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It was just one minute. One minute and nine seconds, actually. The Utes figured it was safe for Delon Wright to take a quick break.
In that short breather, Kansas' lead grew from one point to eight. Back in went Wright, and he never came out again.
That's been Utah's last few in a nutshell: giving up huge runs and then having to answer them. From the first 10 unanswered points Wichita State scored on the Utes two weeks back, Larry Krystkowiak has seen his No. 14-ranked Runnin' Utes (7-2) go through wild swings back and forth.
"It kind of hit me over the head like a sledgehammer when you have two different halves like that," he said. "We're in the midst of looking at a lot of numbers and game tape trying to eliminate some of those runs."
One way they'll do that: changing the starting lineup.
Krystkowiak won't yet identify new starters, but said he expects changes for Saturday's game against UNLV in Las Vegas. After reviewing the footage against the Jayhawks, Krystkowiak said having too much youth out on the floor together hurt the team in a number of ways.
In transition defense, often the Utes were scrambling to find assignments, he said, leaving a number of open threes that Kansas drilled in the first half, during which Utah was outscored by 18. The offense also had problems: On possessions when Utah shot with less than 10 seconds left on the play clock, the team was 1 for 11, Krystkowiak said.
In an effort to get different looks and mixes of experience, Krystkowiak and his staff will tweak the starters. For the last five games, the Utes have started Wright, Brandon Taylor, Jakob Poeltl, Kenneth Ogbe and Chris Reyes.
"Obviously some of the rotations, the guys coming in, it's not like anybody's been downgraded or exiled here," he said. "But we'll have to start looking at some swings."
Poeltl getting more attention
On most of the court against BYU, it was basketball. But Krystkowiak thought a different sport was going on in the paint as the Cougars defended Jakob Poeltl.
"I didn't realize what was going on until I watched game tape afterwards, but it wasn't basketball," he said. "It was a different form of rugby or Australian rules football or something that was a little unusual."
Krystkowiak said that's the new reality for Poeltl, the freshman Austrian 7-foot center who some analysts have pegged as a first round pick in next year's NBA Draft. As his profile increases, so does his attention.
Utah gained a 20-free throw attempt edge on BYU in the game, but Poeltl, a 45 percent free throw shooter, hasn't often been able to take advantage of his time on the line. After averaging more than 12 points per game in his first seven games, he's had a combined 14 in the last two.
But Krystkowiak stopped short of saying Poeltl's hitting a setback. On the contrary, he said, he's done well on both ends of the floor.
"He needs to be stronger around the rim, and he continues to focus on his rebounding and assignments," he said. "But it's not a step back, it's not like anybody's taken anything away. It's a progression."
Loveridge prognosis positive
The way Utah has struggled with its outside shooting and some offensive execution recently, some fans have undoubtedly been missing junior wing Jordan Loveridge.
Krystkowiak said he's only been worried about how he can work with active players, but he's been checking up on Loveridge's health and things are looking good. Loveridge was on a water treadmill Monday, and his coach said things are looking as good as ever for his left knee after minor surgery. He speculated that Loveridge has played through injury for some time.
"I think he's gonna come back better after all of this," he said. "Hopefully a blessing in disguise, obviously get rid of some of the loose bodies and some of the big chunks that were impeding his range of motion. Now he's working on it really hard. Every time I see him, he's in the midst of something."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 14 Utah at UNLV
O MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas Saturday, 9:30 p.m. MST TV • ESPN2