Coming off arguably their biggest victory since coach Jim Boylen took over the program, the Utah Utes are getting ready to meet New Mexico at the Huntsman Center on Saturday.
And the way they see it, that game is even bigger.
"You win the other night, and the pressure doesn't get less," Boylen said. "It gets more, because you're even more in the hunt. … I don't think the average fan understands that. I think they think you win, and, 'ahhhh,' and you feel great and all that. But now, you have to win again. Now there's more at stake."
So it will be interesting to see how the 13-7 Utes "handle success" against the 13-8 Lobos, something Boylen has frequently complained they have had trouble doing. But the Utes have won six straight home games, and sit in a four-way tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference. With a victory and some help, they could occupy the top spot all by themselves.
"We're on a roll right now," center Luke Nevill said. "We're leading the conference; we want to stay there. We want to be at the top of this league. For that to happen, we have to keep winning games -- especially games at home."
Maintaining possession
Turnovers have bothered the Utes too much -- they rank 305th out of 330 nationally in turnover margin -- and Boylen said limiting them will be key against the Lobos. In three games against them last season, the Utes committed 20 more turnovers and lost twice.
"We need to take care of the ball, and get a shot on goal," he said.
Dialing long distance
While their overall three-point accuracy has dropped slightly, with the line farther from the basket this season, the Utes seem to be benefitting from the change because of the way it has opened up the lane for Nevill. Defenses seem hesitant to double-team the 7-foot-2 senior, knowing the rest of the Utes are still good enough to hurt them from outside.
"It's a longer run to get back out to the three," Boylen said, "and it's a longer run to get down to [Nevill], if he's deep."
The Utes rank seventh in the Mountain West by shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range, compared to 39.3 percent last season, but two of their best shooters have improved. Point guard Luka Drca shot only 30.8 percent from long range last season, and he's hitting 43.9 percent now, while forward Shaun Green has gone from 37.6 percent to 38.5 percent.
