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Ahead of their first road game at Wichita State, the No. 25 Utes have a whole week to play with.
It won't go to waste, coach Larry Krystkowiak said.
"We're going to have a couple practices this week where we're going full-throttle," he said. "We've got to accomplish some things. We've got to get a lot better."
The Utes (7-1) have hardly gotten much of a break since starting the season on Nov. 13 and playing five games in nine nights. The longest pause between contests was a five-day stretch between Temple and Idaho State that included a full day of plane travel from Puerto Rico.
But a whole week between games offers Utah a luxury it feels it needs going against the Shockers (3-4), who despite an ugly start have won 34 straight games at home.
While the Utes re-entered the AP's top 25 on Monday, Krystkowiak said he's still identified several flaws that he hopes to fix with a few rugged practices before the Utes enter the packed, golden stands at Intrust Bank Arena.
"When you're playing games two or three days apart, it's hard to take that day where you say, 'Hey guys, this is just for us. We've got to fix some things internally,'" he said. "Because you've always got in the back of your mind that next opponent. I'd like to tackle today and tomorrow and try and fix some things that are broken in the Utah program, and have Wednesday and Thursday more specifically on the court to taper in what Wichita brings to the table."
One of the top concerns: defense.
The Utes were among the nation's top defensive teams in every category last year, but that reputation has taken hits thanks to a sagging perimeter. Utah is allowing 42.3-percent shooting from 3-point range, which ranks No. 335 in the country and is more than a 10-point rise from last season.
Krystkowiak said Saturday after a win over IPFW that the Utes aren't guarding well at the perimeter, while Jordan Loveridge added that the new officiating emphasis has hurt Utah's aggressiveness outside the arc.
While the Utes rank tops in the Pac-12 in offensive efficiency (1.143 points per possession), Krystkowiak said he thinks some players are "too worried" about offense and may have lapsed on defensive responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Utah's 3-point shooting has improved from a rocky start to the year, but Krystkowiak acknowledged five players are shooting below 30 percent from long range, including starters Brandon Taylor and Kyle Kuzma. While he thinks some of those slumping shooters will eventually improve their percentages, he's also hoping to make sure Utah's offense is working from the inside out: a more established post game helps open up deep opportunities.
Krystkowiak told his players before the week started to prepare for a "training camp mentality."
When there's a little more time, the Utes won't hesitate to make the most of it.
"I told our guys when they left the gym Saturday afternoon to get ready for a different intensity type of practice," he said. "We've gotta pump it up here a little bit moving forward."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah returns
to the top 25
The Utes secured enough votes to rise to No. 25 in the new rankings on Monday. Where the Pac-12 is in the poll:
• 13. Arizona (7-1)
• 24. Oregon (6-1)
• 25. Utah (7-1)