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Utah guard Brandon Taylor dribbled into the lane and flipped the ball into the air as the Huntsman Center crowd buzzed in anticipation, only to have Delon Wright's one-handed dunk attempt bounce off the rim.
That's just as well. If Wright's spectacular effort had succeeded and the Utes had gone ahead by 25 points midway through the second half Wednesday night, the reaction may have brought down the new ceiling fixtures.
And the Utes managed to save that play for a night when they really needed it. They beat Colorado by 25, anyway, with a 74-49 victory that gave them three wins by a total of 81 points to launch Pac-12 play.
Utah held the Buffaloes without a basket for 10-plus minutes of the first half and scored 21 points in a stretch of eight possessions in the second half.
This was one of those nights when Ute coach Larry Krystkowiak could talk about "the karma of the game" rewarding Taylor's defensive effort and TV analyst Bill Walton could speak of "a celebration of life" in the building. And they both sounded perfectly logical.
Taylor proved his coach's point by absorbing three charging fouls — "Our players know that's my favorite play," Krystkowiak said — finishing with 14 points and five assists.
The No. 9 Utes' defensive ability always will keep them in games. When that's mixed with the kind of offensive execution that produced six assists on those eight straight shots, this team is downright scary.
Taylor and Wright combined for 13 points in that flurry, while Dakarai Tucker and Chris Reyes added 3-pointers and Dallin Bachynski scored inside.
"That's what makes us special; we know how to share the ball," Taylor said.
Too much, maybe. Wright blamed being surprised by Taylor's pass with no defenders around them for his missed dunk. He certainly could be allowed that mistake, considering how well the Utes are playing.
They're not perfect, but that's the good news at this point. With a break in the schedule until next week's Arizona swing, Krystkowiak is making a secret list of "a number of things I'd like to clean up," he said.
Eventually, the Utes (13-2) will need some good half-court production in a close game on the road, but there's also some consolation in knowing they can crush one of the conference's better teams without Jordan Loveridge making a basket.
They've beaten USC by 24, UCLA by 32 and Colorado by 25 in the Pac-12, enabling Krystkowiak to watch the last few minutes of each game in a stress-free pose in his chair, with his arms folded. That look belied his exchange with Colorado guard Askia Booker early in the second half, to which he sheepishly confessed in the postgame interview.
Next time an opponent taunts the Ute bench, Krystkowiak promised, he'll wear his "big-boy pants" and stay out of the conversation.
That's OK. Krystkowiak is entitled to an occasional moment of humanness, amid everything that's happening in his program. The more emotion he shows, the more attachment he'll develop with this place. Who would imagined two or three years ago that Ute fans would be worrying about how long Krystkowiak will stay here?
He's becoming a star in the profession, with a team that promises to keep getting better as this season develops. Facing the Utes is no treat at all for their opponents lately, with hardly any open shots available and every possession turning into a struggle.
The Utes are proving that they don't have to be entertaining offensively to bring back big crowds to the Huntsman Center, they just have to keep the other guys from having any fun against a relentless defense. If ever a college basketball team was wearing big-boy pants, it is this one.
Twitter: @tribkurt