This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Unless something drastic changes in the next 48 hours, Cedric Martin will spend his second consecutive game on the bench Friday night as the Utes take on College of Idaho.
The groin injury that's bothered Utah's best perimeter defender is still troublesome for the 6-foot-4 senior. Martin didn't practice on Wednesday night, and with the Utes heavily favored to win their eighth game of the season, Larry Krystkowiak sees no reason to risk further aggravation.
"That's the kind of injury that needs some rest," Krystkowiak said. "We don't want to rush him back and expose him to anything further."
In the first few weeks alone of the Pac-12 Conference season, Utah will see elite wing players such as Carrick Felix from Arizona State, Solomon Hill from Arizona, Shabazz Muhammed from UCLA and CJ Wilcox from Washington.
Muhammed will probably be an NBA lottery pick, Wilcox is projected to go in the first round of the June draft and Hill should be selected in the second round.
Suffice to say, the Utes will need Martin to be at his best when they run that gauntlet.
Tony Jones