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TUCSON, Ariz. — The Runnin' Utes hung with the top team in the nation for 35 minutes before ultimately falling in a hostile environment, 65-56.
What can we take away from the Utah (14-6, 3-5) loss at No. 1 Arizona (20-0, 7-0)?
Quick start, wobbly finish
Utah got off to a superb start Sunday evening, outscoring the Wildcats 12-2 through the first 7:32 of the contest. The Utes' defense looked to not only be back on track after an un-Utah-like outing at Arizona State on Thursday, but perhaps even better than ever while all but shutting down the country's top team.
Of course Arizona wasn't going to stay down for long. The Wildcats scored 12 straight to take the lead with 8:06 left in the opening half. And when it appeared they were about to blow the gates open on the visiting team, Utah hung tough and ran stride for stride for the rest of the half and well into the second.
The Utes took a 47-45 lead after freshman Kenneth Ogbe nailed a 3-pointer with 11:06 left in the game, but things got a little shaky from there. Utah trailed by just four with under six minutes remaining, 53-49, but was unable to stop a late Wildcat surge, a 14-2 run. Arizona got ahead by 10 with under four minutes to go and the Utes couldn't get back into the game before time ran out.
In each of its road losses this season, Utah — now 0-5 away from the Jon M. Huntsman Center — has struggled to execute during the final stretch of the game.
Trouble inside
The key stats that tell the story of this game are found inside the paint. The Utes had problems with the Wildcats' size and athleticism, particularly freshman Aaron Gordon, whom many NBA draft experts project to potentially be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The 6-10 forward scored 10 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks. Junior guard Nick Johnson also found his way into the paint often, gashing Utah for 22 points.
Arizona outscored the Utes 38-24 in the paint, and in addition to outrebounding them 40-29, the Wildcats also hauled in 20 offensive boards — including several key rebounds during the final minutes.
Aside from being ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Wildcats are also one of the top rebounding teams in the country, so there's no shame in being outrebounded in their arena. But to take the next step, the Utes will need to find answers inside.
Not quite there
Despite the loss, the Utes proved they could hang with the best in the Pac-12, though it's painstakingly clear they are not quite there yet as a program. They have played well on the road, against both the top- and lower-tier teams in the league, they just haven't been able to close those games out and turn hard-fought battles into wins.
If you look at the roster, this Utah team has plenty of time to get things figured out. Aside from juniors Delon Wright and Dallin Bachynski, all of the Utes' primary contributors are either sophomores or freshmen. Renan Lenz, the only scholarship senior on the roster, missed three games due to injury and has lately played sparingly even when healthy — averaging just 4.4 minutes per game since conference play began.
Ten games remain during this regular season for the Utes to find a way to grow into the team they hope to become — one that can compete as a top-tier Pac-12 program in years ahead. They will have to learn to execute down the stretch and win on the road.
Next up: The Utes have another shot at ending their road woes at Colorado (15-6, 4-4) next Saturday at noon. Utah will try to avoid a 0-3 road swing against the Buffaloes. Tyson Maddy has covered the University of Utah football and men's basketball teams as a contributing writer for KSL.com sports since 2011. Follow his Utes coverage on Twitter @Tyson_Maddy
