This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It started with Renan Lenz and four missed lay-ups in the first five minutes of Utah's 82-64 loss to Oregon State.
It continued with missed assignments defensively, shaky offense and the lack of rebounding.
The kicker? Turning Joe Burton into the best college basketball player in America for one night.
Ok. Maybe that last line is a stretch. But not by much. Utah couldn't control the one player it needed to control, as Burton went for 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Roberto Nelson scored a game-high 26 and Eric Moreland grabbed 15 rebounds.
It was an ugly performance for the Utes, and one that didn't need to be.
"We just got outplayed," Brandon Taylor said. "We didn't play well when we needed to."
It was another down performance with the chance to win consecutive Pac-12 games. And now, the road gets tougher as the Utes travel to Oregon to face perhaps the best team in the league.
Tony Jones