SALT LAKE CITY — Utah basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak is ready for change with his starting lineup.

“We’re about a third of the way through the season, when you look at numbers, and it’s time to re-evaluate, look at some statistics and where we’re going,” Krystkowiak said at Monday’s press conference. “I will be changing the starting lineup and then obviously some of the rotations with guys coming in on their heels. It’s not like anybody has been downgraded or exiled here. It’s just when I start looking at some swings."

The move comes as a result of some inefficiencies Krystkowiak points to from the last few games, particularly on scoring and on transition defense. Utah has been stagnant on offense for stretches and have allowed opposing teams open looks on the perimeter in the last few games, resulting in a re-evaluation of the lineups.

“It kinda hit me over the head like a sledgehammer when you have two different halves like that,” Krystkowiak said, speaking about the Kansas game. “We’re in the midst of looking at a lot of numbers and game tape, and trying to eliminate some of those runs. Obviously you want to extend the positive runs, but right now we’ve allowed things to get away from us. That’s been a big focal point for us.”

Krystkowiak said he’s proud of the resilience and determination to fight back from a 21-point deficit in the first half against Kansas, but he's looking for more consistency with the team and for many on the team to take a step forward in meeting expectations.

“I’d like to see a lot of guys playing better than I expect; that’s when you know things get to be a little special if guys start exceeding your expectations,” Krystkowiak said. “Right now, collectively, we need to have more guys that are putting heat on themselves to fulfill those obligations — whether it’s the coach expectations or the player’s expectations — and need guys to rise up.

“We’re done talking about freshmen and young kids and making mistakes,” Krystkowiak added. “We need to bring some guys along and have a better bench performance.”

Jordan Loveridge's return?

Junior forward Jordan Loveridge is still rehabbing after a knee surgery around Thanksgiving time. Krystkowiak said Monday that he still isn’t sure when Loveridge will be ready to play and that there has been no change to the expected return date of around conference play.

“He’s working on it really hard,” Krystkowiak said about Loveridge’s rehab process. “Every time I see him, he’s in the midst of something, and our staff is going to do a tremendous job; he’s in good hands. I’d have to say sooner than later, but I couldn’t put a date on it.”

Krystkowiak said he expects Loveridge to come back even better than before.

“I think he’s going to come back better at the end of the day for all this,” Krystkowiak said. “He’s had a bit of a wounded knee, and I’m not sure how forthcoming he was with everybody, in terms of some of the pain that he was dealing with, until in shutdown in the middle of that Thanksgiving tournament. Hopefully it’s a blessing in disguise for him to obviously get rid of some of that loose bodies and some of the big chunks that were impeding some of his range of motion.”

Although Utah could use Loveridge, particularly on offense, Krystkowiak said he’s not focused on what he’s missed from him thus far.

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“I haven’t thought about the loss of Jordan; I’m looking forward to getting him back, but I haven’t thought for one second about anything we don’t have,” he said. “My focus is on what we do have and trying to maximize where we are and who we have available.”

Jakob Poeltl’s freshman progress

Krystkowiak said he’s pleased with the progress the freshman seven-footer is making, but may look at new ways to get Poeltl the ball, particularly in the post.

“I don’t see a step back, I think it’s very natural what’s taking place and he’s doing a nice job on the floor for us on both ends,” Krystkowiak said. “He needs to be stronger around the rim and continue to focus on rebounding and his assignments, but it’s not a step back or anybody taking anything away. I think it’s a normal progression.”

He added that teams have been extremely physical with Poeltl and have made it difficult for him to have an impact on offense.

Speaking about Poeltl against BYU on Thursday, Krystkowiak said, “Did you watch it closely? I didn’t realize it went on until I watched game tape afterward. It wasn’t basketball; it was a different form of rugby or Australian-rules football or something that was a little unusual. I’m really proud of him for keeping his composure because there was an opportunity I’m not sure I could have with the amount of contact that took place in that game.

“We spent an awful lot of time talking about fouls and hand checks and that kind of stuff, but it was a little bit out of control in the post,” Krystkowiak added. “Hopefully people can take a close look at that on a national level. We’re trying to figure out why points are down and maybe how we can open up the game again. I think we need to look at what takes place in the post or we need to start changing the way we coach defensively, if it’s going to be allowed.”

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