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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah basketball program was expected to have a mediocre season — not necessarily bad, but not necessarily as good as the previous two seasons. With turnover at nearly every roster spot, Utah was inexperienced enough and seemingly incapable of claiming a top spot in the Pac-12.
At 10-3 on the season, those preseason expectations may still become a reality, but after Utah’s 76-60 win over Colorado Sunday to start off conference play, a more positive outlook could be on the horizon.
The Utes picked up their sixth consecutive victory over the Buffaloes and looked like a team capable of making a run at any team in the conference, within reason. The team cut down on turnovers, utilized a more pass-friendly offense and played as a team.
Most importantly, the Utes were at full strength with junior Kyle Kuzma back in the starting lineup after missing time due to an injured ankle in the first few minutes of the Diamond Head Classic Tournament in Hawaii. His experience, knack for rebounding and all-around talent on the floor makes Utah a versatile and improved team.
However, the schedule gets significantly harder starting Thursday on the road against a perennially talented Arizona team. Utah's win over Colorado was a great way to start conference play but is only one game in a long haul of difficult games to come.
Arizona comes into the game ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, sandwiched between No. 16 Xavier and No. 18 Butler, two teams that also beat Utah earlier in the season. Both games happen to be Utah’s only reference point at competition against good teams given the significant drop in competition in nonconference play. Both Butler and Xavier have an RPI in the Top 10 and are likely guaranteed to be invited to the NCAA Tournament.
Utah kept it close against both opponents despite not having David Collette or Sedrick Barefield, which could be a difference in how competitive the team may be as conference play is in full swing. It will, however, most certainly make a difference in terms of depth and flexibility in the type of rotations head coach Larry Krystkowiak will look to employ.
Krystkowiak said he hasn’t settled on a fixed rotation yet as he attempts to cut down on the mental mistakes from all players.
“Everybody needs to take a nice look in the mirror and figure out what they need to start doing. If they’re not playing enough or they’re making mistakes like not making shots or whatever it is, I think they can all control that and put in the time,” he said.
However, Krystkowiak said he believes the “team is growing” and getting better at eliminating mistakes and cutting down on errors, particularly the high turnover rate the team had in nonconference play. Against Colorado, Utah had 10 turnovers and kept the mistakes to a minimum, which is something Utah must replicate against the top-tier teams of the conference.
“I hope they’re putting a little bit of pressure on themselves to start producing as individuals,” Krystkowiak said.
Arizona, this season particularly, is the type of team that will wear a team down by attrition. They average 74.3 points per game, which is less than Utah’s average of 81.3, but are one of the best defensive teams in the country and make opponents earn every basket. Arizona is ranked 12th in the nation in scoring defense, keeping teams to an average of 60.3 points per game.
Against Butler and Xavier, Utah scored 59 and 69, respectively, but as mentioned above were without Collette and Barefield.
For Utah to have success against Arizona and in future Pac-12 competition, turnovers have to be cut down, and rebounding and defending the perimeter has to remain a central focus. Utah is 8th in the nation in defensive rebounding, eliminating opponents’ second-chance points, but are ranked 284th out of 347 teams in turnovers per game at 14.3 and 217th in 3-point field goal defense at 35.3 percent.
Utah turned the ball over 18 times against Butler and 14 against Xavier, and was poor defensively on the perimeter against both programs, allowing Butler to shoot 36.0 percent and 47.1 percent from behind the arc. The inability to guard the perimeter was one of the biggest factors in Utah ultimately losing both games.
