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Tucson, Ariz. • It wasn't that Utah lost, it was how Utah lost that still seems so shocking 10 months later.
By the 2014 Pac-12 tournament, the Utes were on the rise. They had played conference favorite Arizona tough in two regular-season meetings, losing by single digits in Salt Lake City and Tucson. The tournament rubber match in Las Vegas was going to be an uphill battle, but a battle all the same.
Of course, the Wildcats went on to a 71-39 pummeling that made Utah look like the Washington Generals. Arizona stonewalled them on defense and ran wild on the other end.
That was then. When the No. 8 Utes (14-2, 4-0) meet the No. 10 Wildcats (15-2, 3-1) here Saturday, they'll do so with a more mature roster, two NBA-caliber players in Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl, and short memories.
"We have a new team," said Wright. "Personally, I'm not worried about it. We'll come out and play our game."
Pac-12 Network analyst Kevin O'Neill doesn't disagree. The Utes, he said, have grown up.
"Arizona was just better last year, but Utah has matured an awful lot," O'Neill said. "They've gotten older, they've taken that next step in the process. They've got a great culture, a great foundation, and they've taken huge strides."
Those strides are what should lead to a compelling matchup between Utah and Arizona. The winner will control first place in Pac-12, and has the potential to catapult into top-five status.
Utah's signature defense is better than ever this year under Larry Krystkowiak, ranking as the No. 7 field goal percentage defense (36.4 percent), No. 5 in points allowed per possession (0.836) and controlling the glass and blocking shots better than most teams in the Pac-12.
It reflects some of the frontcourt overhaul of the offseason: By adding Poeltl, Brekkott Chapman and Chris Reyes, the Utes have a group of big men who can now contend with almost any front line in college basketball. That includes Arizona, which boasts quality big men like 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski, long-armed Brandon Ashley and standout freshman small forward Stanley Johnson. One of Arizona's losses was to a UNLV team that Utah beat by 13.
"You have a lot of strength-on-strength matchups in this game," NBC Sports college basketball writer Rob Dauster said. "Two teams that are really good defensively, they have big front lines. I think it could be ugly, in the 50s or 60s, because that style is how both teams want to play."
One of Krystkowiak's first early positive signs of a turnaround was at the McKale Center with his first team at Utah. Then, the Utes led by as much as 13, and were even up at halftime being led by Jason Washburn and Cedric Martin.
But a winning formula has eluded the Utes against 'Zona. Krystkowiak has fallen in all seven of his matchups with Sean Miller. The last time Utah beat Arizona was in the 1998 Elite Eight battle, when the Utes were led by Andre Miller and made it to the championship game before falling to Kentucky.
If Utah is still paying its penance for that victory with its 10 straight losses to Arizona since, this year's Utes consider it paid in full. And then some.
"We've tried to figure out a way to beat them, and we haven't done a very good job in three years," Krystkowiak said. "The key is trying to keep it competitive and giving ourselves a chance."
In beating the Wildcats last week, Oregon State — led by former Krystkowiak assistant Wayne Tinkle — may have revealed a winning blueprint. The Beavers limited possessions, shot efficiently, controlled the defensive boards and made the right plays in the final minute of their 58-56 victory.
Of course, Oregon State had the luxury of playing on its own floor instead of the one where Arizona has won 31 straight games. Utah's defense and the emergence of Wright as an All-American-caliber player will challenge the Wildcats, and the Utes hope for a big game from their frontcourt, particularly their freshmen.
But Utah has also struggled offensively in road games, especially against teams with elite athletes. Against San Diego State and Kansas, two teams with length and speed to go around, the Utes suffered through long scoring droughts that they ultimately couldn't recover from.
That's the next step in Utah's rapid maturation: Do something they haven't done before. It would be a sign to the conference and the country to watch out, that this Utah team will be a factor in March.
"If you win it, not only does it propel you to the front of the Pac-12 conversation; this is the type of opportunity that changes perception everywhere, that transcends the normal college basketball conversation, in the way Kentucky or Duke does," CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish said. "It's a whole lot to gain and very little to lose. Utah can really register in a way that I don't think Utah has registered in a long time."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
One-sided series
The Utes have lost 10 straight to Arizona, dating to a 1998 win over the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament. Larry Krystkowiak is 0-7 against the 'Cats.
2014 • road loss, 65-56; home loss, 67-63; Pac-12 tournament loss, 71-39
2013 • road loss, 60-57; home loss, 68-64
2012 • home loss, 77-51; road loss 70-61 —
No. 8 Utah at No. 10 Arizona
P McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Tipoff • 5 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Networks
Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • Utah (14-2, 4-0); UA (15-2, 3-1)
Series history • Tied at 28
Last meeting • March 13, 2014 at Pac-12 tournament; Arizona 71, Utah 39
About the Utes • Utah has rumbled through its first four Pac-12 opponents, winning by an average of 24.5 points per game. … Delon Wright was named to the Wooden top 25 candidates at midseason, averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. … This is the first game Utah has played against a top-10 opponent while being ranked in the top 10 since the 1998 championship game against Kentucky.
About the Wildcats • Arizona has won 31 straight games at the McKale Center, dating to Feb. 10, 2013. … The Wildcats haven't lost back-to-back games since 2013, and have won nine straight games following losses.