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Task gets considerably taller for Utes with Missouri coming to Salt Lake City

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes forward Chris Seeley (11) dunks the ball over Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils center Jamal Watson (33), in basketball action Utah Utes vs. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, Monday, November 13, 2017.

The step up in competition will be noticeable even before Thursday’s game tips off.

The Utah men’s basketball team started the season with a pair of games against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponents who simply didn’t match up in terms of stature. Utah (2-0) will get its first test against a Power 5 conference opponent at 6 p.m. Thursday when Missouri (2-0) pays a visit to the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

“They’ve got tremendous length,” Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak said about the Tigers. “They might be one of the bigger teams. When they walk through the airport, they’re going to get some people’s attention. They’d be probably mistaken for an NBA team. They’ve got enough length and look the part.”

While the excitement of starting a new season certainly brings a high level of energy for any team, the presence of a team viewed among the top tier of the country — the Tigers received the sixth-most votes of the teams outside the Top 25 this week — figures to ratchet up the intensity.

“Basketball is pretty simple,” Krystkowiak said. “It’s still about the little things. You’re just going to be doing them against some big dudes and not get too carried away with the hype of it. But it’s human nature, I think, to a certain degree. When you’ve got to be at your best, we’ll be dialed in, sharp. If you’re not, then you’re not going to be very successful.”

The Utes won their first two games by an average of 30.5 points per game. They played Monday without junior guard Sedrick Barefield, one of their most experienced players and proven offensive weapons returning from last season. The Utes played both games without sophomore center Jayce Johnson, a 7-footer who should be one of the first players off the bench for the Utes this season.

If nothing else, those early games have spotlighted the Utes’ need to be more mindful handling the ball. That will become more important Thursday when the Utes face what Krystkowiak expects to be a big, physical, hard-nosed and defensive-minded outfit in the Tigers.

The Utes averaged 17 turnovers per game in their two victories, many of them live-ball turnovers (18 total steals by opponents), which translated into transition scoring opportunities for the opposition.

“I would say the turnovers is the main things,” senior guard Justin Bibbins said about lessons learned in the first two games. “Just, you know, taking care of the ball, valuing each possession, knowing that if we can get great shots, we’re going to score most possessions. If we can just take care of the ball, that’s the main thing for us.”

Tigers freshman Michael Porter Jr., projected by some as the top pick in next year’s NBA Draft, entered college basketball with enormous hype. The 6-10, 215-pound forward garnered a spot on the Associated Press Preseason All-America Team, one of five players nationally.

Porter’s collegiate career has gotten off to a slow start. He played just two minutes in the team’s season opener before he came out because he reportedly re-aggravated a previous hip injury. He did not play in the team’s game Monday. His status for Thursday was uncertain earlier this week.

Porter’s presence and the attention he already has received will not be lost on the Utes if he plays Thursday. Redshirt freshman Chris Seeley said following Monday night’s win over Mississippi Valley State that he’s been looking forward to playing against Porter since his AAU days.

When asked if he looked forward to playing against Porter, Utes senior wing Gabe Bealer said, “Definitely. Especially since I think I’m going to be one of the guys to guard him. You know, I’m competitive. I want to see what he’s made of.”

MISSOURI AT UTAH<br>Tipoff • Thursday, 6 p.m.<br>TV • Pac-12 Network<br>Radio • 700 AM.<br>Records • Missouri 2-0, Utah 2-0.<br>Series history • Utes lead 2-0.<br>Last meeting • Utah won 86-79 in double overtime on March 12, 1978.<br>About the Tigers • Missouri enters Thursday’s game coming off of a 99-55 win over Wagner on Monday night. Senior guard Kassius Robertson, a graduate transfer from Canisius, led the way with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting (5-of-8 on 3-pointers), while freshman forward Jontay Porter and sophomore forward Reed Nikko grabbed eight rebounds apiece. Nikko also blocked three shots. … Coach Cuonzo Martin is in his first season at the helm of the program after three previous seasons in the Pac-12 Conference as Cal’s coach. He took over a program that had its wins from the 2013-14 season vacated due to NCAA violations followed by three consecutive losing seasons.<br>About the Utes • Through two games, senior forward Tyler Rawson has averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He has also sho 47 percent from the floor and made 4-of-9 3-pointers. Rawson scored 10 points in 21 minutes Monday night, while senior wing Gabe Bealer scored a game-high 20 points and made six 3-pointers. … Senior center David Collette and junior guard Sedrick Barefield have each gone 8-of-12 shooting so far this season. Barefield did not play against Mississippi Valley State on Monday due to a stomach virus, but he scored 22 points in the season opener. Collette, who dealt with foul trouble in the season opener, has played just three minutes more in two games than Barefield did in one.