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SALT LAKE CITY — The Runnin' Utes (1-7) are getting set for their rivalry match-up against BYU (7-2) in the Huntsman Center on Saturday.
The noon tip-off will mark the 254th meeting between the rival schools with BYU leading the series 127-125, including winning the last five contests and nine of the last 10.
The Utes hold a 73-50 record at home against the Cougars, though Utah's last win came in a 94-88 overtime victory back on Jan. 27, 2009.
Senior guard Josh Watkins was reinstated to the team by head coach Larry Krystkowiak after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, and will be back in action against BYU.
Watkins leads the Utes in scoring with 17.7 points per game with 4.9 assists, and Jason Washburn averages 10.8 points and leads the team on the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game. Chris Hines is scoring 10 points per game and leads the team in 3-point shooting, hitting 19 from beyond the arc on the season for 38 percent.
Utah will look to bounce back from its worst home loss in school history — a 31-point drubbing at the hands of Cal State Fullerton. The Utes' seven-game losing streak has amounted to a 1-7 start — the worst start in school history.
I hate losing with a passion. It's hard. It's tough.
–Chris Hines
"I hate losing with a passion," Hines said. "It’s hard. It’s tough. As a competitor, you can’t keep looking back to the past. You have to move on. So that’s what I’m trying to do, and that’s what we need to do."
Several factors attribute to Utah's struggles, including ranking in the bottom 30 out of 342 NCAA Div. I basketball teams in several key categories.
The Utes rank No. 327 in scoring margin, losing by an average of 18.6 points per game, and No. 315 in opponents' field goal percentage, allowing 48.6 percent shooting, including allowing 41.3 percent from 3-point range, which ranks No. 321 in the nation.
Utah gave up 46.5 percent against CSUF, which hit 11 3s, many of them from wide-open looks.
The coaching staff went back to the drawing board to simplify some of the team's defensive schemes, hoping to encounter better results on the court.
"We’ve completely simplified everything," Krystkowiak said. "What I wrote on the board, from a defensive point-of-view, was about intensity and guarding your guy. (We said), ‘We want your minds to be free, we just want you to play really hard.’"
Utah also ranks in the bottom 30 in blocked shots per game (No. 318), steals per game (No. 330), and turnover margin (No. 333). The Utes managed to limit themselves to their lowest turnover total of the season with just seven vs. CSUF, but it still wasn't enough to keep them from getting beat by 31 points.
Krystkowiak wants to see less self-inflicted mistakes.
"It’s OK to maybe make one mistake, but you have to eliminate the next one at the other end so it doesn’t become a four-point play," he said. "And that’s what’s been adding up on us lately. We just need to learn the value of every possession and not let mistakes multiply, which seems to be the case right now with us."
Matters don't get any easier for Utah with rival BYU coming into town. The Cougars are winners of three straight, including a 94-66 victory over Weber State in Provo Wednesday night.
Senior forward Noah Hartsock leads BYU with 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, with senior guard Charles Abouo scoring 12.4 points and grabbing 7.3 boards. Junior forwards Brandon Davis and Stephen Rogers are also averaging in double figures for the Cougars at 11.4 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.
All seven of BYU's victories have come by double digits, and its only losses are to No. 14 Wisconsin and fellow in- state rival Utah State.
In contrast to Utah, the Cougars rank in the top 50 among NCAA Div. I teams in multiple key stats such as 78.8 points per game (No. 39); 39.3 rebounds per game (No. 50); 18.6 assists per game (No. 9), and 49.5 percent team field-goal shooting (No. 18).
BYU's +18.4 average scoring margin is a polar opposite to Utah's -18.6 average margin.
The Utes will attempt to end two losing streaks Saturday: their current seven-game losing streak and their five-game losing streak to BYU.
I've never beat BYU while playing, and I'm looking to try to change that. I'm going into that game thinking this is going to be the game we win. I'm going in thinking we're going to win that, and that's going to be my mentality.
–Jason Washburn
"I’ve never beat BYU while playing, and I’m looking to try to change that," Washburn said. "I’m going into that game thinking this is going to be the game we win. I’m going in thinking we’re going to win that, and that’s going to be my mentality."
Krystkowiak just wants to see his team compete on Saturday.
"Forget who we’re playing," he said. "It still comes down to finding a way for us to come out and compete, whether it’s Adams State or BYU or the Utah Jazz. It’s got to be more important from the get-go, for us to lay our heart and soul into a game and be competitive on every possession.
"Whether it’s 0-0 or it’s 70-50, good teams find a way to compete, regardless of what the score is. That’s what we’re lacking right now. Once things start getting out of hand, the effort diminishes, and that’s a challenge. That happens with a lot of teams. It’s easy to quit playing hard when the game’s out of reach. But it’s important for us to start setting some goals and not let teams score 80 points. And that happens from 40 minutes left in the game to 10 seconds left in the game. We need to figure that part out."
"Our fans are going to be up for it, we’re going to be up for it," Hines said of the upcoming rivalry game. "We’re going to come fighting. It will be a tough game for us, but at the same time, they’re going to have a tough time with us, too."
After Saturday's game, the Utes will stay home for match- ups with Idaho State and Portland on Dec. 16 and 19, respectively.
But before those games, they will have to come out and compete against BYU.
Hines put it plainly: "If we don’t get up for this game, what can you say?"
