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Portland, Ore. • It could be read in the misses that flew a bit short. It could be seen in the frantic passes that went nowhere, or into waiting Lumberjack hands.
There was pressure. And not only the kind Stephen F. Austin's defense was bringing.
"I think we got the jitters out," Brandon Taylor said. "I was anxious. I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't anxious about the experience. I've never been here before. It was just good to get that experience and get it off your chest."
In the locker room following their 57-50 win, the Utes were laughing, gossiping, switching the TV to other tournament games, chowing down on pasta — feeling loose.
It wasn't so breezy beforehand. Several players brought up the word "jitters" when talking about their first NCAA Tournament game. The anxiety of being a popular pick might've shook them up a bit, they admitted, and may have kept them from being as sharp as they could be.
Utah had 17 turnovers, one away from their season-high. Delon Wright and Taylor, normally Utah's steadiest hands, were the chief culprits. They also struggled to shoot, going a combined 3 for 12 from the field against SFA's off-putting defense.
Taylor has played in some barn burners, but do any of them match the intensity of playing in the Big Dance?
"No," he said flatly. "Not at all."
SFA's experience in the postseason may have helped them a bit to adapt to the energy. Even though the Lumberjacks couldn't make a shot against swat-happy Jakob Poeltl, they kept the intensity up.
"They play a lot faster than most of the teams we played this year," Chris Reyes said. "Within the three, four days we had to prepare for it, it was pretty hard."
But fortunately for the Utes, they had enough fight at the end. Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak praised his team for pulling through at the finish. The experience, he reasoned, should serve them in the round of 32.
"We've tasted it a little bit," he said. "I don't think it really makes any difference in the style of the game if you get the W."
Rotation tightens up
Utah's depth has been considered a strength for most of the year, but on Thursday — when the stakes were highest — Krystkowiak tightened the leash.
After subbing in Poeltl and Taylor with 12:13 to go, he didn't make another sub until 40 seconds left, when Jordan Loveridge fouled out. Krystkowiak rode his top five guys — which included Taylor, Loveridge, Poeltl, Wright and Dakarai Tucker — as far as they could go.
"I didn't really get tired," Poeltl said. "You have that adrenaline late, it's a close game. It didn't really feel like 33 minutes."
Krystkowiak's one sub after the 12-minute mark was Isaiah Wright, who got two defensive rebounds and three free throws that shored up the game. The most surprising scratch was Dallin Bachynski, who was healthy and available, but recorded his first DNP of the year.
Rock solid D
With 21 misses from beyond the arc, SFA set an ominous mark: They recorded the most 3-point misses of any Utah opponent this year.
It wasn't the only impressive defensive stat Utah recorded. The Utes held the Jacks to their lowest offensive output of the year, only a point away from holding them under 50 for the first time since 2012. Poeltl's 5 blocks tied an SFA opponent season high.
Twitter: @kylegoon