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The season was hardly over, and Brandon Taylor was already shifting his gaze ahead.

The Utes were still glazed in sweat from their loss to Duke in the Sweet 16, and the disappointment was still fresh and raw. But it was impossible, in Taylor's perspective, to feel completely devastated.

"Yeah, we lost the game, but no one would've thought that we were gonna make it to the Sweet 16," he said. "It's amazing. It's amazing to get here. We put in the work, though. It's amazing what happens when you put in the work."

Utah's players, coaches and staff put in the work over the past four years. It was rewarded with blowout losses, then closer, perhaps more painful defeats. At some point, Utah started winning more games than it lost, and the tide turned for a moribund program.

With Utah's first Sweet 16 appearance in 10 years, the rebuilding project is over: The Utes have been rebuilt. But already, even before Utah stitches the season on a banner in the Huntsman Center, the natural course is to start thinking toward next year.

Is this the peak? Or is there room to get better?

Utah has much in place from the 2014-15 season to build on: a strong nucleus of returners, postseason experience and a coaching staff that has stayed stable and consistent. While the loss of the program's seniors, particularly All-American point guard Delon Wright, hurts, the expectations will be at least as high — and maybe higher — as the point the Utes reached this year.

Even a week after the season ended, coach Larry Krystkowiak said he still felt "numb" and thought with a redo, perhaps Utah would still be in the NCAA Tournament. It's something he told his players to meditate on in his postgame address, as well as individual meetings he's had in the past week.

"You hope it sets a little fire for guys to work harder this offseason," he said. "Right now, we're still evaluating what we need to do as a team, but this is the time where individuals can look at what they bring, and where they need to get better. We were really close to doing something truly special this year."

Krystkowiak has a good case that the Sweet 16 was something special — especially considering the baseline he started with at Utah. But there's more to do, and more to add.

One offseason focus will be muscle: The Utes need to add more up front. It was a glaring weakness against physical and strong rebounding teams. Getting better at penetration and ball-handling will be a an area of emphasis for returning guards.

Those issues aside, Utah brings back some strengths. Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge, both double-digit scorers and the team's most prolific 3-point shooters, are slated to return. Freshmen Brekkott Chapman and Isaiah Wright, in particular, showed spurts of promise, and they'll look to take on bigger roles next season. Utah had one of the best-shooting teams and the best defenses in the country, and while Krystkowiak acknowledged it will be tough to duplicate, the Utes have at least done it before.

That said, there is a huge mark is still in play: Will Jakob Poeltl return? The Austrian freshman was a solid presence in the middle in conference play, then took his game up a notch to average 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks per game in the tournament. A potential first-round NBA Draft pick this summer, he'll take some time to decide whether to come back for his sophomore year.

Krystkowiak said he spoke with Poeltl and his parents in the past week, and anticipates a decision close to the April 26 deadline. He believes other early entrants will strongly factor into Poeltl's choice.

"He's an intelligent guy, his family is intelligent," the Utah coach said. "We're giving him the best information we have available to make the decision that's best for him."

If Poeltl returns, Utah would have four starters back, including one of the best rim-protectors in the country. The Utes also bring in junior college wing Gabe Bealer, local big man Makol Mawien, and returned missionary Brandon Miller.

By pure numbers, Utah may have too many riches at the shooting guard and small forward positions on the roster. Between Loveridge, Bealer, Tucker, Kuzma, Miller (who could also play point) and Kenneth Ogbe, there appears to be a squeeze. Utah also has significant holes in the front court, especially with only one true center in Jeremy Olsen if Poeltl decides to leave.

Krystkowiak said player meetings will continue for the next two weeks, but he wasn't yet ready to comment on if the Utes are looking to add new personnel or if everyone from the current roster will return.

One thing that does appear to be settled: Utah's coaching staff. The Utes managed to hold onto Tommy Connor, who was a candidate for the Utah State head coaching job. While he acknowledged he can't anticipate the ebb and flow of the coaching job market, Krystkowiak confirmed he felt his staff, which also includes defensive "coordinator" Andy Hill and ace recruiter DeMarlo Slocum, is in "a position of stability."

That stability can only help the program, especially with a new multimillion dollar basketball practice facility opening in the fall. The Utes will move into their new home, just across from the Huntsman Center. The building will be not unlike the program itself: freshly polished, carefully planned, and one of the top 25 in the country.

But there are always new goals to shoot for, always new heights to seek. Back in that locker room in Houston, Taylor gestured to Jordan Loveridge, sitting beside him.

"Me, Jordan, and the team as a group, we know what it's like now," he said. "So now, once we go into training, it's like now, we're training to get back there and further."

Twitter: @kylegoon —

The Utes moving forward

Off their first Sweet 16 season since 2005, the Runnin' Utes have significant talent coming back to build on their success. A roster breakdown:

Key losses • G Delon Wright, C Dallin Bachynski

Key returners • G Brandon Taylor, F Jordan Loveridge, G Dakarai Tucker, F Brekkott Chapman

Additions • G Gabe Bealer, F Makol Mawien, G Brandon Miller

Areas of strength • 3-point shooting (40.4 percent, No. 7); offensive efficiency (1.113 ppp, No. 16); defensive efficiency (0.892 ppp, No. 6)

Areas to improve • Low post scoring; offensive rebounding; ball-handling

Question marks • Jakob Poeltl's NBA Draft decision; offseason transfers/recruits