records • Utah 4-0, UCLA 2-0

Series history • Utah leads 47-25-1

Last meeting • Utah, 197.025-197.0 (April 18, 2014)

About the Utes • Coming off a 196.675 win at home last week. … Georgia Dabritz is ranked No. 1 in the all-around (39.6). … The Utes have hit 26-of-28 routines this year with Tory Wilson leading the team going 8 for 8. … Utah is 23-2 against the Bruins at home.

About the Bruins • Coming off a 195.975-195.3 win over Arizona. … Finished eighth at the NCAA championships. … Samantha Peszek is ranked second in the nation in the all-around (39.55). … Sophomore Jennifer Pinches was a 2012 British Olympian. … Won the 2012 Pac-12 title in Salt Lake City.