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Tucson, Ariz • The Utah basketball team won't be waiting with bated breath for Monday's new AP rankings to see how far they've fallen. As Larry Krystkowiak has reiterated over and over, rankings don't mean much to his group.
But Monday will be a tough day, as the Runnin' Utes (14-3, 4-1) review what went wrong in a 69-51 loss at Arizona, a disappointing but familiar result. With clear eyes, they'll face a troubling truth: Some of the team's greatest strengths were somehow flipped into weaknesses in Saturday's game.
That is something to worry about. Utah has a lot to fix to contend with the best team in the Pac-12.
"It's an elite program," Brandon Taylor said. "Coming in here is definitely not an easy task. You have to have your A-game. You have to make very, very few mistakes, or they're going to make you pay. Especially on their home court."
If the match-up played out on paper instead of on the court, Utah would've stood a fair chance of winning. Halfway through the season, Utah is still one of the most efficient offenses (1.12 points per possession, No. 16 nationally), most stifling interior defenses (39 percent 2-point defense, No. 6) and better rebounding teams (54.4 rebounding percentage, No. 79) in the country.
In practice, obviously, it was a different story.
The rebounding battle sticks out for the sheer differential: A team that gets out-rebounded by 21 is almost always going to lose. Forwards such as Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson were able to out-leap and out-hustle the Utes, but it was also a team effort: When Arizona's front court did have the best positioning, they habitually tipped it back to their guards, which is one reason why Stanley Johnson led all rebounders with 9 boards.
Utah's leading rebounders were Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl, with two apiece. Rebounding had been a concern against Arizona State, when the Sun Devils gathered up 13 offensive rebounds, but Krystkowiak said it was difficult to turn that trend around with just one day of practice in between games.
The rebounding issue has Utah's full attention now.
"We have to get more physical," Wright said. "Not just the bigs, the guards too. They out-rebounded us by a lot, and that was the main reason we got beat so bad."
There were other reasons, too. Utah's 2-point defense is among the nation's top five, but Arizona shot over 54 percent inside the arc while making only one 3-pointer. The rebounding played into it: When Utah made a stop, Arizona often got the ball right back for a second opportunity.
Krystkowiak was also frustrated with Utah's pick-and-roll defense, which had troubled the Utes at Arizona State. He suggested that Utah will revisit their schemes early next week before Wednesday's home game against Washington State.
Arizona's athletic roster gave Utah's offense huge problems. After Wright started the game splitting post defenders off the dribble, the Wildcats closed ranks in the lane and prevented the lay-ups Wright is accustomed to getting.
One of Utah's most pressing issues will be getting its bigs scoring more consistently. Utah was outscored 34-14 in the paint. After starting the season as a double-double post, Jakob Poeltl's offensive production has tailed off, as one might expect for a freshman. He had 6 points. Brekkott Chapman had 7 points for the best mark among the forwards, but his one basket was a 3-pointer. Neither Chris Reyes nor Dallin Bachynski managed a field goal.
Utah has a home stretch to build their flaws back into their best assets again, which will be necessary against a Wazzu squad that has been tough on the road, and for Washington on Sunday. The Utes may have been exposed in Tucson, but being exposed could be cause to rally a team together, Krystkowiak said.
"It's always good to get a little bit of a wake-up call," Krystkowiak said.
Better now than in March.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah's strengths were struggles at 'Zona
Many statistical categories where Utah is typically formidable swung in the Wildcats' favor:
Rebounding (No. 66 with 34.2 rpg) • outrebounded 40-19, gave up 17 offensive rebounds
Offensive efficiency (No. 8 with 49.8 percent shooting) • Shot 7 for 22 from 2-point range, outscored by 20 in the paint
Interior defense (No. 6 with 39 percent 2-point defense) • Allowed Arizona to shoot 25 of 46 on 2-point attempts