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They took turns on scout team: Jakob Poeltl, Jeremy Olsen and Dallin Bachynski.
But no matter how much the team tries to simulate going against 6-foot-11, 270-pound Jahlil Okafor, it won't quite measure up to the real thing. The freshman center at Duke, who is widely considered a leading candidate for multiple player of the year awards, is a beast unto himself.
"How do we simulate him? It's difficult. It really is," Larry Krystkowiak said. "Jakob, J.O. and Big Lebowski [Bachynski] did their best impersonation of him today. But it's 6-11, 280 that handles a basketball like a tennis ball if you've been watching games."
Okafor averages 18.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. His game has been favorably compared to Tim Duncan, and he can twist and spin like a striking cobra when carving a path to the rim. He's been held to single-digit points only one time this year - against Wake Forest when Duke ended up winning by 43 points anyway.
Against San Diego State, he went off for 26 points and 6 boards in the Blue Devils' 19-point win. Krystkowiak cited a post-game quote from SDSU big man Skylar Spencer, who earlier in the year limited Jakob Poeltl: "I played against big players before but I haven't played against anybody that big, with that skill set."
The Utes, whose centers all stand 6-foot-10 or taller, harbor no illusions about how tough Okafor will be.
"I've seen a lot of the Duke games," Poeltl said. "He's very aggressive in the post, got good touch, good footwork, he's really a complete big man down on the block."
Duke's airtime on ESPN and other national networks means that many Utes have seen the Blue Devils play in downtime. During film study on Monday, Bachynski thought to himself several times, "I actually watched this game."
But facing an opposing big man they can't fully simulate is nothing new for Utah. They'll study Okafor, try to understand his game, and run the best practices they can.
"We didn't have a way of replicating Josh Smith in the last game," "We're not going to be able to perfectly replicate what he is as a player. … Being able to get the idea, mentally focused on what he likes to do and stopping what he likes to do, that will be more important than playing a player just like him."
No starry eyes - The obvious storyline of the week's Sweet 16 match-up is how Duke is consistently a postseason contender, while Utah is happy to be in the regional semifinal for the first time in 16 years.
But the truth isn't quite that simple.
When asked if the Utes were juiced up to play the 1-seeded Blue Devils, Krystkowiak looked put off: "Are you kidding me?"
Bachynski took a minute to point out the Sweet 16 banner hanging in the Huntsman Center. His point? The Utes have some history, too.
"We're not a no-name school," he said. "In our past, there's experience. We don't have any Sweet 16 experienced players on our team, but we've got a couple of good coaches, a good team. We're not going to let the stage outplay us. We're going to be ready."
Krystkowiak up for coaching honors - On the heels of Utah's first Sweet 16 berth in 10 years, Krystkowiak was named one of 16 finalists for the Jim Phelan Award for top coaching honors in the country.
The fourth-year Utes coach fins himself matched up with two other Pac-12 coaches, including Oregon's Dana Altman and Arizona's Sean Miller.
Krystkowiak didn't comment directly on the award, but gave some insight Monday on his coaching tics, which include waking up at 4 or 5 a.m. daily until the season is through. His bouts with sleeping issues lead to some surreal moments.
"The other day I woke up, and thought, 'Huh, I feel like something good is going on.' And then you're like, 'Holy crap, we made it to the Sweet 16,'" he said. "And after that, you're not going to fall asleep. You've got things to think about."
Twitter: @kylegoon