The Utah Utes knew Wyoming's Desmar Jackson was a good player going into Saturday's game, but they just weren't sure how to guard him.
Suffice it to say, they still aren't sure how to stop the guy, as Jackson scored 31 points against the Utes in Utah's 74-64 win over the Cowboys.
While Jackson's play wasn't enough for the Cowboys to get an upset making his effort harmless in the end, he earned the distinction of being one of the toughest players the Utes have faced this season.
He scored 21 points the last time the teams played, a 75-69 Wyoming win.
"We knew he was going to be a difficult matchup for us, and he was; he is a terrific freshman," Utah coach Jim Boylen said.
The Utes tried to use several players on him, including Luka Drca and Chris Hines . Hines, who finished with seven points and an assist, ultimately did played the best defense on him, in Boylen's opinion.
Hines also got into Jackson's head a bit as the two exchanged words in the second half and had to be pulled apart. Both were assessed technicals after a long delay in which the officials watched replays.
Boylen said the officials determined Jackson was in the process of throwing an elbow into Hines, but stopped in time.
"I though that took a little edge off them," Boylen said of how the incident affected the Cowboys. "It helped our guys. Our guys were jacked up in the huddle."
Injury report
Forward Jay Watkins was hit in the face with an elbow during the second half and didn't return. He finished with just two points and one rebound in 11 minutes. It was the second time Watkins took a blow to the face in as many games. In Utah's victory at Air Force, he suffered a cut above his right eye that required three stitches to close.
"He has some concussion symptoms, and we are very cautious with those situations," Boylen said. "I'll never put one of my guys in jeopardy, and we didn't. We'll see how it goes."
Briefly
Jace Tavita tied his career high with six assists. ... The announced attendance of 10,138 is the Utes' season high. ... The Utes celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday. The building hosted its first game on Dec. 1, 1969, with a 96-94 Utah win over Stanford.
