This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Denver • Red-eyed and cheeks coated in tears, Brandon Taylor and Kyle Kuzma stepped out from behind a black curtain and planted themselves in front of microphones.
They knew it would end someday. But not here, not now. Not like it did.
"I definitely feel overwhelmed," Taylor said, "because I don't think any of us pictured it like this."
Utah's opportunity for a second straight Sweet 16 was crushed early, as the Gonzaga Bulldogs were everything the Utes were not: aggressive, efficient and composed. It looked like a high seed against a low seed, but the roles reversed, and Gonzaga rolled a limp and lifeless Utes squad in a 82-59 blowout in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The exit was ugly, leaving Utah's locker room stunned as a promising 27-9 campaign hit an abrupt halt. Suffering its second-worse loss of the year as a No. 3 seed with a path to make a serious run in the Midwest Region gave the season an awkward, unfinished feeling.
It was supposed to be a showdown of two great big men, two similarly styled programs and two of the West's most competitive coaches in front of a sold-out crowd. But Gonzaga showed it was in a class that, throughout the year, the Utes haven't been able to reach.
The Zags outrebounded Utah by 10, had fewer turnovers (plus-4 in margin), and outshot the Utes 56 percent to 42 percent. The magic that led to Utah's comebacks against teams like Colorado, Oregon State, Duke and Cal proved elusive, as a shooting slump out of halftime only fed into the hungry Bulldogs' hands.
Eric McClellan led with 22 points for the victorious Bulldogs, and Domantas Sabonis dominated the paint with 19 points and 10 rebounds — contrasted by a pedestrian night for Jakob Poeltl (5 points, 3 rebounds). Gonzaga coach Mark Few and his players ran off the Pepsi Center court amid fan cheers of "We're going to Chicago!"
Kyle Kuzma had 15 points for Utah, one of only two double-digit scorers for the Utes.
"It's tough to beat a team when all five of its guys are making plays," said senior Jordan Loveridge. "It's tough to beat any team like that."
Hoping for a second-half rally, the Utes instead didn't hit their first basket until five minutes after the intermission. Gonzaga stayed hot, shooting 61.5 percent in the second half and leading by as much as 30 points.
When Utah's guards went under screens, Gonzaga hit 3-pointers. When the Utes went over screens, they drove to the basket. There were no right answers — and Utah couldn't help itself by hitting a few shots of its own.
"Well, we didn't end up making shots tonight," Taylor said. "They shot lights out."
Utah had these nights during the season. A 24-point loss to Miami. A 17-point loss to Wichita State. A 31-point loss to Oregon, capping a trio of double-digit losses to the Ducks.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak hoped that Utah had learned its lessons from the trials. In a final exam against Gonzaga, they weren't able to apply them.
Led by Kyle Wiltjer's 11 points in the first nine minutes, the Bulldogs seized a 24-15 lead. Utah's turnover-sodden offense had a moment of brilliance when Poeltl kicked off a 7-0 run with five points of his own, closing the gap to one possession.
But Poeltl picked up a critical second foul at the 6:38 mark, sending him to the bench for the rest of the half. Without him in play, Gonzaga knocked down a 13-4 run to wrap the half — including shooting 8 for 12 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
Krystkowiak marked up the loss to mental breakdowns, not the team's game plan. Wiltjer was lost early, then the Utes missed Sabonis in pick-and-roll coverage.
Once Gonzaga built up a head of steam, Krystkowiak said: "There's some guys firing on all cylinders."
Utah's 15-point halftime deficit was its second-largest of the season, topped only by its 17-point gap against Oregon the week before.
The finale was undignified for a team that won more games than any Utah squad in a decade, that went to the Pac-12 championship for the first time, that made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 2005.
"My career's over," senior guard Dakarai Tucker said, staring blankly. "It's a bummer, because these guys gave me a chance when I had nothing, and we made something and I did it with guys I love to death.
"And now it's done."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Gonzaga leads by as much as 30 in blowout loss.
• Eric McClellan leads Bulldogs with 22 points, Domantas Sabonis has 19.
• Kyle Kuzma leads Utah with 15 points.