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Houston • In Utah's Friday night Sweet 16 matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, it got help from the "other guys."

Players not named Delon Wright and Jakob Poeltl. And that was what made this contest a game, along with a dogged effort in inglorious areas — on the boards and on defense.

Win the thing, they could not — Utah fell, 63-57 — but represent themselves with diligence and pride, the Utes could.

They out-rebounded Duke 36-31, and held what many people believe is the best player in college basketball — Jahlil Okafor — to six points on six shots. They fell behind early, fought back, fell behind again, and fought back.

But they struggled to score.

For whatever reason, Utah couldn't smooth its offensive ride against the Blue Devils. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski gave the credit on that count to his team's defense. That was, in part, true. But the Utes simply could not find any rhythm with the ball, turning it over and missing shots, some contested and some completely open.

They made just better than a third of their attempts. Still, they were boosted by a couple of role players.

Poeltl got 10 points and eight rebounds, Wright went for 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting. But Dallin Bachynski came off the bench to pitch in with 11 points in 12 minutes. At one early juncture, he was the only Ute who could score, making 3 of 6 field goals and 5 of 7 free throws. Freshman Brekkott Chapman showed up in the second half, giving Utah some life when it seemed dead in the water. He nailed three attempts to keep the Utes close.

Later, Chapman was eager to get started on whatever comes next.

"It's tough to lose to a good team like that," he said. "Only one team is going to walk out with a 'W.' [But] it's been a great season for me; I'm just ready to look forward to get back in the gym."