This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
It isn't March yet. On Wednesday night in a packed Huntsman Center, no one cared.
It was a fist-pumper, a win worth celebrating as the buzzer went off and the Runnin' Utes had clinched a hard-fought 69-68 victory over Wichita State — one that will be talked about, remembered and smiled upon as perhaps the game in which Utah announced itself as a team to be respected and feared.
The Utah faithful have been dreaming of an NCAA Tournament team for five years. And the Utes appeared to be just that in the second half and overtime, as they ended the No. 8-ranked Shockers' 35-game regular-season winning streak.
"It was tough," said a beaming Larry Krystkowiak. "Our guys just hung in there."
The back-and-forth featured a worthy ending: Brandon Taylor hit a go-ahead shot with 55 seconds left. Then Ron Baker made a go-ahead basket with less than 31 seconds left. Any fingernails that had yet to be chewed off were going in those final moments.
Delon Wright hit a go-ahead jumper to give Utah a 69-68 lead, but then committed a foul himself, sending Wichita State star Fred Van Vleet to the line.
The highest of high drama for two and a half hours ultimately was decided by Utah's rebounding, though.
After Van Vleet missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Utes scrapped for the loose ball until Chris Reyes came down with it and was fouled. And when Reyes missed his own one-and-one, Jakob Poeltl grabbed the board and earned two more free throws.
And though he missed both of his attempts — the free-throw line has been a particular struggle for Utah this year — Utah had done just enough, elapsing enough time to prevent the Shockers from getting a good look at a game-winner. A final toss from halfcourt was fruitless for Wichita State, and the Runnin' Utes shot their hands into the air after it missed.
"Man, it was just amazing," Taylor said. "It was almost surreal, a surreal kind of feeling. But we believe we can beat that team. We have a group of guys that believe we're one of the best teams in the country."
Utah clinched a marquee home win, a critical step along its path back to the Big Dance this year. It was the first time the Utes beat a top-10 non-conference opponent at home since 2002, when No. 1 Alabama was the titan to take a fall.
Taylor led the team with 17 points and made some of the game's biggest shots, including a 3-pointer that put Utah up by double digits for the first time. But it was about more than any one player: Everyone had to endure a sucker punch as Utah nearly lost it all.
Utah seemed to be in control, with one of its biggest wins under Larry Krystkowiak within its grasp. Then, suddenly, it wasn't: A two-pointer off an offensive rebound, a 3-pointer off a defensive rebound, a 3-pointer off a steal, and then another spun the Utes.
Two free throws by Dakarai Tucker — free throws he had practiced that morning with Brandon Taylor, Krystkowiak said — tied up the game again at 60 with 18 seconds left.
A last-ditch Van Vleet 3-pointer before the end of regulation ensured a little extra time in a game that had a crowd of 14,319 on its feet, swaying with every ebb.
There was a pronounced surge in the second half, as Utah dominated on the glass. In gaining a 23-18 edge on the boards after halftime, Utah was able to deny the Shockers some of the extra chances they had been getting in the first period.
"I thought it was going to be a deciding factor in the game, the mindset we had [rebounding]," Krystkowiak said.
Utah took its first lead with 13 minutes left.
The Utes really began taking control with an 11-3 run, which prominently featured a Brekkott Chapman bounce pass that led to a Dallin Bachynski dunk with a free throw tacked on.
Utah's 3-point shooting was a big factor: The Utes hit 6 of 13 attempts in the second half, led by Taylor and Tucker. Chapman hit one himself with a little help, needing a sky-high bounce off the rim to sink a momentum-seizing three that gave Utah its first lead.
While Krystkowiak would love to attribute his team's success to skill, even he had to admit a few bounces went Utah's way.
"Some of it is a little luck, too," he said. "When it comes to close games, you can talk tactical all you want, but at the end of the day, you need to catch a bounce, and maybe we did at some point."
At the start, Utah was anything but lucky. Against Wichita State's fierce attack on both ends, it looked ready to lay tracks through the arena. The Utes didn't seem to know the game had begun until three-and-a-half minutes in. The Shockers overran them, scoring 10 points before Utah had one.
Poeltl's inside presence sparked the offense, as he scored nine of Utah's first 11 points. Wright also broke down Wichita State's defense, dribbling in for layups while Taylor hit a few long shots.
But Utah was playing catch-up the whole first half: The Shockers earned extra possessions on offensive rebounds and turnovers to take 11 more shots in the first half alone.
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