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The individual moments stand out when the autopsy begins after a one-point loss.

The possessions that really stung Larry Krystkowiak in the defeat to UCLA: a few 50-50 loose balls that fell into the Bruins' hands; the late drive by Lonzo Ball when he kicked out for a 3; the shot by Kyle Kuzma with less than 5 seconds left when he had an opportunity to drive.

Yes, the Utah coach acknowledged, those moments stung. But only to see flaws in one of the Utes' best efforts of the season would be to gloss over most of it.

"It was a heck of a game, heck of an environment in there," he said Tuesday. "I'm a lot more at ease talking about going toe-to-toe and the positives now than I was Saturday afternoon when it didn't feel that way."

The challenge for Utah (12-5, 3-2) will be to carry the efficiency they showed against UCLA on the road against two of the conference's lesser teams, starting with Washington State on Wednesday night in front of what figures to be a lackluster environment.

The Utes, who are 8.5-point favorites on the road, are trying to prove they haven't yet hit their ceiling and that they can keep their focus.

"If we can do that against [UCLA], that confidence kind of rubs off and we can say, 'Oh, we can do that again against another team in our conference," Kuzma said. "We've got to come out with the mentality that we've done this before against one of the best teams in the country."

The Utes are shooting at a higher clip (52.1 percent) than any other Pac-12 team while also holding opponents to 44.1 percent shooting (fifth in the league) through five games. They're defending the perimeter well (31.7 percent, second), passing well (third in assists, third in assist-to-turnover ratio) and have four of the top 30 scorers in the league. Four Utes are shooting 57 percent or higher in Pac-12 play.

But the Utes also are looking to climb. They're fifth in the standings, behind Cal (4-2) but ahead of USC (3-3). And they'll be hunting for the third road trip sweep in the Pac-12 era to keep pace.

Krystkowiak and the Utes first achieved that in 2016 on the Washington state swing. But they also have been tripped up before, by Wazzu in 2014 and the Huskies in 2015. Neither has a winning league record so far, but both have capable players.

Utah is familiar with senior forward Josh Hawkinson, a double-double machine. Freshman Malachi Flynn has brought stability to the point guard position and some clutch play late in games.

"They're playing with some confidence. They went in and got a tough road win at Washington and were in it down to the wire against Cal," Krystkowiak said. "They're figuring it out."

Krystkowiak added that he doesn't see the need to try to pump up his team for Washington State more so than an opponent like UCLA, noting his players should be excited for every conference game.

"There's only so many Knute Rockne speeches," he said.

It will take a pair of wins this week for Utah to prove its game against the Bruins wasn't a fluke.

"People should be woke a little bit, but we still need to handle our business," Kuzma said. "There's still 12, 13 games left in the season, and anything can happen. So we really gotta lock into that and not worry about rankings."

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Utah at Washington State

P Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Wash.

Tipoff • 7 p.m. MST

TV • Pac-12 Networks

Radio • 700 AM

Records • Utah (12-5, 3-2); WSU (9-8, 2-3)

Series history • Utah leads 19-4

Last meeting • Utah won 88-47 (Feb. 14, 2016 at Utah)

About the Utes • Coach Larry Krystkowiak is 4-0 against WSU coach Ernie Kent at their current schools. ... After shooting 54.5 percent against UCLA, Utah's season shooting percentage improved to 50.8, second in the conference and No. 6 nationally. ... Senior Lorenzo Bonam is shooting 64 for 87 on 2-point attempts against Division I competition, ranked No. 6 nationally by KenPom.com

About the Cougars • Washington State began conference play by beating Washington and Oregon State, its first back-to-back league wins since 2015. ... Senior Josh Hawkinson has 49 career double-doubles, only four from tying the school mark set by Steve Puidokas. ... WSU leads the Pac-12 and is seventh nationally in free-throw percentage, hitting 78.5 percent from the line.