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San Juan, Puerto Rico • The Runnin' Utes will have opportunities to win tournaments. But not this one.
With a 90-66 lashing at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes in the second game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Utah (3-1) took Saturday off to lick its wounds. Every team takes a loss every year, but it's been a while since the Utes had one that bad.
The flaws are disappointing, head coach Larry Krystkowiak said Friday, but better that they're exposed now than later in the season.
"I told the guys I was kind of excited," he said. "When you get exposed like this, it challenges you. I shared with our team, 'Life is about 10 percent what happens to you, and about 90 percent how you respond to it.' "
The opportunity to showcase improvement comes Sunday, as the Utes take on Temple (1-2). The Owls' losses have come to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 22 Butler.
The Utes seek to plug up the turnovers and rebounding issues that plagued their game against Miami. There's also the matter of shooting: While Jordan Loveridge has begun the season 18 for 35 from 3-point range and is among the country's most prolific deep shooters, the rest of the team is 14 for 66 (21 percent), a noticeable shortcoming for a team that was a top-10 outside shooting team last season.
But it's not all doom and gloom for the Utes: Aside from Loveridge, sophomore center Jakob Poeltl is averaging 18 points per game, double his scoring production from last season. Newcomer Lorenzo Bonam has had a few big games, although Miami bottled him up on Friday. The bench had its first double-digit scoring game of the year after starting slow.
The Utes think when Brandon Taylor and a few other contributors break out, they could have a good team. But when teams like the 'Canes are whipping them, Krystkowiak said, they need to be the team they believe they are.
"Our team needs to get tougher collectively and individually," he said. "I've always thought the aggressor wins when it comes to the foul line, and we pretty much got punched in the mouth and didn't do a very good job of responding."
Utah's response on Sunday afternoon will say a lot about it: Temple won 26 games last season and had one of the best defenses in the country before losing in the NIT to Miami. Fran Dunphy is the fourth straight coach the Utes face with at least 400 wins.
The Owls are led by two capable scoring guards in Quenton DeCosey and Devin Coleman, and also have the American Athletic Conference's top returning rebounder in 6-foot-8 Jaylen Bond.
The game tips off at 2:30 p.m. MST on ESPNU at Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Temple vs. No. 16 Utah
P Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan Puerto Rico
Tipoff • 5:30 p.m. MST
TV • ESPNU
Radio • ESPN700
Records • Temple 1-2, Utah 3-1
Series history • First meeting
About the Owls • Fran Dunphy is seven wins from becoming the fifth coach to record at least 200 wins at two different schools. … Senior forward Jaylen Bond is the top returning rebounder in the AAC and is averaging 9.7 boards per game. … This is the Owls' third appearance in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. They are 4-4 in the event.
About the Utes • Utah is coming off its biggest defeat since a loss to Arizona in the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament. … With 18 points against Miami, Jordan Loveridge has 1,233 points in his career, moving to No. 23 on the all-time list and 46 points shy of Alex Jensen. … Jakob Poeltl has scored in double digits in four straight games for the first time in his Utah career, and is averaging 18 ppg. to start the season.