This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The NCAA Tournament drought is over for the Runnin' Utes.
No. 17 Utah (24-8, 13-5) will be dancing Thursday in Portland against Stephen F. Austin, breaking a six-year absence from college basketball's biggest event.
How sweet it is.
"That was one of the reasons I wanted to come back [this season]," senior guard Delon Wright said. "Now we're here."
The Utes earned a No. 5 seed on Selection Sunday in coach Larry Krystkowiak's fourth year, by virtue of a renaissance season that saw Utah finish tied for second in the Pac-12 and ranked consistently in the top 25 teams in the nation.
There wasn't much suspense, as Utah had punched its ticket long ago. But the Utes said they still harbored anxiety, and when they saw "Utah" flash across the Selection Show telecast, there was raucous applause.
The team left Krystkowiak's house — where they watched the show together — wearing bright red shirts with pictures of tickets that read "Big Dance." For many of the veterans who slogged through Utah's rebuilding years, it was an especially rewarding experience.
"It's good to know the hard work pays off," Jordan Loveridge said. "It's nice to see where the program was and where it is now."
In the Lumberjacks (29-4), Utah faces a tough midmajor that is used to winning. SFA won 28 of its 29 most recent games, concluding with a 13-point win over Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference Tournament. The Lumberjacks pushed another five seed, Northern Iowa, to the brink in a narrow 79-77 loss in November, and they feature a balanced scoring roster: Their five top scorers all average 8 points or more and shoot 47 percent or better.
The two programs have never met on the hardwood, but Krystkowiak said he was familiar with the program through Coaches vs. Cancer.
He's expecting a dogfight on Thursday from a team that can run in transition.
"We've played some high powered teams, and you've got to experience it in order to understand that kind of pace," he said. "But I still think we've got a long way to go."
For the program, it's the 28th appearance in the tournament, where it has a 35-30 record with one national championship win in 1944. The Utes were last in the tournament as a fifth seed in 2009, but they are hunting for their first tournament win since 2005, when the Andrew Bogut-led Utes made the Sweet 16.
Utah is coming off its bumpiest segment of the season, going 3-4 in its last seven games — three of those losses coming on the road or neutral sites, and one against Pac-12 champion Arizona. The Utes spent Saturday recovering from a heartbreaking Pac-12 Tournament semifinal loss to Oregon, 67-64, which the Ducks won on a last-second shot by Joseph Young.
A day off in Vegas to visit with family and friends hasn't taken the sting away from that game, Krystkowiak said.
"It's still lingering," he said. "I need some Listerine."
Despite putting together its best season in years, the team has found middling results away from the Huntsman Center: Utah is 8-7 in road and neutral site games this year.
But the Utes also have plenty going for them, starting with All-American and postseason awards candidate Wright who is Utah's leading scorer and assist man. The Utes are among five teams that rank in the top-16 in both offensive and defensive points per possession, a club that includes top seeds Kentucky, Arizona, Gonzaga and Villanova. Utah has won 15 games by 20 points or more this season, the most of any team in the nation.
It's Krystkowiak's first time leading Utah to the Big Dance, the realization of a rebuilding project that started with a six-win team in 2012. Krystkowiak went to two NCAA Tournaments in two years in his first college coaching stint at Montana, compiling a 1-2 record, his one victory from when his 12-seeded Grizzlies scored a first-round upset over No. 5 Nevada in 2006.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utes vs. Lumberjacks
P At Portland, Ore.
WHO: Utah vs. Stephen F. Austin
WHEN: approximately 5:30 p.m. MDT Thursday
—
Inside
O Kragthorpe: Krystkowiak knows the perils of a 5-12 matchup. > B3