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Las Vegas • They talked about the little things that had beaten them — the turnovers, the missed rebounds, the missed finishes around the rim.
But with seven seconds left, it was a tie game between the Utes and Oregon. Give it to Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak again — he would still take it.
"Up until that last shot, I would've hit the deal button for sure going into overtime," he said. "The way we battled back and did what we needed to do."
Sometimes in that situation, you keep battling into overtime, outlast the opponent and win the game.
Sometimes, Joseph Young happens.
It's little consolation for the Utes, who could not have looked more shellshocked Friday night if the MGM Grand Garden Arena ceiling had crumbled onto the floor. They wanted five more minutes to prove they could beat Oregon, having lost in Eugene earlier this season. They wanted their third chance at Arizona. They wanted a championship that had seemed within their grasp many times this year.
But there is this: The season isn't over. And while the 67-64 semifinal loss was perhaps the harshest lesson of the season, it can be learned from.
In the locker room, Delon Wright seemed to stir himself from a distant gaze as a reporter asked him if the close game gives the program a taste of what awaits next week.
"Pretty much every game, everybody's fighting," Wright said. "It could be the last game of the season. Moving forward, we'll learn from this."
Last year, Utah was 2-8 in games decided by four points or less. It was an inside joke in the program to simply play fewer close games, but it's actually borne out: Utah has played only five games with a margin of four points or less. Unfortunately, the Utes are 2-3 in those games.
It was meaningful to fight Oregon until the final seconds, given some of the second-half struggles. Utah was outshot by about 22 percentage points in the second half by the Ducks, and quiet offensive nights from starters Jordan Loveridge, Jakob Poeltl and Brekkott Chapman didn't help.
But Utah did win the rebounding battle, 36-24. It had only one second-half turnover after 11 in the first half. Brandon Taylor, Chris Reyes and Wright all hit big shots down the stretch. It would've been better to make more stops, but Utah didn't lose its nerve.
The Utes have learned how to keep competing in close games, but they are still learning how to win them.
It was overall progress from the week before, when the Utes melted down against an underwhelming Washington team. Dallin Bachynski said the Utes have done a lot of growing in the past week, but he still sees more ahead.
"I'm just very glad we're not done yet, that we have a few games to play," the senior said. "I think we're better than we played today. Hopefully we can use this to move forward in a positive way."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Oregon 67, No. 17 Utah 64
UTAH (24-8)
Chapman 1-4 0-0 2, Taylor 9-15 0-0 24, Loveridge 0-7 0-0 0, Poeltl 2-7 3-8 7, D. Wright 5-8 5-7 16, I. Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Tucker 3-7 2-2 9, Reyes 1-1 2-2 4, Bachynski 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-50 12-19 64.
OREGON (25-8)
Bell 1-3 0-0 2, Young 8-16 6-6 25, Abdul-Bassit 1-3 0-0 3, Cook 6-14 1-1 13, Brooks 6-10 0-1 14, Benjamin 3-4 1-2 8, Benson 0-2 2-2 2, Rorie 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-53 10-12 67.
Halftime—Utah 31-30. 3-Point Goals—Utah 8-21 (Taylor 6-9, D. Wright 1-1, Tucker 1-4, Chapman 0-2, Loveridge 0-5), Oregon 7-19 (Young 3-8, Brooks 2-3, Benjamin 1-2, Abdul-Bassit 1-3, Benson 0-1, Rorie 0-1, Cook 0-1). Fouled Out—Bell. Rebounds—Utah 36 (D. Wright 9), Oregon 24 (Benjamin, Young 4). Assists—Utah 11 (D. Wright 5), Oregon 7 (Young 3). Total Fouls—Utah 13, Oregon 19. A—12,916.