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Seattle • It took some time for Lorenzo Bonam to admit the truth.

Asked about Huskies freshman Markelle Fultz, he pointed out that Utah has played Lonzo Ball, Tra Holder and other guards who can put up points. Asked about Fultz's 37 points against Colorado, Bonam pointed to Sedrick Barefield's own 35-point game. Bonam called a "regular guard like anybody else, he just scores more points."

And then, finally, he relented.

"He is a tough guard, I'm not gonna lie," Bonam said. "He's good — a projected lottery pick. So you know it's gonna be a little tougher. But we have a way of trying to stop the best player on the team, so we're going to approach it with that mindset."

Fultz may well be the best player in the Pac-12, averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. While his team has been less-than-impressive this year, Washington showed on Wednesday night in an overtime win over Colorado that it is capable of riding the projected top-5 NBA Draft pick to victory.

In a Friday morning practice at Alaska Airlines Arena, the Utes ran scout team with assistant Tommy Connor playing the role of Fultz.

"Maybe not as much the athleticism," coach Larry Krystkowiak joked. "But you know, floor general."

The real Fultz, a 6-foot-4 slasher who can leap in for a nasty dunk, will be a handful, Krystkowiak acknowledged. It doesn't help much that Utah has to formulate a dramatically different gameplan from its performance against Washington State — a post-oriented squad — to the Huskies, who rely more on their guards and smaller lineups.

"It's a high-speed team, a transition team, and surprisingly they do a good job of getting a lot of offensive rebounds," Krystkowiak said. "So they'll be getting a high volume of shots up."

Utah is looking for its first weekend road sweep of the season, and they might not get a better opportunity than this. At Cal and at Oregon won't be easy games later in the season. With David Collette again in flux, it will be up to Utah to corral the Huskies — and make Fultz look like "a regular guard."

Time, Place and [radio waves in] Space • Prepare for a 6 p.m. MST tip-off at Alaska Airlines Arena, one of the rowdiest home courts in the country when it is full. It hasn't been too much of a sanctuary for the Huskies: They're just 7-5 on their floor, including a loss to the Washington State team Utah just boat-raced. The game will air on Pac-12 Network, or you can listen on the radio with Bill Riley and Jimmy Soto.

The Line • As of Friday afternoon, Utah is favored http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/teams/team-page.cfm/team/utah";>by 3.5 points according to Vegas Insider. The Utes are 9-6-1 against the spread this season, and have beaten it four straight times headed into Saturday's game.

Pregame Quotable • Lorenzo Bonam and the Utes managed http://bit.ly/1nIOPfg";>to squeeze out a thrilling overtime win in their last visit to Montlake. Bonam relishes the opportunity to return: "It's a good atmosphere, just to have the student section right next to our bench. They're talking smack and all that. It actually makes the game way more funner [sic], especially when you win and then you can talk back to them."

Opposing coach • There may be no greater perception difference for any coach in America in how he's seen nationally and how he's seen internally than Lorenzo Romar. He's had six NCAA Tournament teams in his previous 14 seasons at Washington, and none of them have come in the past five years. http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-huskies/lorenzo-romar-remains-confident-huskies-can-turn-around-season/";>But while his records have been trailing off, Romar still brings in top recruiting talent and has made a once non-factor in hoops into a place where top players come through: Nate Robinson, Spencer Hawes, Brandon Roy and Isaiah Thomas are among the players he's sent to the NBA. He reportedly has maintained a good relationship with administration through his rocky times, and is regarded as one of the gentlemen of the game. Still, wins matter: A 9-9 start doesn't bode confidence that Romar can turn things around anytime soon, even with another great recruiting class on the way. He's 2-7 against Larry Krystkowiak's Utes.

Telling Stat • Washington might be a good team … if it could only defend. KenPom rates UW's defensive efficiency (107.8) as No. 247 in the nation. By contrast, UW's offensive efficiency (111.4) is No. 54 nationally. UW is second-worst in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage defense (44 percent) and scoring defense (78.5 ppg allowed), while generating the most fouls (20.8 fpg).

