This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Seattle • Utah's issue the past three years has been a lack of talent. A fast start this season, and a good showing the first weekend of Pac-12 play, seems to have addressed that.
The other big problem for the Utes has been their play away from the Huntsman Center. Has that been alleviated?
Utah's just 1-18 in Pac-12 road games during Larry Krystkowiak's tenure. Washington is the only place the Utes have won away from home. It's a big problem, and one that can only be solved by winning.
"In order to be successful, we need to win road games," Krystkowiak said. "The guys don't need that pressure because they weren't here in the past. It's a grind because you go into gyms and face adverse situations. We're going to be in a lot of games that come down to one possession."
Krystkowiak's placed a big premium on winning on the road, and that's been his one big shortcoming as Utah's coach.
He knows that this week presents two big chances to come up with some victories on the road, but he also knows winning in the Pac-12 is a difficult proposition.
A return
Princeton Onwas played for the first time in three games on Wednesday night against Washington. The junior forward had been a starter earlier in the season, but had fallen out of the playing rotation in the last week.
A natural small forward, Onwas played power forward in the first half, replacing Jordan Loveridge, as Krystkowiak put him in the game with the idea of spreading the floor to create a quickness advantage offensively.
He played five minutes and didn't score.
A big drought
Utah missed its first 10 shots against the Huskies, and missed all nine of its 3-point attempts. Delon Wright was the only Ute to play well, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds in the initial 20 minutes.
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