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The standard operating line in the unwritten handbook of coaching clichés is this: "We try not to pay attention to polls."

Utah's Larry Krystkowiak said as much back in October, when the Runnin' Utes were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12, back when the team was populated by newcomers and unknown quantities.

Now, Utah (20-10, 11-7) is known, and it has finished fourth in the league — and come to find out that some of these guys do pay attention to preseason polls. Lorenzo Bonam admitted as much back in January, when he called Utah being voted eighth "disrespectful." Kyle Kuzma tweeted Saturday evening to "appreciate the haters." And after Utah's 67-59 win over Stanford, Krystkowiak felt pretty good about beating expectations himself.

"I think that if you look back, we've always been ahead of where they picked us, and there's always a lot of fun in that," he said. "You know, early on [in Krystkowiak's first year], we were picked 12th, and you know what, we finished 11th the first year, we didn't finish 12th. So, there's a lot of satisfaction in that."

It's now a given that Utah has played better than originally expected, given the influx of new talent. But another looming question — whether it is playing its best basketball in March — will ultimately be the standard by which these Utes are judged.

Finishing the regular season with three straight wins, the Utes did what they had to do to give themselves a four-seed bye in this week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. But the path ahead is even more challenging: Utah will see a rematch with either Oregon State or Cal, both teams that won in matchups away from the Huntsman Center. If Utah can get through that, it will likely have to try to break a nine-game losing streak to Oregon, then potentially a rematch with UCLA or Arizona — two other teams that beat the Utes this year.

Unlike in the past two seasons, losing is not an option if Utah wants to go to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year. As of Sunday afternoon, Utah isn't in any of the 108 bracket projections tracked by Bracket Matrix. Lacking big-time wins on its schedule, Utah would have to win its way into the tournament — a long shot at best.

As he has many times this season, Krystkowiak related the story of Colorado winning the Pac-12 Tournament as a No. 5 seed in 2012. While Utah can't change anything about its preseason without David Collette and Sedrick Barefield, can't change games it lost when Kyle Kuzma was injured, and can't undo the inexplicable loss to Oregon State, it is concentrating on moving forward.

"I don't think the committee is sitting there saying, 'Oh, poor Utah,'" Krystkowiak said. "We're just going to control what we can control. We know we're a decent team."

And yet even as Utah enjoyed probably its best game since January on Thursday, in a 74-44 bullying of Cal, questions abound. The Utes looked considerably more stiff-legged against Stanford, something they later cited due to short turnaround with games. It doesn't get shorter than at the Pac-12 Tournament, with 24 hours (or less) to prepare for each opponent.

There are also personnel questions: Devon Daniels continues to serve an indefinite suspension for an indefinite offense. Krystkowiak said his top freshman "wants to be with us" but "certain things have to change."

Utah's depth was also hit when Collette suffered a head injury against Stanford. While he seemed normal after the game, talking and visiting with his family, his injury history weaves caution into any concussion-like symptoms he experiences.

Some of Utah's statistics through the course of the season illustrate how impressively it has burst through those preseason prognostications. Utah finished the regular season as the No. 4 team nationally in shooting percentage (50.5 percent), the No. 12 team in rebounding margin (plus-7.4) and the No. 59 team in shooting defense (41.5 percent).

But statistics, in the end, don't leave a lasting impression. Expectations are defined by wins, particularly in the postseason. In that respect, the Utes acknowledged, they have a lot of work left to do.

"We'll have to play three games — it's not impossible. It's not the first time that's happened," Krystkowiak said. "That's a certain way to get into the tournament. If that doesn't happen, we're not gonna try to be defined by it. We're just going to keep on keeping on."

kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —

Utah's Pac-12 tournament path

The Utes have earned a bye for the third straight year in the Pac-12 Tournament, this year taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. To win the tourney and earn an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, here's a look at Utah's road:

Thursday • Utah vs. 5 Cal/12 Oregon State, 3:30 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network

Friday • Utah vs. 1 Oregon/8 ASU/9 Stanford, 7 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Network

Saturday • Championship game, 9 p.m. MST, ESPN