Huskies Roster Overview • Fultz has a gravity around him that few college players possess — it's hard to believe he's only been playing basketball for a few years. He can drive, he can shoot, he can pass, he can wipe the glass. He can do everything, and he does it while creating SportsCenter-quality highlights with tough shots and dunks. He's scored in double figures in all but one game this year, and really only Cal was able to get him completely off his game (12 points, 3 for 15). Around Fultz are some guys who can put up points as well, most notably David Crisp who is hitting 3-pointers at a 45-percent clip, leading the second-best 3-point shooting Pac-12 team (39.7 percent). Noah Dickerson is a one-time 4-star recruit who has found his way a little more and is getting even more time in Malik Dime's absence. He averages 11.1 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Matisse Thybulle, Dominic Green and Carlos Johnson round out the other main players for UW: Each averages between 5-10 points per game, and each is a wing between 6-4 and 6-6. Washington will likely play a lot of small ball against the Utes, opting for the strength of the lineup right now. As mentioned above, UW is a bad defensive team. But offensively they can keep pace with most, and they have a penchant for getting their own misses.

Behind Enemy Lines • Christian Caple of the Tacoma News Tribune outlines http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/college/pac-12/university-of-washington/article127385949.html";>Washington's comeback win against Colorado, one spurred by a passion that has been out of the Huskies reach for most of the season.

Something's Gotta Give • The rebounding battle could be decisive for the game. Washington is the No. 25 offensive rebounding team by percentage according to KenPom (36.1 percent) while Utah is one of the best at keeping opponents off the offensive glass (24.3 percent). Where the teams bridge that gap is going to be critical: Fultz can be deadly enough without second chances, and Dickerson is also capable of cleaning up misses with putbacks. Utah is coming off beating up WSU by 19 on the boards, but offensive rebounds came back to bite the Utes against UCLA (23 second-chance points). Especially if David Collette is missing, Utah needs to do its best to make sure the first UW shot is the only shot on each possession.

UW's Edge • Can Utah keep Washington's 3-point shooters at bay? Defending Crisp will be key to this, as well as contesting Fultz (40.3 percent from deep). The problem with Fultz is he can do anything with the ball in his hands — shoot, pass, drive. But Crisp will be looking to get open deep off of screens and catch-and-shoots. The Utes can't lose track of him. If Washington is able to hit its average mark, that will space out the defense for Fultz to cruise in to get his points. Utah doesn't want that. The positive for Utah is it has improved its season-long mark (33.1 percent) since Pac-12 play began, only allowing 28.7 shooting on 3-pointers. But in a hostile arena against one of the league's best players, there will be a lot of pressure on the guards to keep it up.

Utah's Edge • It could be a big game at the line for the Uteshttp://bit.ly/2jNTHPp";> if they stay as aggressive as they were against Washington State. As mentioned above, UW gives up the most fouls in the league. With Bonam, Devon Daniels, Kyle Kuzma and others slashing to the rim, the Utes could get to the line a lot. While they're only shooting a marginal 69.8 percent on free throws, consider: Utah is 10-2 when making more FTs than its foes, while it is 3-3 when making fewer. It could be a critical edge as long as the Utes keep driving and make enough shots for the Huskies to pay.

Injury Watch • http://bit.ly/2jbcNOG";>If you're keenly attuned to the David Collette watch, it doesn't look promising: As of midday Friday, Collette was not in Seattle, and Krystkowiak said the junior was scheduled to meet with medical staff this afternoon. While the Utes would even take him on Saturday flying in that morning, the fact that Collette has missed this week's practices so far probably casts significant doubt on that possibility. Fortunately for Utah — and unfortunately for fans who would like to see a great frontcourt match-up — senior Malik Dime will be expected to miss the contest as well with a broken finger. The Senegal native has been the second-leading shot-blocker in the conference (2.6 bpg).

Watch Out For • How does Utah play defense? Much like the Arizona trip, this road game will force Utah to switch up scheme in short order. http://bit.ly/2iYP5HN";>Whereas the zone was effective against the more post-oriented Cougars, the shorter rotation of Washington will likely have Utah turning to more man defense. The Utes will have to be aware of some very different threats: some very good outside shooters, stronger offensive rebounders and of course a superstar in Fultz. In the "head of the snake" philosophy the Utes ascribe to, this could be the biggest challenge yet.

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon